interesting. one of my clients uses the h4 for field recording in snow and winter conditions and it has held up really well. i bet that big record button comes in handy with gloves on or at night.
found this great site that has sound examples of the different recorders. from what i can tell from these recordings specifically, my top three are:
1. pcm d1 (a little to pricy and big for what im looking for personally)
2. toss up between pcm d50 and marantz (d50 sounds clearer but marantz has more bottom)
3. edirol
Portable Recorder Sound Samples