There is no "best skimmer on the market" cuz "best" doesn't really hold any specific meaning.
You have noticed that there are
LOTS of good options on the market these days - a dizzying array in fact.
One thing to hold in mind is that all decent (or better) skimmers are very similar in maximum performance in that they will be able to get no more than about 30% of the waste out of the water that you'd want to get out. It's a physics thing and related to the composition of the wastes that build up - nothing to do with the skimmer design at all. (Skimmer design mostly relates to how quickly one can get to that 30%.....not all that useful a stat cuz all are pretty quick) I wouldn't feel compelled to "break the bank" on a skimmer for this reason.
The next thing I'd suggest is to look at is what skimmer design is being copied the most (yay China!). In my estimation, this would be the
Reef Dynamics design (nee Euro-Reef). In fact, Reef Dynamics is the first skimmer I would suggest you check out. While not as cheap as some of the Chinese knock-offs, price is not out of this world as for most of the better european brands, and design and performance are top-notch - no gimmicks! Not to mention they are based here in the USA and they are super easy to reach and talk to for questions or support if you feel like it. I'd start looking at the
INS300. I would not hesitate to call the owner (Jeff) to discuss your tank if you have questions either.
Two more things to remember/live by which, if ignored, will handicap even the "best" skimmer: 1) keep the skimmer clean by wet skimming and/or manual cleanings whenever any buildup is noticed. 2) having a consistent (and correct) water level in the tank where the skimmer pump is by using a good ATO. (E.g. aquahub.com's kit, Ultralife's, Tunze, etc that all use reed-style floats.)
If noise is super important (any of the better skimmers are reasonably quiet considering what the device is doing - bubbling massive amounts of air into water) I wouldn't worry about factoring that into the skimmer selection. Instead I would operate the skimmer during "off hours" whatever that means for your scenario, so that the skimmer isn't on when you are around. As long as it can be on 2/3 of the day, that should be adequate as they catch up very quickly after being off. (If you are around to be bothered all the time, this may not be workable.)
-Matt