Jan 01, 2016 01:40 PM
22234 Views
There are people who get excited the moment they buy a new product, and review it out; and then there are people like me, who wait, and wait. A year maybe?
Thats probably a good time to have had your product tested and to have had assessed all the pros and cons which you are willing to share it with your friends and followers, and prospective buyers, to have unbiased views. 1 year is probably a good time to have had an a/c reviewed, and what makes it even better is that its the same brand I have reviewed twice before as well, making it a compelling reason for me to buy this Fujitsu General R32 split. I decided and started, just like anyone of you out there- to go online and read the reviews first, before investing in a new air con for my house. But, alas, most of the models in our market are never reviewed, and most of the reviews you read of a brand-ARE always negative. Its scary always to have read what the indian consumers have to say regarding the after sales support, but for that what I would like to say is, before deciding to go out and buying the appliance straightaway, ALWAYS find a reliable dealer first, judging one not by his swanky shop in a posh locale, but by the virtue of words in favor of him on the internet.
You are bound to get a good after sales service, needless to say.
NOW, there is something about GENERAL which always has me as a loyal fan of itself. Theres not a single ac brand that can compete with the machines from general, that can take the heat of the harsh Delhi summers, and can continue doing so for almost a decade. IT started with a window ac back in 2004, AXZ18GNN, worked tirelessly for 9 years, replaced it with the GENERAL ASGA18FTTA, and now this one for another room.
Unlike most of the ac buying folks out there, I never trust the words of the salesman and go by what he has to suggest me to buy, either the tonnage or the brand. Happens always that they get too embarrassed with the knowledge I have, and when I confront their obscure consumer luring self made facts, pushing for lowly machines that wont outlast your next ios upgrade.
A good tip though, for the ac buyers is to ALWAYS LOOK OUT FOR THE OUTDOOR UNIT. I have never understood why stockists and shops always want people to see how beautiful the indoor units are; like beauty doesnt always compensate for the cooling. OUTDOOR units are what should be displayed always, and the bigger the better for that tonnage. Also make it a point to lean on and reach out to the fins and pressing them to see how hard they are. they shouldnt bend easily( for high quality units). also, a visual tip, premium quality machines appear yellowish in color due to powder coating and the antirust treatment.
NOW, its 2015 march, not exactly hot in delhi, but the right time when companies are introducing new models and revising the star rating of their exisitng models. Exactly the time you should be knowing which machine to look out for. For me, I had 2 brands in mind, toshiba and Fujitsu General aka "ogeneral". Toshiba offers quality next to general, and you can never go wrong with one. they are highly sophisticated, advanced and the ones who invented inverter technology. But I didnt want to go in for inverter, because this ac wont be used as much, and toshiba's non inverter lineup is still running on r22- thats an old refrigerant, to be banned by 2020.
DAIKIN I wouldnt ever buy in this category, since their low priced inverters and non inverter are made in india, and I am not a fan of indian quality. had it been their r410 splits/ heatpumps, I would wear a blind fold and buy( I do have 2 daikin splits, 6 yr and 5 yr old, 5 star, Thailand made)
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC seemed promising, but .uhmm. how much ever the machine might be efficient, their acs looked flimsy and not at par with others. Though, I must say, they arent cheap.
NOW, the fact that all my neighbors use a 1.5 ton ac in the room where I was going to put up this 1 ton split, I was skeptical since people would just say " arre 1 ton ka ac nahi chalega idhar". But, having used generals in the past, I was more than confident that the tonnage of the ac was perfect, that its always better to have a 1 ton put in place of a 1.5 ton where the requirement is that of a 1.2 ton.
AND, its peak may, I decide to go on a sultry afternoon to go pick up the ac by myself from my trusted dealer, who has the carton ready at his shop. Since this ac was small, like really small, I didnt have much of a problem getting it all by myself. I go to the shop/ warehouse, where I see the gentleman telling other people how happy I was that I didnt even ask for any other brand and decided to take a third general home, with cash payment.
Truly, its a good feeling, that you just arent waiting to be cheated at the behest of a dealer you dont know. this guy is very reliable, and looks after all the ac I have at my home, even when I am out of town.
I already had the place decided where I wanted to put up the ac, and as always and all the installations I have had, it had to be neat, and not a single pipe visible from the front. The installation guy came the following day on my request, and had to install all the outdoor units plus the new one, on the flats terrace, since the terrace flooring had just be renovated. Please do keep in mind that instead of getting the outdoor unit hung up on the wall, its always a good choice to have them put on the floor, with the cushioning feet, ofc, making it easier for you to clean it and for the mechanics to carry out the repairs.
it took 14 hours to do the job, the mechanics were up till 11 pm to connect all the machines, and commission the new one. I was mighty happy with the dedicated workforce though, and got my bill the next day. Started the ac, and its whisper silent. I had all the people wrong, since my ac chills the room in peak afternoon 43c, and without a struggle.
talking about the indoor unit first, the ac is simle to look at, and has a matte finish front. thats the best part, since it looks cleaner, and doesnt make the unit stand out in the room. Also, what makes ogeneral stand out for me infront of other brands is that Ogeneral has COANDA airflow technology, wherein the flaps throw out the blast of cold air to the ceiling, which cools the room uniformly, and better unlike any other ac out there. the indoor unit has 2pre filters, and a metallic control box cover, and is very easy to dismantle and clean. Its made in Thailand, needless to say.
The outdoor unit is small too, but a beautiful one to look at. It has the R32 symbol to the side, and runs noiselessly. the build quality is premium, and exudes high levels of execution, that can withstand any abuse, synonymous with an ogeneral. The washers and screws are rust proof, and look like new, even after many years of usage. My unit is kept under the direct sun, like all the rest of them, and with just a monthly wipe, they are good to go. Its also how I prefer my condensing units to be, clean from the outside and the inside. I prefer to do that all by myself.
The remote is standard General affair, no loose parts- just sturdy and easy to use. has a a sleep timer and 5 fan speeds. the airflow effect is very good, and I always use it on super quiet mode. chills in half an hour, no issues at all. the ac has a cooling capacity of 12000btu, and consumes about 1050watts of power. Spent 34k INR+ 7K INR(installation)
doesnt make it shine out in my power bill, since all the acs at my place are in use. the peak season bill is around 8k inr, for 4 acs running, (2ton, 1.5ton, 1 ton, 1.5 ton) thats about it.
All these are non inverters from daikin and general, as I am still apprehensive about the PCBs getting fried up in the outdoor units with the delhi heat. SIMPLER the BETTER, is what I think. The ac should be there when you want it, and inverter acs make me a bit uncomfortable with the complex diagnosis, incase anything goes wrong. Still a lot of time for companies to improve, by the time I am to replace one of the existing acs I have.
I would never hesitate going for a GENERAL ever, they are the strongest for non inverter acs.
am using this 1 ton inplace of where my neighbors have 1.5 ton units from voltas, lg, hitachi and all, west facing top floor flats.
That says all of it.
Any suggestion or advice?
Shall be more than happy to help.
