Few years ago, when I want to purchase an air conditioning unit I read lots of review and I observe that lots of review not useful they just mentioned about their service problem but not actual performance of A.C. unit. I agree servicing is really important but it depends upon your city(in case if you live in rural area then for major fault you get very slow response, and inadequacy of good technician ), service provider(local), etc. Some time may be good brand provide defected piece, sometime technician doesn’t solve the problem, sometime doesn’t provide proper service etc.Then its not meaning that this brand is totally failed in India, the better way is that to buy an A.C unit you may go in this following way
1) Decide your budget , if you not afford split A.C. then go for Window (but window A.C noisy, if you installed it on ground floor thief easily enter by removing it, it occupy more space every buddy know this but just consider this points )
2) Find out which Brand Provide you best service after sales
3) BTU
(BTU: Every air conditioner has a cooling capacity number in BTU or British thermal units per hour.) The higher the value, the stronger the air conditioner is. Of course, the more the BTU, the costlier. So in short, bigger isn't always necessarily better. It would be good to get as close to the correct BTU as possible as too small a unit could leave you sweltering despite the air conditioning, while too big a unit could cost you more to cool your room. You will also need factor in other aspects like number of windows, whether your bedroom faces the sun, how insulated it is, if there are electronic devices in the room, and how many people share the room.
4) EER: EER or Energy Efficiency Ratio is another good indicator for measuring how energy efficient an air conditioner is at turning electricity into cooling. Generally, the higher the number, the more efficient the unit, the less it will cost to run. (for easy just consider BEE star if two A.C unit difference in 1 star, then its not too much differences in your electricity bill saving )
Now I tell about my experiences of air conditioner, I compare this A.C. Units, I have O’General Hitachi and Voltas , and my friends have this 3 and other units
1) O General- ASG18ABT
2) Samsung - AS183TGA
3) Voltas - Vertis Plus S 1.5T SAC
4).Hitachi - RAU018GPD
5)Bluestar-3HW181YB.
My comparison is not depends upon any standard just what me and my friends feels, all A.C. units are 1.5 tons, room size near about same(but difference in first and second floor ) experienced such as cooling, noise level, BEE star, BTU , EER, appearance, cost, energy efficiency, by reading lots of review and discuss with dealer, technician’s etc. So please decide your brand on your observation (don’t shy to ask your neighbours, friends etc.) We categorized in Group A, Group B, Group C. and we decide O'General is top among all these units
part-2
(lots of people not heard about O’General and Hitachi but this are best as compared to known brand Samsung, LG). If you think about its cost, you will regain your money in 1 year by saving electricity.
Always prefer first for cooling performance and secondary for cost, look, etc.
Group A- Best cooling performance
1) O’General- Pros: it cools room very fast, long durability, less noise level, saving your electricity bill.
Cons: its cost is more than other, less number of dealer, appearance is not good no designer look like Samsung, no good display on unit its only on remote(I think , insted of cost other are secondary things, I got good servicing after sales)
2) Hitachi: Pros : very good in performance, High EER , energy sever,
Cons : cost
3) Carrier: pros: good cooling effect, worlds top selling unit (carrier provide service in White house, trains, bigger industries, aeroplane etc. Etc. they originate first world split AC), latest technology’s
Good service provider in India even in rural area
Cons: Appearance, Body cover problem, less energy efficient
- Voltas:
pros: really best in performance at low cost, it’s a TATA product, High BTU,
Cons : Noisy , appearance, old technology (in the sense it have no tech, like Hithachis follow me , Samsung look , etc. Again this are secondary things, in performance of cooling it challenges any brand. This value for money)
5. Samsung: / (LG)
Pros: good performance , looks are very rich which decorates your room, it have lots of secondary features like deodorizing , filtration etc....
cons: compare to Hitachi and o’genral its performance less, different model have different cons (LG is another good competitor in same category, features to Samsung)
Other products are different cons, pros and I can’t write for each but in opinion (not scientific) I give following ratings
Group C: Other markets strong player
6. Bluestar:
7. Godrej
8. Onida
Daikin (very calm), Panasonic are also good brand but they are not strong player in India. Please avoid other brands (don’t go for Videocon it have lots of problem)
part -3
Once you're ready with an idea of what you need, it's always good to research the Internet for recommendations and reviews based on the features you are considering. When you've settled on a brand and model you trust and want to get, check for store deals or discounts.
In summer no one give you discounts, best time is January (but company launches new products in summer they did somewhat modification or maybe you can’t get new best tech. Usually, appliance stores out in the suburbs offer better rates. Ask two –three dealers about same model. Check also if the purchase price includes installation and delivery (bargain on it) and if not, how much more this would add to the total cost.
Last but not least, Dikhawe pe mat jao, apni aakal lagao.
