Apr 11, 2008 12:38 AM
46408 Views
After much research I finally decided to go for Volvas Vertis Plus 1.5T window AC.
The choices I had - well quite a few:
Blue Star - Awesome Value for money. 1.5T was 15, 995/- however I wasn't sure about the after sales service - so had to rule it out. But overall a very good product.
Hitachi - Amazing features - Extremely power efficient and very quite. Problem: Price of of 20k for a 1T and 25k for 1.5T. No discounts. Undoubtedly quality came @ a very high price
Voltas - Good old reliable TATA product. All required features - no flashy gimmics like the other players in the market boost about. Tuned for Indian conditions backed up by excellent service. Service cost is 200/- only per season. Price of course - 17000/- for Vertis Plus and 16000/- for Premium
Carrier - without a doubt - its a great product being the market leaders. Problem - Price Tag of 24.5k for a 1.5T. Same a Hitachi - and if given a choice I'd go with Hitachi - coz its more power efficient.
My Choice: Voltas Vertis PLUS 1.5T Window AC
Why?
One of the few ACs with an EER rating. It offered a 2 Star rating when others offered none.
Time tested. Used LG and Videocon AC @ home and they are nothing compared to Voltas.(No offence - I'm using both LG and Videocon along with Voltas)
Good Service backed up by TATA
Discount. Vertis Plus is a new model where as Premium is reltailing 1500 lesser than Plus model. The reason as quoted by the company - a few tweeks here and there - Looks & an EER rating which the older Premium model lacks. The market price of Vertis Plus is 18, 500/- to 19, 000/-(19k being the price mentioned on Voltas Company website) - I got it for 17, 000/-
Had all the features required. Dry Mode for rainy seasons, LCD remote, Sleep Mode with on/off Timer, highly energy efficient compressor, good built quality which would last long and simply straight forward USP - no flashy gimmics like the LGs and the Samsungs of the world do on TV.
Why not go for LG / Samsung / Onida / Videocon?
Well for the simple reason that I have used most of these and the products start showing the effects after 2 yrs of running. Irritating sounds during start up, constantly falling ability to cool, features not working. And my personal favorite: service people bill you more because a "chip" controlling the "bio-sleep" function died and had to be replaced.
My Suggestion to folks reading this review:
- Voltas is best known for its uninterupted performace and dependability. Cooling is awesome. I bought a 1.5T for my room which actually needed a 1T so cooling was faster. Safe to go for Voltas Plus. I'm happy with it - so I vote YES!
If you have the money to spend - go for Hitachi(best choice) or Carrier(same price as Hitachi). Blue star is a good option but then I was told that its great for commercial use and not home use.
O-General is also a great AC. Should consider spending more if you can affort it.
CAUTION!
Always check the EER rating. Makes a lot of difference in the long run. 2 Star is standard you should look for. Sellers might say - "whats there in a rating - all ACs are meant to save power" - well what a bunch of crap. Its like saying an ISI mark is for no good.
Higher end ACs has upto 3 or even 4 star rating. But then I'm talking about ones which cost over 25k.
Check for the nearest service center. It comes in handy.
The more the techno gimmics in the AC - terms like Bionizer, Silver Nano - features wont last more than 2yrs. After which they start giving issues. Remember you'll be billed higher when it comes to servicing and repair. An AC is supposed to cool the room - period. Buy one which does that primary function best. Everything else is secondary. I used a National AC - very old - but works better than most others even after 5yrs now.
Break up of costing:
Vertis Plus 1.5T: 17, 000/-
Staballizer: 2500/-(Voltline)
Fixing Charges: 500/-
Electric settings: 700/-(buying an MCB switch and cabling)
Setting up the Wooden AC Frame Stand: 500/-
TOTAL DENT IN POCKET: 21, 200/-
Smile on you face once it starts cooling the room: PRICELESS.
Choose well my dear friends - and have a nice summer.
Best regards,
Bhaskar Deva
Location: New Delhi
