What is the best air conditioner brand to buy in India? This is the most common question asked by our readers who are looking to buy an ac. We thought it would be best to create a post on that.
Selecting a best brand depends on lot of factors. In India, there are many AC brands available in the market and each one of them is good on its own way. So making unanimous choice is difficult and also naming something as THE best brand is definitely not the right way as people have different needs and companies cater to all of those requirements.
However, let us look further on brand selection while buying an air conditioner.
How to Select the Best Air Conditioner Brand in India?
You need to consider multiple factors and compare them for the needs you have. Then you can make a calculated judgement on which should be the best brand to go for. However LG, Panasonic, Voltas, Whirlpool, Sanyo, Hitachi, Daikin are some of the popular brands to watch out for.
Check the Reviews for Each AC Brand
Without saying much everyone understands that it is prudent to check reviews of any product prior to buying. You need to check both product reviews as well as customer reviews for the air conditioner brands to understand more.
Go through the product reviews
You must have to review the product, it goes without saying that any purchase will have checks before buying.
We have best guide to understand many AC buying jargons such as BTU/hr, BEE Star ratings, EER etc. Check our quick definition and verify the corresponding metrics for the AC product you wnat to buy.
Some of these product ratings are tricky and you need to read between the lines. It is advisable to double-check the seller on these standards rating to be sure.
Find out what customers have to say
Customer reviews are a great help while buying any product online. But there are two types of reviews.
- Paid reviews that you 5 stars rating for the produccts irrespective of whether they really mean what they say.
- Then, there are reviews from people that have actually used these AC units. They are definitely in a better position to comment on the vital aspects of the AC units.
Another important thing is you should pay more attention to the negative reviews more than the positive ones. This is because people might not always post reviews if the product is good, but they do so if the product is bad.
Generic vs Specialty vs Cheap AC Brand
There are few popular brands in India that produce most of the home appliances and kitchen appliances. Also, there are few companies that specialize in air conditioner only. How do they differ?
Specialty Brands have Best Product Quality
You might have seen some AC brands usually cost higher. Reason is they outshine their peers in quality. These brands are usually known for the technology they use. These brand manufacturers do their research on the subject of cooling technology and air conditioning. Because of their deep research, AC products typically are more efficient and last longer.
These specialty brands have a higher capital cost, but it evens out in the end because of their higher efficiency and longevity. Energy audit reports state that these brands provide a higher degree of efficiency even when the machine becomes old. The better technology in use makes them last longer.
So, is there any other problem with these specialty brands apart from the price?
Yes, there is a another disadvantage you need to consider. Usually specialist brands of AC manufacturers might not have servicing units in all cities. Just check with the seller more on this. In fact, this leads to another issue of higher maintenance cost as well.
What is the verdict?
Despite the higher cost, these AC brands are worth buying because of best product quality.
Generic Brands are More Economical
Famous brands in India such as Samsung, LG etc sell a lot of other electronic items in addition to the air conditioners. This includes refrigerators, TV, washing machines etc. All of them are leading manufacturers of consumer electronic items, however not the experts of air conditioning technology.
But these generic brands produce above average air conditioners and at lesser cost.
- Even though they are generic electronic appliance manufactures, they have a brand name to maintain in the market. So they adhere to defined quality standards.
- These generic companies are also cost less on the money.
- Even though AC products are cheaper, they only lack on research and development of technology. So it is definitely worth it.
So, what is the verdict?
Generic AC companies have a dedicated market and enjoy deeper penetration than the specialist brands. Hence, you get good after-sales service. This helps in the maintenance aspect. This is an advantage that is more attractive to most consumers.
Cheap brands that are very inexpensive
Cheap brands are not the same as generic brands explained before. These are additional brands that are just inexpensive. Their prices are way lower than most in the market.
Does cheap price guarantee a smart buy?
Cheap AC brands/products compromise on the quality as well as the efficiency of the product. However, they indulge in huge marketing gimmicks and heavy discounts on gullible consumers. So, stay out them!
Why cheap AC brands are not good in the long run?
In the long run the maintenance and durability comes into picture. For chap ACs, this will over-weigh the cost of product for best AC brands.
- Cheap AC brands tend to consume a lot of electricity. This increases the operating costs of the AC.
- Repair and maintenance costs are higher for cheap AC products
- One should always take the capital cost as well as the operating cost into consideration. Over the life of the AC, these cheap ACs cost more.
Conclusion
As seen above, there are various things on selecting a right brand for you. So don’t go for herd mentality while fixing the brand even before know product details. There is no one size fits for all solution, so you should carefully check the details of the AC brand and the product before buying.
