Whats The Best Brand Air Cond And Refrigerator To Buy?

[westbounder]

The wife and I are building a new house.

Went to Home Pro over the weekend to get ideas.

We looked at a lot of different appliances.

I need to buy 2 air con units (each unit aprox. 24,000 btu) and also a large refridgerator/freezer (in about the 25,000 baht price range for the refridgerator).

Can anyone tell me the best brand air cond. units to buy and also tell me the best brand refrigerator to buy?

Thank You

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Mitsubishi!

For both.

[daoyai]

The wife doesn't know ? wow I remember when I had a Thai-wife, she knew exactly what she wanted....... turned out it wasn't me.

[Tywais]

Mitsubishi or Denki for air. There are actually two Mitsubishis - Mitsubishi Heavy and Mitsubishi Electric. Mitsubishi Heavy can be expensive to repair compared to Mitsubishi Electric which is more common.

Electrolux for refrig. Mine is still running perfectly after 16 years.

[eyecatcher]

best fridge got to be the one you can get most beer in

[harrry]

I have mitsubushi for both and they are excellent products.

[ShopBoy]

Mitsubishi or Denki for air. There are actually two Mitsubishis - Mitsubishi Heavy and Mitsubishi Electric. Mitsubishi Heavy can be expensive to repair compared to Mitsubishi Electric which is more common.

Electrolux for refrig. Mine is still running perfectly after 16 years.

+1

[Greenside]

I've had poor luck with Mitsubishi A/C's and was told that oddly enough the Heavy Industries line is their lighter duty, less well made version. I'd say that your most important choice is the dealer and HomePro/Global House/Siam TV wouldn't be on my list for A/C other than for looking at the aesthetics and current promotions of the various brands you may be considering. After a lot of hunting around we found a company called Dragon Air which is just off the Super Highway on the Mae Jo road just a few doors away from the hospital (see my map for the location). Their fitting was very professional and they concealed all the pipework as we specified (something to consider early if you are building, by the way). In the end we chose Panasonic as quietness and reliability are supposed to be good - I can vouch for the quietness but it's too early to tell on the reliability front.

As far as fridges go, Mitsu are definitely a leading brand but internal layout and sufficient shelves are the two most important and frequently overlooked issues. Many big fridges have at least one too few shelves and door trays that don't take 2 litre packs of milk without a squeeze or juice cartons fitted front to rear. Like kitchens and bathrooms, they seem to be designed by people who seldom actually use them.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Greenside

[transam]

Daikin Inverter is the best, they don't make Hi Fi's, TV's, or anything else, just Aircon.

As for fridge, really anything goes. Simple engineering, but see if there is a ''your choice brand'' repair shop near by.

[cmsally]

+1 for Daikin Inverter for AC

Never had a problem with a fridge but try to avoid the ones with the really flimsy plastic shelves which break easily.

[THAIPHUKET]

Greenside says it

= In the end we chose Panasonic as quietness and reliability are supposed to be good - I can vouch for the quietness.

Unquote

Who can really judge reliability of an aircon without having different brands running under same conditions, for years?

Quietness is the overriding quality factor on a daily and nightly basis. That is worth extra money!

It is also a subjective thing. I wonder, are there any test out there which measure running noises on a standardized basis?

[bino]

We have Mitsubishi Electric aircons- specifically specified by the Ms. She says Thai ppl consider them to be the best / most reliable / cheapest repairs and parts. Can't disagree with this- It runs fine and never needed any repair besides semi-annual cleaning.

Refrigerator - we have Samsung. Again, chosen by her. I hate it. It isn't good enough to keep ice cream hard, and It isn't frost-free. There is a button inside that we have to push for defrosting. After pushing the button, it pisses all over the kitchen floor. Hate that. I'm waiting for one of the up-country family members to need a new fridge so that we can hand off this one and get something better.

So- I'd suggest that whatever brand you get, make sure it is frost free.

[hellodolly]

Daikin Inverter is the best, they don't make Hi Fi's, TV's, or anything else, just Aircon.

As for fridge, really anything goes. Simple engineering, but see if there is a ''your choice brand'' repair shop near by.

don't know about air con.

We bought a sharp refrigerator at Siam for around 22,000 two years ago It is a large one 18 cubic feet I believe.

At any rate part of the reason we bought there is because they have a repair center there.

As transam said make sure there is a repair center handy. You might never need it but handy to know.

I believe you might have a little trouble finding a big refrigerator in your price range from Mitsubishi.

Don't know for sure have a look around.

Edited June 8, 2012 by hellodolly

[prism]

Daikin aircons are just as good or better then Mitsubishi Aircons but at a better price. I've used Daikin for years. Shop outside of Homepro for better prices, installation and service.

Mitsu makes great fridges, Toshiba and Panasonic are not far behind.

Bought a Panasonic aircon once, noisy compressor and not up to the quality of Daikin.

[Beetlejuice]

I doubt if anyone can really recommend the best make for electrical appliances.

It all depends on luck. One person may purchase a certain make of electrical appliance and it could run trouble free for years, therefore will recommend that make, but on the other hand, someone else may also purchase the same make and type appliance, yet have a load of problems with it, so of course will suggest not to buy it.

This is Thailand, the land where some ya win and some ya lose. Best to stick with the big company names to be on the safe side, as in the end they’re all about the same.

[Gonsalviz]

Greenside says it

= In the end we chose Panasonic as quietness and reliability are supposed to be good - I can vouch for the quietness.

Unquote

Who can really judge reliability of an aircon without having different brands running under same conditions, for years?

Quietness is the overriding quality factor on a daily and nightly basis. That is worth extra money!

It is also a subjective thing. I wonder, are there any test out there which measure running noises on a standardized basis?

That quietness thing only works until they hang the outside unit on the wall outside your bedroom.

[brommers]

I recently moved house and looked at all the air-con makes. Finally went for Mitsu as the ones in the old house had been very reliable and quiet over the years. After looking at SiamTv, Homepro etc I also chose to use Dragon Air Supply. They are conveniently located for us and were very professional in surveying the house and fitting the units. A few weeks later I needed a small adjustment to one unit & they came and did it very quickly at no cost. As they were no more expensive than the others in the first place I can only say that I am very happy with Dragon.

As for the actual units, they work well and are quiet. I noticed that the handbook recommends cleaning the coarse filters every two weeks which I thought was a bit frequent but as you can do it yourself , are very easy to access, simple to clean & replace it is a very quick chore. And I was surprised how much material was in them. The fine filters are also simple to replace and this is dependent on their colour. As we have a lot of dust-creating house building going on around us I think we will be doing it soon, which is after 4 months of operation in the lounge, kitchen & main bedroom. The other rooms are not as frequently used and therefore will last longer . So you can call me a happy Mitsubishi owner.

As for fridges I can only agree with what others say, they are essentially low tech devices. After doing the usual look at all makes in all the usual stores we finally went for a Hitachi from Homepro because it was a well designed and well finished product and had an automatic ice maker that did not need to be plumbed in. The best thing is to stick to the major brands and then go for the interior layout & features that you feel are the best for you.

Good luck with your final choices.

[SwaziBird]

Daikin Inverter is the best, they don't make Hi Fi's, TV's, or anything else, just Aircon.

As for fridge, really anything goes. Simple engineering, but see if there is a ''your choice brand'' repair shop near by.

I've had two Daikin Inverter airconditioners for 4 years.

Whisper-quiet and very economical to run. Hassle free.

Cheers

Edited June 9, 2012 by SwaziBird

[Greenside]

Greenside says it

= In the end we chose Panasonic as quietness and reliability are supposed to be good - I can vouch for the quietness.

Unquote

Who can really judge reliability of an aircon without having different brands running under same conditions, for years?

Quietness is the overriding quality factor on a daily and nightly basis. That is worth extra money!

It is also a subjective thing. I wonder, are there any test out there which measure running noises on a standardized basis?

That quietness thing only works until they hang the outside unit on the wall outside your bedroom.

If you're building and have the room, install the condenser unit(s) on a concrete slab not connected to the house (harder if they're upstairs, I know) so you don't get any transmission of the vibrations. I've never even heard ours kick in.

[Dellboy218]

I have had Daikin / Toshiba and Mitsubishi for years and never had a problem with any of them, If it is for an upstairs bedroom do not mount the compressor unit on a steel frame as that can make even the quietest unit sound noisy. Get a concrete plinth fitted. Much quieter. As Greenside says, you not hear the compressor kick in.

Edited June 9, 2012 by Dellboy218

[kaptainrob]

Daikin aircons are just as good or better then Mitsubishi Aircons but at a better price. I've used Daikin for years. Shop outside of Homepro for better prices, installation and service.

Mitsu makes great fridges, Toshiba and Panasonic are not far behind.

Bought a Panasonic aircon once, noisy compressor and not up to the quality of Daikin.

Toshiba make good office equipment, their fridges are crap!

LG best for fridge and washer, Daikin for a/c. Sony, Samsung or LG for TV's.

[binjalin]

Daikin for air - Mitsu firdges are good too

[Naam]

Greenside says it

= In the end we chose Panasonic as quietness and reliability are supposed to be good - I can vouch for the quietness.

Unquote

Who can really judge reliability of an aircon without having different brands running under same conditions, for years?

Quietness is the overriding quality factor on a daily and nightly basis. That is worth extra money!

It is also a subjective thing. I wonder, are there any test out there which measure running noises on a standardized basis?

That quietness thing only works until they hang the outside unit on the wall outside your bedroom.

especially if you have "Thai walls" and the outside unit is not mounted properly on its rubber "bumpers". i have two units mounted on the outside exactly where the headboard of our beds are. we hear zero! one of the problems is that untrained "natives" turn the nuts/bolts, which go through the rubber, too tight. that's the main reason why vibrations are transmitted.

another "native" problem is that "transport nuts" which fix the compressor on its base are not loosened after installation to let the compressor move a couple of millimeters thus avoiding transmission of compressor vibrations. before we moved in i had to call the aircon subcontractor to show him what mistake he made. i got for an answer "we have installed many hundreds of units and never loosened those nuts!" and i said "you loosen my nuts, or else!"

but why do i bother? Bill, Buck, Hank and Joe from the polar circle who have never heard of airconditioning before now render best advice in TV aircon threads by claiming "buy Suzy Q brand! very quiet, we are very happy, my wife is more horny, som tam tastes much better, the dogs don't sweat so much, our electricity bill is now zero and quite often we get a refund from the public grid supplier."

[elektrified]

Mitsubishi or Denki for air. There are actually two Mitsubishis - Mitsubishi Heavy and Mitsubishi Electric. Mitsubishi Heavy can be expensive to repair compared to Mitsubishi Electric which is more common.

Electrolux for refrig. Mine is still running perfectly after 16 years.

Likewise. I have a Mitsubishi and an industrial grade Saijo Denki. Never had a problem with them in almost 5 years now.

[transam]

Mitsubishi or Denki for air. There are actually two Mitsubishis - Mitsubishi Heavy and Mitsubishi Electric. Mitsubishi Heavy can be expensive to repair compared to Mitsubishi Electric which is more common.

Electrolux for refrig. Mine is still running perfectly after 16 years.

Think Eletrolux now is just a name used (bought) by the Chinese (I think). In UK Hotpoint bought Electrolux.

[Tywais]

Think Eletrolux now is just a name used (bought) by the Chinese (I think). In UK Hotpoint bought Electrolux.

Are you sure, there is an Electrolux UK and an Electrolux USA site and looks the same. They did establish a wholly owned division in China but not the entire company under Chinese hands.

Electrolux China Co. Ltd., a 100-percent wholly owned division of the Sweden-based home appliance producer AB Electrolux, recently came into operation in Changsha, China.

“We have finished the strategic marketing integration in the whole China region,” Don Gadsden, president of Electrolux China, said at the establishment ceremony.

In 1996, Electrolux established a joint venture with Zhongyi Group, a domestic refrigerator maker based in Changsha. The company, named Electrolux Zhongyi (Changsha) Refrigerator Co. Ltd., was 60-percent owned by Electrolux , with Zhongyi owning the remaining 40 percent. In September 2003, Electrolux acquired the remaining 40 percent of Zhongyi from its joint-venture partner. After gaining an exclusive ownership, Electrolux has made follow-up investments in a new washing machine production line with an annual production capacity of 500,000 as well as expanding the production capacity of refrigerators. Peter Birch, CEO of Electrolux Asia-Pacific stated: “The Changsha plant will be built as a world-class-equipped manufacturing base as well as our largest production facility in China.”

[worgeordie]

Firstly do you really need A/Cs?, we just have the windows open and

use ceiling and wall fans plus lots of trees and plants around the house,there maybe a few days a year when I wish

I had one ,but then i remember the money I am saving.

Just a thought

regards Worgeordie

[cooked]

Firstly do you really need A/Cs?, we just have the windows open and

use ceiling and wall fans plus lots of trees and plants around the house,there maybe a few days a year when I wish

I had one ,but then i remember the money I am saving.

Just a thought

regards Worgeordie

well if that's the way you want to go, you should insulate the roof space, make sure that there is adequate ventilation up there, maybe fit a whirlygig or two, insulate the sun facing walls also. I am hoping to be able to survive without A/C, will know if I succeed in a year or two

[Naam]

Firstly do you really need A/Cs?, we just have the windows open and

use ceiling and wall fans plus lots of trees and plants around the house,there maybe a few days a year when I wish

I had one ,but then i remember the money I am saving.

Just a thought

regards Worgeordie

imagine how much money you could remember saving by living on noodle soup from street vendors, drinking tap water and sleeping under a bridge with a lot of shade plants around.

[harrry]

Firstly do you really need A/Cs?, we just have the windows open and

use ceiling and wall fans plus lots of trees and plants around the house,there maybe a few days a year when I wish

I had one ,but then i remember the money I am saving.

Just a thought

regards Worgeordie

imagine how much money you could remember saving by living on noodle soup from street vendors, drinking tap water and sleeping under a bridge with a lot of shade plants around.

THat is exactly what I think when I get my electricity bill and pay the rest of my household expenses.

Edited June 12, 2012 by harrry