Sharp AH-XP13LV or AH-XP18MV or others

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I am Vijay from Chennai. I have read about Inverter ACs from multiple posts in TE. I would have not considered Sharp but for the posts here. Thanks a lot to the contributors.

I am planning to purchase an AC for my 150 Sq. ft bedroom. It would run for 3-4 hours per day in the nights. The roof is exposed to the sun and it has 1 west facing window (~ 20 Sq Ft) and 1 facing North (~ 15 Sq Ft). Humidity is high throughout the year. Please confirm if a 1.1 ton Inverter AC would do.

I am considering Sharp for the VFM it offers. I have come across mixed reviews about Sharp ACs - the same model providing impeccable performance to some and failing to cool right after installation for others. I am not sure if this inconsistency is related to the product Quality in anyway. Please share your thoughts on the same. Please confirm if ASS of Sharp is good in Chennai since I have read many reviews on Mouthshut and 1 in TE that AH-XP13LV has failed for many (Both within and immediately after Warranty period). Please share your thoughts.

A Sharp salesperson told me that 1.1 ton (AH-XP13LV) would take longer time to cool the room - around 30 minutes for my specifications. He said that AH-XP18MV is out of production and is not available anywhere in Chennai. He also mentioned that the ASS is not great in Chennai and the company is trying to build it. He said the installation would be taken care by the company (since it involves Vacumming pipes and others) and it needs to be paid for separately.

Please suggest if AH-XP13LV would be sufficient since AH-XP18MV is costlier and seems unavailable. Please let me know of dealers if I can get a AH-XP18MV in Chennai. I would consider LG non-inverter 3 Star AC's if Sharp doesn't work out since ASS is good and I have had good experience with LG products. Please suggest good LG 3 star models if Sharp isn't good.

I was told that AH-XP13LV and AF-XP24MV (2.0 Ton) are available in Girias only and I found it on their website. But AH-XP18LV is not available in their site. I was thinking if we can place AH-XP18LV in any other city, I can check if they can send it to Chennai.
I am not considering the PMT, PHT new series since specs are similar to 2013 models and other new features have been added. But the cost of 1.1 tons is around 41K and 1.25 tons is 45K and since these are new untested models, I am considering established 2013 models.
I am not considering Panasonic ACs because I read that Panasonic may quit consumer electronics and move to supplying parts to other industries. So ASS and spare parts may be unavailable, if required.
I am not considering LG inverter models because it was mentioned in one of the posts that the build quality is compromised to cut costs and stay competitive.

I checked AH-XP13LV in Girias and the best offer price is Rs. 34800 - includes installation excludes stabilizer.

Salesman said the AH-X series is manufactured in India and the AH-XP series is from Thailand. He suggested the model 18PHT at best offer rate of Rs. 48100, since AH-XP18MV is unavailable. 15RET (1.25 ton) is available at Rs. 41500 but the coverage area in the Sharp manual is 168 Sq. ft for this and coverage area of AH-XP13LV was given as 160 Sq. ft (Surprisingly salesman mentioned that it was provided as part of customer feedback). So I am not sure if the 1.25 ton would give a distinct advantage.

Please suggest if getting AH-XP13LV at a total cost of Rs. 37000 (including stabilizer) would be better than getting a LG 1.5 ton non-inverter AC at about the same cost. Provided that we can take 30 minutes for AH-XP13LV to cool the room, would it be a better bargain in the long run in comparison to Non inverter 1.5 ton AC?

Please provide the best deals of Sharp/LG ACs in Chennai. Thanks a lot for your time.. Also share your thoughts on Panasonic. Thanks a lot for your time.

 

[Santy]

My room is 11 x 15 which is 165 sqft and I never felt it is under-cooled with XP13LV. It takes about 7-8 min to make me comfortable and within 15 min it reaches the desired temperature during evening time. In the noon, it would take a little longer. Given that your room is slightly smaller than mine, if you can control the sunlight coming in and if you are using mostly during night, this should be adequate for you. Ofcourse, having more headroom is always desirable but it depends on your budget to comfort ratio that you are looking for. But then, you are in Chennai so atleast 1.25 ton could be considered.

 

[rishiguru]

I am not updated with the market to provide you with a distinct answer. As for Sharp Inverters, the AH-XP18MV (1.5 Ton) & AH-XP24MV (2 Ton) looked identical and were their top models in 2013. They were much superior in terms of technology while material used were different compared to their 1.1 Ton equivalent AH-XP13NRV & AH-XP13LV.

This is the reason why there is a huge gap in price between their 1.1 Ton & 1.5 Ton model. And this was the reason why even one of my rooms could somehow manage with a 1.1 Ton, I opted for their 1.5 Ton. Moreover the XP18MV used the identical indoor unit of XP24MV, hence the XP18MV had a much bigger evaporator in IDU compared to its competing models resulting in very high efficiency.

The 1 & 1.1 Ton models are the cash cows of any manufacturer irrespective of any brand. They need to keep them cheap to compete in the market. Saying that the AH-XP13LV is a proven model with many satisfied owners. You can look for it if it suits your needs. It was a true VFM product at INR 31K in 2013. Dont know how much it costs now.

You can also look at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries inverter air conditioners. Mind you here also their 1.5 Ton & 2 Ton Inverter models looks identical and are in a different league in terms of material used compared to their 1 Ton models. The 1 Ton inverters look completely different and do not possess the aura, look and feel of their 1.5 Ton model and thus are INR 20K cheaper. Just think of the price difference for a while.

And yes, I will never opt for non-Inverters. You may say it to be my personal choice.