Top Air Conditioner Manufacturers - Market Review
From this review, you will find out which air conditioner is best for the manufacturer and why a well-developed brand is not a guarantee of quality and reliability. You will receive an answer to the question which brand and country of assembly should be preferred so as not to be mistaken with the choice.
The rating of air conditioner manufacturers presented here is based on data received from official distributors and warranty departments of companies that provide installation and maintenance services for HVAC equipment. When compiling the rating, the reliability and cost indicators of equipment were taken into account.
What you need to know about brands and manufacturers of air conditioners
The number of brands of climate devices on the Russian market is growing annually. However, the number of manufacturers is not increasing. This phenomenon is explained quite simply: new OEM brands are regularly created. The assembly of equipment manufactured under these trademarks is carried out on order at factories of independent Asian manufacturers.
Mostly, such orders are carried out in China at the Midea, Gree and Haier plants. These three large companies control a significant share of the Chinese market. Less often, such orders are placed at small factories of unknown manufacturers, while the quality of the assembled devices is doubtful, and problems in the operation of the devices are not ruled out.
At present, the reliability levels of brands are blurred, which complicates the classification, and therefore it is more difficult for customers to determine which air conditioning company is better.
Due to the desire to cover all niches of the climate technology market, manufacturers create various series of air conditioners under one brand. At the same time, the series differ in cost, reliability and the list of available functions.
This led to the fact that the Chinese device of the top series may be more expensive and more functional than the budget model of the famous Japanese brand.
In addition, brands began to appear that are positioned as global market players, but in fact are national brands. Such equipment is practically unknown outside the Russian Federation and is intended for deliveries mainly to the Russian market.
In order to understand the reason for this situation, you need to turn to historical data relating to the development of the market for HVAC equipment.
The first distributors of leading manufacturers of air conditioners appeared in Moscow in the 90s of the XX century. These firms officially supplied equipment to the Russian market and had the exclusive right to this activity, that is, only they could import equipment of a certain brand into Russia.
The terms of the contract provided the distributor with the opportunity to invest their own money in advertising of a foreign trademark without fear that some other company would use the obtained promotion results. But gradually the situation has changed.
Manufacturers of HVAC equipment terminated their contracts with some companies, and the rest of the distributors were stripped of their exclusive rights in order to further agree on cooperation with other suppliers.
There are several reasons for this decision:
- manufacturers did not want to depend on a single supplier to Russia;
- the growth rate of sales in the Russian market was insufficient.
As a result, the distribution companies that spent their time, energy and money on promoting someone else’s brand were left with nothing. Therefore, they began to create their own brands and advertise them. Given that buyers are distrustful of domestic equipment, the technology of freshly created brands has given a “foreign look”.
For this, a simple scheme was used: it was enough to register a trademark in any western country, and then place orders for the production of air conditioners in China. Thus, the production of HVAC equipment under its own brand was carried out at the facilities of Chinese plants.
After that, a legend about the brand’s history was invented for buyers and a website was created in English, located at the place of registration of the brand. So there was a new technique from the "famous manufacturer." Some variations of this technology are known, for example, individual companies do not register a new brand, but use the names of famous manufacturers of other types of equipment that are not related to climate equipment.
So Akai air conditioners suddenly appeared on the Moscow market, and then just as suddenly disappeared. This tactic is based on consumer ignorance, because according to surveys, Sony air conditioners, which simply do not exist, are very popular.
When compiling the classification, air conditioners with the same quality are combined into groups. Their degree of reliability does not depend on the number in order. Individual brands are combined under a common position due to the fact that they belong to the same manufacturer. In this case, the equipment of the same manufacturer is divided into several groups, taking into account the country of assembly.
Manufacturers and brands of air conditioners with a very high and high level of reliability
The best air conditioning companies, that is, premium-class manufacturers, have a very high and high reliability indicator. These traditionally include Japanese brands engaged in research in the field of HVAC equipment.
Such companies have their own factory facilities, and the quality control system of manufactured products works flawlessly. However, despite the fact that these manufacturers have their own factories, they can place orders at factories of other companies.
The products of these brands have good durability and high reliability. The share of air conditioners with factory defects does not exceed 0.1–0.3%, that is, only one of 300–1000 products shows a defect. The life of the climate technology is 12-15 years, subject to proper installation and use, as well as timely maintenance.
A significant part of the equipment in this category is equipped with a system of protection against misuse. Diagnostic and protection mechanisms are built into the air conditioners that can automatically turn off the device in case of overloads and dangerous situations.
Noise from the device’s indoor unit does not exceed 24–26 dB, and the device works almost inaudibly. Stable equipment performance is maintained over a wide temperature range. These air conditioners are compact in size and beautiful in design.
Very high level of reliability
| Manufacturer | Trademark | Assembly |
|---|---|---|
| MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC | Mitsubishi electric | Japan, Thailand |
| DAIKIN | Daikin, McQuay | Japan, Malaysia, Belgium |
The leading place in the ranking is occupied by premium climate technology manufactured under the Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric brands.
Daikin
By technical characteristics, Daikin products are superior to competitors due to better compressors and electronics. These air conditioners have better balanced fans, there is additional functionality and high-quality plastic is used. The devices of this Japanese brand are equipped with a multi-level system that protects against misuse and allows for a complete self-diagnosis.
In the production of HVAC equipment Daikin only branded components are used. Increased durability of air conditioners is ensured through the use of high-quality fan motors, bearings and compressor devices of our own production, as well as a special coating of heat exchangers that protects against corrosion. The factory warranty for Daikin equipment reaches 3 years, and it is the only manufacturer to provide a warranty for such a long period.
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Mitsubishi electric
A century-old corporation - Mitsubishi Electric is one of the leaders in the global market for climate and refrigeration equipment. The corporation is considered the flagship of the Japanese industry and produces products for various purposes:
- for private use;
- for offices;
- for industrial enterprises.
The assortment of this manufacturer has a wide variety of products: from air conditioners for cars to climatic equipment, allowing you to equip a whole network with a single network.
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High level of reliability
| Manufacturer | Trademark | Assembly |
|---|---|---|
| DAIKIN | Daikin, McQuay | China |
| FUJITSU and GENERAL | Fujitsu, General, Fuji | Japan, Thailand, China |
| MITSUBISHI HEAVY | Mitsubishi heavy | Japan, Malaysia |
| Hitachi | Hitachi | Japan, Malaysia |
Fujitsu and General
This manufacturer produces equipment under the brands Fujitsu and General. The characteristics and functionality of the products of these brands are the same, but there are differences only in design. The reason is that the Fujitsu brand is intended for sale in European countries, so these devices have a classic appearance. The General brand is focused on the Asian market, so the equipment has a bright design.
Both brands are represented on the Russian market, so in Russia, customers can choose any style that suits their taste. Due to its stable quality and excellent reliability, Fujitsu General climate control technology is not inferior to Daikin. It will be a great purchase for those who want a reliable air conditioning without overpaying for the Daikin logo.
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Mitsubishi heavy
The famous Japanese quality and worldwide fame of Mitsubishi were the reasons for the high demand for air conditioners of this manufacturer. Mitsubishi Heavy equipment has taken a worthy place in the market of HVAC equipment in Russia. It differs in ergonomics and the increased convenience. These air conditioners have less freon than conventional equipment of other brands.
According to a study conducted by the HVAC certification organization, the Mitsubishi Heavy brand is most popular in its market segment. A wide range of brands includes all modifications of air conditioning systems. Climatic equipment Mitsubishi Daiya has a maximum failure rate. This value reaches 22,500 hours for household models.
Note: Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy are two independent manufacturers of air conditioners. Their products differ in model range, design, size and other parameters, but are in approximately the same price range.
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Panasonic
This manufacturer produces air conditioning systems in three classes:
- Hi-end;
- business;
- standard.
Inventor split and multi-split models of the Hi-End class are equipped with a multi-stage filter system, operate on R410 freon and have the largest number of functions. The standard and business classes differ from Hi-End in less extensive functionality and the fact that R22 freon is used in these systems.
Panasonic is one of the best manufacturers of split systems, however, the quality and reliability of equipment depends on the country of assembly. So air conditioners collected in Japan and Malaysia are of high quality and have a high level of reliability. The quality of the Chinese-made air conditioners is poor. Therefore, before you buy a device, you need to find out in which country it is assembled.
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Hitachi
The first air conditioners on the Russian market for HVAC equipment are Hitachi products. This manufacturer was one of the first to use inventory technology with PAM-control converters.The devices have good indicators of energy saving and comfort, while the model range is increasing annually and the technologies used are being improved.
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Manufacturers and brands of air conditioners with an average level of reliability
The middle class includes well-known companies that have long been working in the air conditioning market. The assembly of products is carried out both in our own production facilities and in large factories of third-party firms. At the same time, sufficient attention is paid to quality.
Medium level of reliability
| Manufacturer | Trademark | Assembly |
|---|---|---|
| MITSUBISHI HEAVY | Mitsubishi heavy | China |
| TOSHIBA - CARRIER | Carrier, Toshiba | Japan, Thailand |
| Hitachi | Hitachi | China |
| Gree | Gree, QuattroClima | China |
Toshiba - Carrier
In 1978, Toshiba introduced the first computer-controlled compressor technology. Three years later, the company invented inventor technology with a smooth change in the performance of the compressor device. In 1998, the company introduced the world's first double-acting rotary air conditioning system.
Corporation production facilities are located in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. In 1998, the company merged with the largest manufacturer of HVAC equipment - the American corporation Carrier.
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Gree
This manufacturer specializes in climate technology. The company has 5 plants in China and 3 in other countries (Pakistan, Vietnam, Brazil). Every third air conditioner in the world is released under the Gree brand, and the company is recognized as the leader in the production of this equipment. Gree cares about the quality of its products and adheres to the "Philosophy of Perfect Air Conditioner".
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Low and unpredictable level of reliability
Manufacturers whose products have poor statistics on the resource of work and the failure rate of equipment, we attributed to the category of low and very low reliability. But in this review, we decided not to publish a list of manufacturers' data, so as not to do anti-advertising. Focusing on the manufacturers listed above, you can already choose a decent air conditioning. All other trademarks have poor failure statistics.
When deciding which air conditioning company is best to choose for an apartment, do not lose sight of the fact that there is another category - brands with an unpredictable level of reliability. This group includes not only new manufacturers who have not yet managed to prove themselves on the positive or negative side, but also many OEM brands that disguise themselves as well-known brands.
It is almost impossible to find information about the real manufacturers of these air conditioners, because the equipment is assembled at various Chinese plants, and different batches can be manufactured at different factories. These OEM brands belong to companies from Russia or Ukraine, and products under these brands are manufactured in China.
The quality of air conditioners depends on which company placed the order, so it is impossible to predict the level of reliability. It can be from high to extremely low.
