Other States - New Delhi

A swadeshi sweep all the way

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI MAY 7. Just to make sure you get the best bet to drive away the heat this summer, the Consumer VOICE -- Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education -- magazine has conducted a comparative test on 10 brands of the most popular ceiling fans in the country.

From the about 56 brands available all over the country, 10 brands that are available all over the country were selected while regional brands were ignored in order to give the testing a national character. Selected for the testing were the following brands: Alsthom-Whisper, Bajaj-Grace DHS, Cinni-2000, Crompton Greaves-Speed Fan, Khaitan-Magnate, MIE-484, Orient-PSPO-Summer King, Ortem-Economy, Polar-Alpha White and Usha-Astra.

And proclaiming it to be a swadeshi victory all the way, Bajaj stood at the top of the pyramid with approximately 85 points. Coming in a close second was Crompton with Khaitan just a few paces behind. Coming in last, surprisingly was Alsthom, an internationally recognised brand.

There were about 18 parameters selected for evaluation of the different brands and each parameter was awarded different weightage. Parameters selected ranged from inventory, design, safety requirement, air delivery, service value, high voltage test to speed and temperature rise test among others.

Besides the rating accorded to the different brands, the test which is detailed in the latest issue of VOICE, revealed some other interesting findings. It came to light that none of the top 10 brands conform to maximum `Power Input' limit of 55W specified by the BIS. Thus all fans were low on energy efficiency and exert monetary pressure on the consumer. It was revealed that of all the brands tested, only one, the relatively lesser known MIE, has an ISI mark.

Though Bajaj has been rated as the best buy, the final advise for the consumer was to weigh the best price option and the warranty clause of each brand and then make the choice. "There is barely a 10 point difference between the various brands. They all fall within the four star category and therefore they are almost at par with each other,'' said Managing Trustee, VOICE, Sriram Khanna. The choice should therefore be made after taking into consideration the difference in price and the warranty that each was offering.

Stating their commitment to unbiased, dependable testing, Mr. Khanna added, "Our test is very dependable as it is conducted in an NABL Accredited laboratory and we have followed the International Standard of testing.''

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Child meets a watery grave
• Liver transplant gives new lease of life
• Nine held for free-for-all
• Subbudu felicitated
• Fares unfair, say auto drivers
• More water samples to be checked for contamination
• A swadeshi sweep all the way
• Office of Disabilities Commissioner to be shifted

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu