Fan fare: Make sure you take home the best buy available

If buying a fan meant walking into a store and asking for the first name that comes to your mind, we would say it isn’t so simple. When you go to buy a fan, you should question how much air the fan gives, the power it consumes and how safe the fan is.

But you wouldn’t find answers to these questions at the time because none of the manufacturers have any answers. There is silence on the information on the package, silence in the ads. We found that the fans tested consumed more power than specified under the standard. Also, none of the brands tested was efficient. They did not give as much air as they should for the power consumed.

Brands tested

• We put 14 brands of 1200 mm ceiling fans through 22 tests. Among the brands tested, those within the voltage range of 220-240V were Almonard (Popular), Anchor (Cool & Comfort), Ashok (Regular), Asian (Speedee), Cinni (Regular), Crompton (High-Speed), Khaitan (Zolta), Orient (New Breeze), Ortem (High-Tech), Remi (Hi-Speed), Shaan (Whisp-air) and Usha (Windsor). Among the 220-230V were the brands Bajaj (Regal) and Polar (New Beta).

The air you get (air delivery)

• In a fan we primarily consider the amount of air delivered. We tested this as per the IS in an air delivery chamber. According to the IS, these fans should deliver a minimum of 200 cubic metres of air per minute. All the brands conformed to this test. However, Ashok delivered the least amount of air at 215.16 cubic metres/minute. Ortem gave the maximum at 271.83 cubic metres/minute, followed by Anchor at 256 cubic metres/minute.

Power used

• The power consumed by each fan at full speed should not be more than 50 watts with an allowed tolerance of +10 per cent provided the service value is a minimum of 4 as per the IS. Polar consumed the maximum power at 86.24 watts. Bajaj consumed the least at 68.81 watts, followed by Orient at 70.01 watts.

Efficacy

• The best fans give the maximum air delivery while consuming the least amount of power. This is known as the service value of the fan. Or the efficacy. According to the IS, the efficacy or service value should not be less than 4. None of the brands conformed to this parameter. The service value ranged from 2.64 for Ashok to 3.35 for both Bajaj and Orient.

Is the fan held firmly?

• The rod holding the fan and the clamp on top make up the suspension. Although rare, the fan would be in danger of falling if the rod and the clamp are not strong enough. Almonard and Anchor did not conform to this test. Crompton provided an additional safety cable to hold the fan in case the clamp breaks.

Is the fan made well?

• The IS prescribes the construction to check whether the fan is made well, if proper insulation has been provided, if live parts are accessible, etc. We found large differences among the brands. We found Crompton the best in construction. The casting of its cover was perfectly finished. The bearing housing had a collar to stop grease from coming out. The collar would also stop dust and other particles from entering the bearing, ensuring a longer life. None of the other brands provided such a collar.

The finishing of Bajaj, Cinni, Orient, Ortem, Khaitan and Polar was also good. But in Anchor and Usha, the cover was not properly finished. The finishing was very poor in the case of Almonard, Ashok, Remi and Shaan. We observed tiny particles of casting inside where the inner surface should have been smooth. In Almonard, Ashok, Remi and Shaan, the bearing cover was not provided.

Wiring

• The internal wiring should be smooth and well-protected with insulation so that the wires do not come in contact with any rough edges of the fan that could damage those. This is particularly important since the wires inside the cover have to run through a hole in the rod. Except Shaan and Ashok, all the brands provided adequate insulation with the wires properly fixed. Also, a green wire should be used only for earthing connection. Polar did not follow this rule. Normally fans do not have earthing wires. In case of a repair, if the electrician or anyone handles the wire assuming that it is an earthing wire, it may result in an electric shock.

Marking

• The big question is how one compares the brands without resorting to testing. We look for the marking — what the manufacturer has printed on the label. None of the brands marked the air delivery value on the packing.

How good were the regulators?

• If the regulators are incapable of reducing the speed of fan, the purpose of having it is lost. Regulators should be able to reduce the fan speed by at least 50 per cent of the full speed. Almonard, Ashok, Asian, Bajaj, Cinni and Usha did not conform. Only Anchor, Crompton, Khaitan, Orient, Ortem, Polar, Remi and Shaan conformed to this parameter. Also, fans should run on all the marked positions of the regulators. All brands conformed to this test as per the IS.

Price

• Cinni and Usha were the highest priced at Rs 1,495. The least priced brand was Ashok at Rs 625. When you go to buy a fan next, be sure to bargain and check prices in a few shops.

Best buy

• Best Buy is based on overall score and price. In the 220-240V category, Crompton scored the highest. Although Khaitan had a comparatively lower score, it was the best buy as it price was far less than Crompton’s. In the 220-230V category, only Bajaj complied with all the safety parameters.