Review of Sharp AH-XP18MV 1.5Ton Eco-Inverter Air Conditioner

[The Incinerator]

thanks a lot...
after reading ur so detailed review..
i have also bought sharp 1.1 ton inverter a.c for my room

How do you find the cooling?

 

[abraham]

Had to share this.

Though my Sharp AH-XP18MV, 1.5 Ton Inverter air conditioner at INR 41K may be the best VFM there is in 1.5 Ton Inverter category, these Mits’s seems to be even better performance wise. I insisted by friend to buy them but as always the buffer seemed to be the steep INR 59K asking price. Moreover my friend being less of an engineer and more of an accountant is more concerned about performance per rupee and Sharp's are still a champion on this aspect in Inverter segment. Still I hope he changes his mind and go with the Mits. If I had that kind of money I would have definitely gone that way.

Dear Rishi, The price at which you have bought i.e. @Rs.41k is now more than an year old. Moreover, the model which you have bought is no longer available at least in Mumbai markets. The replacement model for the same, I was told is AH-XP18PMT which has an MRP of approx. Rs.55K but can be bought for Rs. 51K. Therefore the price variance is only Rs.8K and if the Mits have the quality which you specified, then it makes sense to go with the same.

Also wanted to tell you that as per the reviews and endorsement which you, Incinerator and the others had posted, I bought the AHXP 13 LV in February. There were only a couple of pieces remaining of this model and I bought one for Rs. 32K. One month down the line, the performance is great and the electricity bill increased by around Rs. 250 per month for an 8 hour usage per day- not bad, I should think !! But service is tardy and sometimes plain incompetent. I had experienced pilferage in my free kit ( there was no drainage pipe, white insulation tape and power cord) and I had to buy this on my own. Complaints to senior executives came to naught, and they " recorded my complaints and promised me that such incidences will not happen in the future" !!. In Mumbai at least, Sharp has outsourced service to their distributors. The one that provided me service ( by the way, you cannot chose the service centre and it is allocated to you on intimation of purchase by the retailer) from one Siddhi services which left a lot to be desired. I like Rishi, I thought of using the services of an excellent electrician I know, but was told that if I used non-Sharp sevices, my 1 year Warranty will be voided. So there is no chance here. So I went ahead with the services of Siddhi. The installation was quite crude and a few fins were bent ( I was told that this would not affect performance). I had earlier used a Daikin AC ( non-Inverter) in my other house and Daikin's installation was picture perfect. The pad both sides of the ODU with thermocol during installation to ensure that the fins are not bent and then after installation remove it. Anyway keeping my fingers crossed.

Another issue with Sharp is the huge fluctuation in price from retailer to retailer. When I went for checking the prices of the above model, I could get quotes ranging from Rs.29,500 to Rs.40,000, in other words 36% variation. Remembers me of products made in USA ( Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association). My contention is that even the dealer who sells at Rs.29,500 maintains a margin ( might be small), so what would be the margin which Sharp gives a retailer. Other Companies, like Panasonic, LG etc, my enquiry with executives there, give margins maxing out at 25%. Sharp, to penetrate the market, I was told, gives huge margins upto 45%, which brings out significant disparity in prices in the market. While a certain degree of variation is acceptable ( dealer parting with a percentage of his margin), such huge variations makes the customer to doubt the brand. Imagine someone buying the product to later find that his friend bought the same at 30% less.Sharp executives, to whom I talked, too have accepted that this is creating a havoc for them. I bought my machine for Rs. 32,000 ( since I saw this figure being mentioned in this forum) from Vijay Sales, Kandivili because I did not want to travel 55 kilometres to get the same at Rs.29,500 quoted by a retailer there.

So experience was kind of mixed, though as far the unit goes the performance so far has been very good.

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@RishiGuru @The Incinerator

I would like to know how good are the Panasonic Inverter ACs compared to Sharp.They have a sensor which senses the sunlight and also the amount of people in the room and adjusts the cooling automatically to save power.
DOes the Sharp Inverter ACs have these feature sof sensing people's presence or absence?

I agree with Incinerator. All companies bring out feature differentials in their models. For e.g. LG now has inverter machines that drive away mosquitoes !! All these features come at a price and offer an insignificant benefit not commensurate with the price difference. Like how Rishsi did, look at the core specifications and features and if they are good and the price is right go for it. An example of a catchy feature is Panasonics motion sensor which follows you around. Unless you have a habit of sleep walking or play hide seek at night ( as shown by KAtrina Kaif in their ad) these features are of no use. And even if you move around remember that the cool air directed at you does not remain there and dissipates to surrounding hot areas in the room. My advice, prepare a list of Must Have and Good to have features. As long as your Must Have features are met and a few Good to Have features thrown in at no extra cost go for the model, whichever it is.

 

[RishiGuru]

Dear Rishi, The price at which you have bought i.e. @Rs.41k is now more than an year old. Moreover, the model which you have bought is no longer available at least in Mumbai markets. The replacement model for the same, I was told is AH-XP18PMT which has an MRP of approx. Rs.55K but can be bought for Rs. 51K.

Well recently I have gone through quite a many shots of AH-XP18PMT (Made in India) which one of the FMs in another forum had for INR 45K with installation & stabilizer.

Considering it takes INR 2K for installation and ODU brackets and another INR 2K for a good stabilizer, I find the prices for their 1.5 Ton still remains INR 41K. But maybe in Mumbai, the price is higher.

Also wanted to tell you that as per the reviews and endorsement which you, Incinerator and the others had posted, I bought the AHXP 13 LV in February. There were only a couple of pieces remaining of this model and I bought one for Rs. 32K.

Congratulations for the purchase. Excellent price for an AH-XP13LV.

But service is tardy and sometimes plain incompetent. I had experienced pilferage in my free kit ( there was no drainage pipe, white insulation tape and power cord) and I had to buy this on my own. Complaints to senior executives came to naught, and they " recorded my complaints and promised me that such incidences will not happen in the future" !!. In Mumbai at least, Sharp has outsourced service to their distributors. The one that provided me service ( by the way, you cannot chose the service centre and it is allocated to you on intimation of purchase by the retailer) from one Siddhi services which left a lot to be desired. I like Rishi, I thought of using the services of an excellent electrician I know, but was told that if I used non-Sharp sevices, my 1 year Warranty will be voided. So there is no chance here. So I went ahead with the services of Siddhi. The installation was quite crude and a few fins were bent ( I was told that this would not affect performance).

Sorry to know about your experiences. Earlier too I have come across posts complaining about the ill operated installation and ASS in Mumbai. It is a pity. Fortunately down in Calcutta there is no such issue, and their ASS team here is very professional and co-operative.

Another issue with Sharp is the huge fluctuation in price from retailer to retailer. When I went for checking the prices of the above model, I could get quotes ranging from Rs.29,500 to Rs.40,000, in other words 36% variation. Remembers me of products made in USA ( Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association). My contention is that even the dealer who sells at Rs.29,500 maintains a margin ( might be small), so what would be the margin which Sharp gives a retailer. Other Companies, like Panasonic, LG etc, my enquiry with executives there, give margins maxing out at 25%. Sharp, to penetrate the market, I was told, gives huge margins upto 45%, which brings out significant disparity in prices in the market. While a certain degree of variation is acceptable ( dealer parting with a percentage of his margin), such huge variations makes the customer to doubt the brand. Imagine someone buying the product to later find that his friend bought the same at 30% less.Sharp executives, to whom I talked, too have accepted that this is creating a havoc for them.

Quite a discovery!!!

It shows why the AH-XP18PMT is INR 51K in Mumbai, where as elsewhere you can have it at INR 41K. Once a buyer knows the real price of their ACs, then he can bargain and the retailer will reduce the price.

So experience was kind of mixed, though as far the unit goes the performance so far has been very good.

The AH-XP13LV is a performance king in the 1.1 Ton Inverter category and for the price you quoted makes it a total VFM and you a total winner.

I have seen the AH-XP18MV (Made in Thailand) to contain some additional goodies like real time power consumption meter and a premium silver finish in IDU units which sadly are missing in their recent AH-XP18PMT (Made in India). Also the 18MV’s were better built ODU's than the 18PMT’s.

 

[RishiGuru]

Recently one fine Saturday I thought of cleaning one of own AH-XP18MV’s ODU unit. The ODU unit pictured below is situated on my verandah, so it was easy. Though the primary reason was to clean the ODU internals, I was quite excited to have a sneak peek inside it and discover something yet unknown.

After opening the ODU fan grill (held together with four clamps and two screws) the first thing that came to my mind is how big the all-aluminum micro-channel condenser actually is. It is of more or less same height of the ODU and takes up the entire back portion and then curves to the left of the ODU where it ends. I used a new paint brush to gently brush out the dust accumulated in the condenser and it took me few minutes.

ODU Unit with Fan Grill removed

*s10.postimg.org/scaqjj705/Zn5_3570.jpg

The next thing I noticed is the unique fan blade. Sharp uses different type of fan blades for their 1.5 ton & 2.0 ton Inverter category as the 18MV & 24MV are having micro-channel condensers which requires a different design in their fan bade. It has only three fins (I have seen many with four) but these three blades are huge, having huge surface area and seems to contain flawlessly smoothened curves at its edges. Sharp claims these fan blades are made with design consideration as perfected by NASA which I initially doubted, but after a closer look it seems to be very scientifically & aerodynamically designed to provide high flow velocity with minimal torque required by the motor. The fan blade seems to be made from some kind of all-weather hard plastic while being feather light which also put’s less strain on the motor and saves energy.

The entire fan blade and motor assembly is mounted to an aluminum ladder type frame

*s10.postimg.org/o5pw477ed/Zn5_3576.jpg

Unquie desgn of the Fan Blades

*s10.postimg.org/gjcxfbak5/Zn5_3580.jpg

The fan motor seems to be made in Japan. At least the initials on the DC motor seem to be Japanese but I could be wrong as they may be Chinese too. Please correct me if I am wrong!!! The shell of the DC motor is all-plastic and seems small for a fan blade of this size. The entire fan blade and motor assembly is mounted to an aluminum ladder type frame and mounted centrally in front of the condenser.

ODU Fan DC Motor

*s10.postimg.org/gogoozhv9/IMG_20140406_092532272.jpg

Japanese encryption it seems!!!

*s10.postimg.org/k877sj9yt/IMG_20140406_092557312.jpg

*s10.postimg.org/nwsbe9ulx/Photo0373.jpg

Next thing to discover was the Digital Micro-computer Module i.e the brain of the Inverter AC which is situated on the upper right corner of the ODU and above the compressor chamber. Though the circuit boards and its components are sealed inside a box to avoid dust, one can see the protruding heatsink fins (all six of them) having different height to get maximum air flow from the fan relative to its position. Quite a clever heatsink fin design. There are many heat sensors on different locations of the condenser that I can visually locate which constantly monitors and sends the information to the micro-computer.

The heatsink of the Micro-Computer Module

*s10.postimg.org/3yh1pmzat/Zn5_3571.jpg

The entire compressor chamber is much smaller than what I thought it to be for a 1.5 tonner. It is completely insulated with an acoustic jacket to eliminate noise. No wonder why my 18MV’s are so quit. Unfortunately with the tightly packaged compressor section and its complete insulation stopped me to have a look at the compressor itself and its make. Though I am informed the 18MV’s have MHI compressor which are the best there is.

The entire compressor and its ancillaries tightly packaged in an acoustic chamber

*s10.postimg.org/g5g6tgfud/Zn5_3581.jpg

Finally I find the entire ODU to be very well built, no rough edges where every component is rightly placed to its allocated position to perform its job. It even have fine touches like a thick plastic cover to protect the copper valves where the pipes get connected to the ODU (sadly absent on the India made ODU’s), In other words a very well engineered product.

After Cleaning

*s10.postimg.org/3t8p282lx/Photo0378.jpg

Hope my AH-XP18MV’s last for ages.

 

[gopi_vbboy]

Good review man.

Even i washed today my AC outdoor unit with water splash and removed dust.

Looks like heat exchange efficiency increased.

 

[surya_sapui]

from where should i buy this AC in kolkata for reasonable price.

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dear rishi waiting for reply

 

[sunnyguru]

Hi Everyone

I was going to buy LG AC but which ever shop I go is suggesting me samsung ac, not even sharp.

Is samsung AC good especially this inverter AR12HV5DAWK.

I was planning to go for this one but they say compressor gets damaged because of hot and cold technology

*www.lg.com/in/split-ac/lg-AS-W126B1U1

second choice was this

*www.lg.com/in/split-ac/lg-BS-Q126B8R8

Please suggest which one should I go for and if Sharp then which model?

regards

Sunny

 

[ekramcal]

Had to share this.

Recently there was an inauguration of a small air conditioning shop in one of my friend’s locality. He insisted me to join him as he was out to buy a 1.5 Ton Inverter air conditioner. He was settled to go with my 1.5 Ton Sharp Inverter air conditioners after experiencing their phenomenal cooling performance at offer in my home, but still I firmly insisted him to have a look at other brands as well. One fine weekend we arrived at the shop and found it a brand shop who sells household air conditioners for only one brand, that of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

As all may well know Mitsubishi Heavy Industries make some of the best household and industrial air conditioners in the world and are one of the best there is. They also supply components to other brands. Their air conditioners are cutting edge in terms of design and technology used. Also they are said to be very reliable having premium quality and comes fully imported.

Firstly I want to say what set this shop apart from others is in their display section having not only the indoor units but most importantly also the outdoor units. They sell only split air conditioners in India. You can touch them in display section and feel the quality of engineering and build quality that went into it. I am even fascinated by the quality of the fan grill of their Inverter outdoor units. Extremely high build quality standards to say the least.

Secondly there is also a separate display section, where each component of the air conditioner is displayed. You can find their own compressors, condensers, expansion valves, the electronic control modules etc. A rare sight.

Thirdly their small shop is cooled by one of their own 1 Ton Inverter air conditioners, but the beauty is there is special meter installed in the shop just by its side which is constantly monitoring and computing the amount of current, voltage and watts consumed by the Inverter air conditioner in real time. It gives their customer a glimpse of the Inverter technology employed in air conditioners, and the amount of electricity this technology saves during partial throttling mode.

Finally I had to talk about the only person present there who attended us. He had a genuine knowledge about their products and talks deep in the technical level, the technology used in each of their sub components like compressors, condensers, pulse linear expansion valves and electronic modules and their distinct advantages over their competitors. No wonder why my Sharp Inverter's uses their DC compressor. I liked his genuine professional approach and through knowledge. He was not an average salesman whose knowledge is limited to the number of brands, tonnage and price.

In the end I will say Mitsubishi Heavy Industries air conditioners happen to be one of the top tier products, in my eyes the best there is. Unfortunately this type of cutting edge technology and product quality comes at a price and no doubt their products are prohibitively expensive. Their 1 Ton inverter will cost INR 39K while there 1.5 Ton inverter will take you north of INR 59K. If you had the money, buy these as quality of engineering just oozes from their products.

Though my Sharp AH-XP18MV, 1.5 Ton Inverter air conditioner at INR 41K may be the best VFM there is in 1.5 Ton Inverter category, these mitshu’s seems to be even better performance wise. I insisted by friend to buy them but as always the buffer seemed to be the steep INR 59K asking price. Moreover my friend being less of an engineer and more of an accountant is more concerned about performance per rupee and Sharp's are still a champion on this aspect in Inverter segment. Still I hope he changes his mind and go with the mitshu’s. If I had that kind of money I would have definitely gone that way.

Hi Rishi,

Ekram here from Kolkata. I have been scouting for a inverter AC. About the Mitsubishi AC, I found out that Mitsubishi ac's are available in two brand names - 1. Mistubishi Heavy and 2. Mitsubishi Electric.

Surprisingly I found the Mitsubishi Heavy at retail stores but I could not find any showroom that had Mitsubishi Electric ACs on display. I called up a number of dealers listed on the Mitsubishi Electric website - for Ballygunge, Esplanade and Bhawanipur but none of them had a showroom.

Could you please tell me where the showroom you saw is located?

Also, should I buy Mitsubishi Heavy unit or Mitsubishi Electric one?

The first one is available for Rs. 52,000 here and the second one is available for Rs. 55,000.

Also SHARP is available for Rs. 45,000.

Which one do you suggest?

Thanks for your help,

Regards
Ekram

 

[cparekh]

Hello Rishi,

Last year (May-2013) after reading your detailed review, I purchased AH-XP18MV 1.5Ton for my bedroom. Undoubtedly It's very silent and power efficient. But this year, cooling is not as good as it was in last year. Also last year the Tonnage was easily reached to 2+ kw initially but this year it's hardly go above than 1.5kw. when I complained it to dealer, they sent one sharp technician and he refilled the GAS. He said that there is a leak and hence my AC was not able to cooling well. However he haven't checked the leakage. When I insisted, he said that there is no need and the issue will be fixed. Even he refilled the GAS, the tonnage is not going beyond 1.5kw. cooling is quite improved but still as good as it was in last year.

I sent an email to Sharp about this and raised my concerned that the GAS will be blow out in next 6 months as your technician didn't check the leakage. I took a 3 three follow up but I haven't heard back from Sharp.

Sharp has very pathetic customer service in Gujarat. I talked to their agent and explained the same concern at least for 10 times. their agent is giving me assurance but not any concrete action is being taken from Sharp. Surprisingly they closed my ticket. This is really disgusting.

Again I met my dealer and explain the case, he sent the same guy and as expected he didn't check anything again. He told me that he will talk to their superior and they will resolve the issue. When I haven't heard anything since two days, I called dealer and he informed me that inverter AC has different kind of GAS and it will arrived in two days. once it is arrived they again refilled it and then my issue will be fixed.

Rishi, can you please help and guide me here. Are they trying to fool me? or inverter ACs has different kind of GAS? Should I talked to their branch office or consumer forum?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[The Incinerator]

Put a sheet of news paper at the back of condenser or at the back of the ODU of the AC for 2 minutes and check if it rises upwards of 1.5Kw. Before doing this test remember,the ac should be on and running at 18C with full fan speed fir at aleast 30 mins. The sheet of newspaper should cover the entire back of the ODU of the AC , the radiator/condenser part. Do not keep it for more than 2 to 3 minutes.After putting the sheet of newspaper come and check the readings in IDU.

 

[cparekh]

Put a sheet of news paper at the back of condenser or at the back of the ODU of the AC for 2 minutes and check if it rises upwards of 1.5Kw. Before doing this test remember,the ac should be on and running at 18C with full fan speed fir at aleast 30 mins. The sheet of newspaper should cover the entire back of the ODU of the AC , the radiator/condenser part. Do not keep it for more than 2 to 3 minutes.After putting the sheet of newspaper come and check the readings in IDU.

Thanks The Incinerator

I will do it tomorrow and share the result with you...

Edit:

Hi, my ODU is placed on second floor, so it wasn't easy for me to cover it with paper. When I tried to place the paper, the ODU sucked it and I couldn't cover the entire ODU. Then I used thermochemical sheet to cover it. As soon as I placed it at back side of ODU, the tonnage went up and reached to 1.8kw from 1.5kw.

Before I did this, I have noticed that the cooling is also somewhat improved today by itself. this is really surprising.

 

[The Incinerator]

Remove the thermocol immediately after the two minute test.

 

[cparekh]

Remove the thermocol immediately after the two minute test.

I removed it after 2-3 minutes. but why it increased the tonnage? I mean what should I interpret this? Is my AC working fine or has any problem?

 

[The Incinerator]

Your ac is is working fine. Its relating to changes. Its perfectly fine.

 

[geekvishal]

Very nice detailed information about advantages of inverter ac. And nice review as well. People generally don't research before buying AC.

 

[cparekh]

Your ac is is working fine. Its relating to changes. Its perfectly fine.

Thanks Incinerator!

one more question. How much tonnage is your AC using at 16 degree Celsius and at fastest fan speed at the start ? or you could tell share the data of any standard temperature you are keeping when you start your AC. i.e. if you keep 24 C with medium fan speed, then what's the initial tonnage.

Regarding GAS, as per their brochure, they are using R410A refrigerant for this model. They claim it's an environment friendly refrigerant.

 

[The Incinerator]

Itr all depends on the size of the room , temperatures outside and humidity levels and the Temperature I set along with the fan speed. It varies from .2Kw to 1.9Kw. The best is to run it at 26C with 2 fan speed or auto fan after cooling the room in 20 or 18C in auto fan for 1 hour and 15 minutes of turbo cooling.

The truth is no gas is environment friendly. Its just better than the previous poison released!

 

[surya_sapui]

The Incinerator & Rishi i want to inform Sharp AH-XP18MV is not available in kolkata market, i recently contact many sharp dealer also sharp but they said 2013 model are not available, instead of this model they suggest me AH-XP18PHT & AH-XP18PMT , as per sharp both model is equivalent of xp18MV.

Can you pls tell me what should i do now ?????
[h=2][/h]

 

[The Incinerator]

You can get them no problem.

 

[surya_sapui]

ok, thanks but which model is best ? these two latest model same as good as AH-xp18MV.