INSIGHT - The Consumer Magazine (May-June 2007),
published by Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), Ahmedabad,
carries the test findings on 15 nationally sold brands
of 400mm Table Fans, having tested them in its in-house
comparative product testing laboratory. Four of them failed in the
safety parameters. The laboratory has recommended Khaitan,
Orient, Orpat, Havell’s, Ortem, Usha and Polar
as the ‘Best Buys’ among the brands tested.
The bi-monthly has published the findings with brand
names, including details of the parameters, the evaluation, rating
and ranking, the prices, warranty and guarantee periods, etc.
The safety parameters for the table fans tested involved,
among others, the oscillation (internal wiring test) and the stability
& mechanical hazards test. The fans were tested also against the
parameters of air delivery, input, service value and marking. The
laboratory ranked only 11 brands that conformed to the safety parameters.
Altogether seven of the total 15 brands shared the top three positions.
Service Value : The service value is
obtained by dividing air delivery by input which, as per Standards,
should not be less than 1.08 cubic metre per minute per watt. Almonard
(0.72), Shaan (0.96), Ashok (0.88) and Remi (0.77)
failed to conform to this parameter.
Oscillation Test : The oscillation
test is carried out in the form of 10,000 cycles. After the test,
the table fans shall withstand high voltage without any breakdown.
Bajaj Media stopped working after the test, whereas
the gear box in Ashok failed to work after a mere
2,842 oscillation cycles.
Speed Regulator : Out of 15 brands
tested, only Khaitan, Orient, Cinni and Remi
conformed to the requirement for ‘speed regulator’.
Mechanical Endurance Test : This test
ascertains the life of the fan regulators. In Bajaj Media,
Usha, Shaan and Ashok, the fan stopped working
after the test. However, the regulators were operational.
Mechanical Hazards Test : In this test,
the test finger should not pass through the fan guard and should not
touch the moving blades of the fan. Cinni failed to meet this requirement.
High Voltage Test : In dry condition,
the fan must withstand 1000V and 2750V AC of test voltage for one
minute. No breakdown must occur during the test. Insulation of Shaan
failed to meet the requirement for this test in dry condition as it
could not withstand the high voltages.
Power Consumption during the air delivery test
: As per the Standard, the power consumption during the air
delivery test should not exceed 61 Watts (with an allowed tolerance
of 10 per cent, provided the requirement for service value is met)
and the air delivery shall not be less than 65 cubic meters per minute.
In Almonard and Remi (both claiming
to be high speed fans), power consumption was 142.78W and
133.66W, respectively. Usha consumed
the least power at 48.30W.
The maximum air delivery was recorded by Almonard
(103.83 cubic metres per minute) while it was minimum in Polar
(65.35 cubic metres per minute).
Price : The price range of the 15 brands
varied from the highest Rs.1,650 of Remi
to the lowest Rs.750 of Ashok.
Electronic Regulator : None of the
brands was provided with an electronic regulator that could save power
consumption to a great extent. Electronic regulators are more energy-efficient
and consume less power than electric ones at lower speeds.
Marking : Usha, Khaitan, Orient and
Remi failed to mark the input (in Watts). Except
for Orpat and Cinni, the information
on the other brands was glued to the fan. This could be easily removed.
No information was marked on Ashok and Shaan.
The independent lab at CERC also conducted an additional
test for ‘energy consumption’ for all the brands. The
brands have also been subjected to the ‘ease of use’ (including
‘noise’ subjectively) test by our panel.
Before the publication, CERS had conveyed the test findings
to the manufacturers for their views and comments. They received the
results of their own products only. None of the manufacturers’
responses was received till the time of the magazine’s going
to press. Shaan and Ashok did not
indicate any contact details.
Date : 25/05/2007
Place : Ahmedabad
Pritee Shah
Editor
INSIGHT — The Consumer Magazine
Annexure : Table on Rating,
Ranking and Best Buys
Brands Tested
The brands tested were - Crompton (120 Sdx),
Bajaj Media (BT-01), Orient (Deluxe Supreme), Usha (Mist Air), Khaitan
(Zolta), Orpat, Anchor (Cool King), Almonard (Hi-Speed), Cinni, Polar
(Mistral), Shaan, Havell’s (Swing), Ashok, Ortem (Royal) and
Remi (Hi-Speed).
Standards
We tested the brands against IS:555-1979 with two amendments,
IS:302-1-1979 with eight amendments and IS:302-2-80-(2003). But the
Quality Control Order or mandatory certification does not cover table
fans.
Consumer
Education & Research Centre (CERC) - Copyrights Reserved 2003.