Hi all, just sharing my experiences.
For months I was looking for a suitable unit to replace my 8-year old Fujitsu which finally broke down last yr.
After doing a ton of research, I finally settled on a non-inverter model. (My sis and I may be moving out in a few yrs and we don't wish to spend $3-4k on inverter whose savings we are unlikely to recoup. Also, I eventually found that Panasonic uses 2 compressors, which will help reduce the bill for my usage pattern - see below)
I visited the following stores:
Everjoint at AMK - despite all the good comments about them, I was unimpressed with the way they handle customers. Boss/owner didn't even know the prices of the aircons. Tried to upsell me from Toshiba ($18xx) to Daikin ($21xx).
Gain City - the experience was what I had expected from a chain store. Salesman tried to upsell from Samsung to inverter models straightaway, but when he saw what a cheapo I was, he couldn't be bothered...
Kun Seng - went on a Saturday after seeing ads in newspapers, turned out that prices didn't include GST nor installation. I was quoted $17xx for a Panasonic, was about to commit but thankfully didn't as later I found out it was the older CU-3C20EKH model. Tried to upsell me to a Daikin with one energy tick...
Aircon Designs - Recommended by friend. They were the ones who did my Fujitsu, but it seems they now only do industrial installations. They only recommended me inverter models, and prices not competitive also. Sales rep was pleasant and responded quickly though.
Natural Cool - Decided to go with them in the end. I was quoted $15xx for the latest model Panasonic (CU-3C20KKZ) incl. GST, dismantling of old Fujitsu, and new bracket. Insulation would be Nyflex 1/4" thick. Salesman was pleasant and not pushy, didn't try to upsell anything.
Installation was done by Natural Cool's own guys, a team of 2 M'sians who were friendly and easygoing, and were careful not to make a mess despite the cramped working area due to many furniture not being movable.
They used brand-new and shiny copper pipe, also Nyflex branded, sealed in bags. The Nyflex insulation appears to be of pretty good quality compared to the one at a certain chain store which was so weak I was able to tear off a piece with 2 fingers
Work was started at 11am and finished at around 6pm.
As stated this Panny (CU-3C20KKZ) has 2 compressors, a 12,000 BTU one shared by 2 rooms and a 9,000 BTU one for 1 room. I assigned the 9K BTU one to my sister's room as she has a habit of leaving her aircon on at lowest temp all day when friends come round. That way, the maximum power consumption will only be "9K" rather than "12K".
There were 2 negative areas:
1. They had to reuse old trunking in the bathroom as it appeared to be "glued" to the tiles and they claimed pulling it off might damage the tiles. I didn't want to take the risk, so I agreed.
2. After mounting the FCU in my master bedroom, they found that the airflow flap would hit the curtain rail when opened. The only solution was to adjust part of the curtain rail downwards. This is also partly my fault, as I should have checked rather than blindly reuse the old FCU location.
Anyway I am now enjoying my new and freezing cold room after more than 6 mths of tiring research. No more noisy window aircon!
Hope this experience is useful to some ppl. If anyone wants reviews on the aircon itself, please let me know.
P.S. For those worried about noise, the condensing unit is very quiet. I can hardly hear it even when I am standing at my window next to it. Of course, things might change down the road if either Panny or NC have done a crap job...