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Based on my experience, here's my suggestions.

AC- LG (for their service levels) or Daikin. Go for copper coils and not alloy.

Under the counter water purifier - Kent under sink RO

Kitchen Hood- Elica ( if you want low cost of ownership then go for baffle filters else can check out silent ones)

Hob - Kaff. Go for brass burners whichever brand you go with. Avoid alloy / Italian burners. Do check burner placement pattern, distance between burners, flame capacity etc which suit your cooking requirement. Carry big utensils you normally use like cooker, pan, pot etc to the store to check that they fit properly on the hob (enough gap between utensils while in use and also curved bottom shouldn't touch burners).

Sink - Futura (long lasting)

Geysers - AO-Smith (great products and service). Go for vertical ones over horizontal if you don't have space constraints due to false ceiling in bathrooms. They are more efficient and hence more star rated.

I have been buying "solo" microwaves for ages. Our first one had grill and other features, which we used just a couple of times. Over the last twenty years we have been buying Samsung 20L solo models. Tried LG but it conked off fast. Current ones cost 4K and 5.5K. Today they are 7K.

The reason for Solo is that we use it only heating food and cooking moringa and bitter guard. Rest all our food is cooked on gas and baking in gas oven.

We now have two 20L MW. One bought in 2019 and one in 2021. Last year one blew its power supply - repair cost 1200 by Samsung. Last one the touch pane of the second one started acting up - repair cost 1K by the Company.

So I feel that low cost MW is extremely VFM, especially its repair prices. With minor repairs they will last at least a decade.

1. AC definitely LG. We have 3 x 1.5T and 2x2T LG Inverter AC's. The latest 2T is in our bedroom and is hot & Cold. LG service and extended AMC are worth it. Diakin has poor service and expensive spares.

3. I prefer normal fans. BLDC fans are really a hit-and-miss quality. If they last they last a long time, else fail within a year. Our normal fans have been running since 1978 in this house.

4. Though under the counter RO is fashionable now a days, they have their own problems. The extra pump for pumping water up is a source of problem, as when it goes bad there is no water. At least in the normal RO the water is gravity fed from the tank, so you get water till the tank empties.

5. Kitchen hob - most leading brands are similar in price and utility. Just check the service record and spare costs. These vary enormously across vendors.

5. For chimney get one with baffle filters and self cleaning facility. Another advise is to install a powerful exhaust fan. Chimney is fine for Western Cooking, but the amount of oil fumes generated in Indian cooking will not be extracted by most chimneys (except large capacity Industrial Grade ones, which cost lacs).

6. With over six decades of experience I have seen ll types of sinks - Ceramic, Mosaic, Stone and Stainless Steel. Nothing beats SS in longivity and ease of cleaning. Just get really thick gauge (4mm or thicker). I prefer a double sink with washboard (one side or both sides) style. Just ensure that the sink is at least 1/2mm or more below the slab.

6. Kitchen counter an underlay of wood will sag with age. That will result in the . Though there is a trend today to do away with the concrete slab (under the granite) to save space, in my opinion it is essential
. Load bearing capacity. You can stand on it without any thought.
. No sagging. This is essential as granite slab will crack if there is any space below it - due to sag or moisture.

6. Oh yes do not use any fancy material for kitchen counter top in vogue today. Go with trusted black granite. It is hard, practically scratch proof and does not stain or discolour.

7. for Geysers any major manufacturer is fine. We have Havells, AO Smith and some other brand (25 years old). Our preference is 25-30L storage models for bathrooms and 5-10L for kitchen. You can also think of Solar Heaters on a separate pipe line if there is space on the terrace.

Under the sink unit provides a clean look to the kitchen and saves space over the counter. It needs a power connection, water inlet and drain provisions below the sink as well as place to install RO tap on the sink/counter. What you said might be an issue but very occasional over years of usage. I have changed the storage tank just once in past 6 years and that too it did not stop suddenly but flow reduced over a period of few months. Anyway, the choice of over or under the counter unit is all about aesthetics and space. All RO units would need regular maintenance for filters and various parts.

In modern kitchen, exhaust fan may look out of place and also not recommended to be used to suck kitchen fumes as the smoke/oil residue may eventually settle on cupboards. It is better to go for high suction (1200 and above) and as wide chimney as possible (90cm is recommended for 4 burner hob) so that fumes do not spread in other areas of kitchen.

The chimney may be a solution in many cases, but in my experience a chimney is not able to suck all the oil fumes and some oil escapes. Just visit kitchens where a lot of frying is done and check if there is any oil residue on the walls and cabinets. I always find oil residue in kitchens where there is chimney but no exhaust.

Any way it is the owners prerogative to have an exhaust fan or not.

3 BLDC fans - Now a lot of brands make them. We have an orient with remote running well for a year with us. There were also models from Crompton available.

Have LG ACs and have no issues for almost 6 years now. Just cleaning the top filter as DIY has kept the inner parts clean

We have Bosch diswasher.

BLDC fans - There are many companies making them now. You can choose one that looks good !

For water purifier, In our house we have provided a open cabinet at the corner when doing the modular kitchen. There is no issue with aesthetics.

We have Cata for hob (5 burners) and chimney. Always go for higher wattage for chimney.

Franke for sink and Jaquar for Geysers

As I understand Reverse Osmosis, which is not much, it is requires a high pressure, so the water coming from the RO unit is under pressure? We have Zero-B under-sink unit, and there is no "extra" pump. There is an extra component: a pressure cylinder, which acts as a buffer (the same as in pressure-boosted water supply) so that there is always instant water and the RO unit does not have to turn on and off for every drop of water used.

I would say that we have had our Zero-B unit 15 years, but it was substantially rebuilt after being submerged in the 2015 flood.

It is much neater having the water literally on tap, and I think that the flow rate is faster --- although that would depend on the model bought.

Another Story: KAFF Chimney troubles

We have had a bad time with our KAFF chimney lately. This is also 15 years old. Recently, we had neglected the cleaning and, as well as the filter, the motor was full of oil.

KAFF service seems to be independent now. The guy who cleaned our chimney did a good job of it, but re-assembled the motor wrongly. It was not actually sucking at all. Called back, he said, yes there is a mistake. But it was still not sucking powerfully. Another guy came and worked out the correct orientation of the components but was not good at the re-assembly. I was able to spot that endplates which looked circular were not, but had flats each side to key the assembly.

Since being put together again, the thing does not spin true and sounds like an old farm tractor: it is a disaster. This is a motor that the company supplied as refurbishment for the original, only a few years ago, and now it seems that they have ruined it.

Along with others, have given KAFF a good reference in the past, but it is not so good now.

LG is like Apple in consumer goods. I always prefer LG and that too from LG Brand Store, latest model and best price.
AC, Washing Machine, Microwave, Dishwasher, Television, Monitor and Refrigerator all are from LG. The service always happened within same day.

For water purifier, I have been spending fortune on it's maintenance and consumables. Now we have opted the assembled one (RO+UV+ Copper)+ additional filter which works like any branded one and lower filter cost.

I am looking to replace my Preeti mixer grinder with something better. Low noise is an important criteria. Another important point is that the mixer grinder should not be very flimsy since it will be primarily used by our maid who is known to drop things regularly. There should also be a service centre, preferably in North Bangalore. While I can live with some noise, build quality and availability of service centres nearby are critical requirements.

Please suggest the brands that I should consider.

A few years back we replaced our Preethi Mixer Grinder with Butterfly Rapid Plus 750 W. Has been working well without any issues. We had to get a new mini jar as it had become worn out due to use. Replacement was easily available. Noise is not too loud.

It depends on what you will grind. We have a collection of grinders, each dedicated for a particular task

. Preethi 750W, for really heavy duty grinding. It just does not stop. Yes it makes noise, but that is due to a very high speed motor.
. Generic mixer where the jar comes off leaving the base. This is used for light tasks like smoothies or small lot of garlic/ginger paste. For parties where the quantity is large we use Preethi.
. Wet grinder for Idly/Dosa/Vada batter. Beats all the mixers for this job.
. A variety of coffee grinders.
. A couple of hand operated splice grinders - similar to black pepper grinders but for roasted spices only. Used when a couple of tea spoons are to be ground.

By the way no machine is indestructible. Drop it a couple of times and it will crack. You may try commercial all stainless steel mixers. They are heavy duty and extremely robust. But they cost a lot. Some thing like this

https://www.industrybuying.com/juice...JUI.920875844/

Any user reviews for Atomberg or Bosch mixer grinders?

Also which brand has availability of service centres across Bangalore?

Yes, you are right, in many cases chimney is not able to keep up.

For Indian cooking, one needs a high suction chimney (highest possible) and should be wider to cover entire stove/hob (overhang is even better). Needless to say, regular cleaning of filters is a must. Another thing which can help is to have large diameter exhaust pipe (6" is better) and shorter/straight layout with minimal bends from chimney to exit so that suction power is not compromised. Also, there should not be open window or exhaust fan nearby which may cause natural draft of air which works against the chimney.

Many kitchens I have seen, struggle with some of these aspects, resulting in poor performance and fumes spreading all over.