[Thad E Ginathom]

I never liked fluorescent light, and am not at all uncomfortable with LED. Generally, I prefer a warm light, although we have a mixture.

I recall there being an office refit in late 90s. Being a small company, the IT department was heavily involved in this! One thing everyone wanted changing was the lighting. Back then it was fluorescent or... fluorescent. But we were, at least, able to upgrade so that glare and flicker were reduced. I'm sure I'd be much happier, today, in an LED-lit office.

My ancient anglepoise has progressed through incandescent, cfl and now LED. At one time, I had a special daylight incandescent lamp in it. Apart from that, the current LED is the most comfortable.

However, I suppose LED can, depending on its configuration, be closest to a point light. Diffusion and shading is important.

As to the immortality of this technology, it is, as it was with cfl, much exaggerated!

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Atleast in the white shades this is because the led diodes produce blue light. Somehow I find tubes to be better. CRI is also an important factor to take into consideration with LEDs.

Did you guys know that atleast in several parts of Mumbai T5 fluorescent fittings are not available at all anymore !! Replacement tubes are available and also some quantity of T8 fittings and tubes but it seems like T5 fluorescents have been completely phased out in favour of LED tubes

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I never liked fluorescent light, and am not at all uncomfortable with LED. Generally, I prefer a warm light, although we have a mixture.

However, I suppose LED can, depending on its configuration, be closest to a point light. Diffusion and shading is important.

As to the immortality of this technology, it is, as it was with cfl, much exaggerated!

Fluorescent Lights always produce UV light as well which may result in permanent eye damage - (retina damage and pterygia). Probably it is another reason why fluorescent Lights are phased out and replaced by LED. But LED lights are not a panacea. They are possibly the most efficient in terms of electricity consumption but they produce light in a very narrow spectrum. There is an ongoing study which is trying to analyze the long term effects on our health when subjected to a narrow spectrum high intensity light.



There is an interesting comparison of different forms of lighting here: https://alchemy-media-marketing.com/...al-light-bulbs
It is probably dated when it comes to electricity costs.

[unk9ja]

Need suggestion on buying an UPS for home. I have the following units in my final list. Can someone here suggest a good one among these.
1. Microtek Static Converter UPS SEBz 1100 V2 Sinewave Technology.
2. Luminous Zelio+ 1100 Home Pure Sinewave Inverter UPS
3. APC Home UPS 850VA Sine Wave BI850SINE
I have an APC 80VA at present which is around 7+ years and off late there is a humming observed. The technician says either replace or repair which is almost equivalent to the new one. I have found the APC is always on the higher side to own or maintain and so would like to know how others perform.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

What's a good cooler? The Pune summer has been getting nastier by the year and I want to resist buying an a/c as much as possible. The fans are just about enough so I thought a cooler should be a good complement. Some relatives have a Symphony cooler so that was one I was considering.

Any recommendations, guys? The summer has set in in Pune and I feel the fans are just about less than sufficient. Still against an a/c so wondering if a cooler can make it comfortable/pleasant.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Any recommendations, guys? The summer has set in in Pune and I feel the fans are just about less than sufficient. Still against an a/c so wondering if a cooler can make it comfortable/pleasant.

We got a pair of Symphony coolers two summers back. I got a relatively compact version but even that turned out to be noisy. Apart from the noise, its pretty effective in cooling if its a case of dry heat. For me, the usual room temperature is 25 deg C but in this summer it has risen to 30 which makes it uncomfortable to sleep. The air cooler somewhat cools down the room to a manageable state. The fan on the other hand throws hot air from the roof which does not help. Hence, I bear the noise and use the cooler. Look for some silent model and evaluate the noise before you buy a cooler.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Any recommendations, guys? The summer has set in in Pune and I feel the fans are just about less than sufficient. Still against an a/c so wondering if a cooler can make it comfortable/pleasant.

No harm trying a cooler, Pune weather is similar to Bangalore's. It will be a bit noisy as audioholic mentioned and the throw from smaller sized coolers may not be sufficient for your room size, do check that.

Few years ago we also bought a cooler and then after almost 8 years we finally switched to a Daikin AC, much better (very silent too) and we use it usually for about 3 months or so each year.

[b_naresh]

We use a Symphony cooler in Pune and are satisfied with the cooling performance. It is blower based so it is not silent like an AC but it doesn't bother us. The model is Diet 22i, the capacity is 22 liters and it is rated to work for 6 hours before needing a water refill. Our bedroom has cross ventilation (we have 2 windows) which is needed for a cooler to be effective.

[sgiitk]

Contacted LG Service for my Refrigerator (left rear wheel fallen off) and Dishwasher (no water going in). I had heard a lot of stories about their 1800 no being out. I went in first time round and had no issues. Only the Advisor on the other end (I chose English) was more conversant with Hindi so I switched. Let us hope their service is equally good.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Dishwasher (no water going in).

There is a small filter that is likely to be clogged. It will be in your inlet line where the inlet pipe is connected. You can remove it with a nose plier or cooking pakkad and wash it. This had happened to me. This had got so blocked that it had spoilt the inlet solenoid valve and the valve had to be replaced on my Samsung washing machine.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I would take Philips claims with a pinch of salt. I have had half a dozen Philips LED bulbs failure in the recent past. It is a pain to claim warranty with these bulbs.

I installed some 3 dozens of Philips Astra LED panel lights (@ Rs 500 a piece) when I built my house and 2 years later at least half of them have failed. My dealer had warned me but I put too much of trust in Philips.

Incidentally almost all of them that failed were the less frequently used ones. The ones we use every day - bathrooms, walk-in closet etc - are still going strong.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Any recommendations, guys? The summer has set in in Pune and I feel the fans are just about less than sufficient. Still against an a/c so wondering if a cooler can make it comfortable/pleasant.

My suggestion would be to invest in an Inverter AC. As summer in Pune would be 40 degrees plus, a cooler may not suffice and it would be more noisy than an AC. A cooler will be pleasant initially but after some time it will throw warm air.

AC technology is far advanced now and Inverter AC's do not give a huge bill as against Bill's 10 years back. As an untold thumb rule just imagine your consumption would be like running 3 fans instead of 1.

You can research here and decide what model you like. Most of the models like LG, Daikin, Carrier etc. are good.

[JMaruru]

Please suggest me a good convection microwave oven model, preferably from LG(Budget around INR 10-12K).

This would be for my sister, who would like to use it mostly for baking cakes, pizza and warming the food.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Please suggest me a good convection microwave oven model, preferably from LG(Budget around INR 10-12K).

This would be for my sister, who would like to use it mostly for baking cakes, pizza and warming the food.

I do a lot of baking including pizzas and have both LG and samsung convection ovens.
Between the two brands samsung has better fit and finish, the fan is also quieter.
But samsung only has a heater coil on top and side, it doesn't have charcol heaters basically lamps that radiate heat and you cannot use both convection and top heater coil.
So I prefer LG, it heats up rapidly in combi mode which uses both convection and top charcol light lamps. At 30L its big enough for a large size pizza but it also occupies a lot of space. I believe LG is more expensive now. But buy a model that has a dial vs just buttons.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by audioholic

We got a pair of Symphony coolers two summers back.

Originally Posted by NPV

No harm trying a cooler

Originally Posted by b_naresh

We use a Symphony cooler in Pune

Thanks, gents! I was planning to be lazy and order it online. But I will now visit Croma, check them out (area covered, cooling, noise etc.) and then buy.

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

My suggestion would be to invest in an Inverter AC.

My issue is not the money or the electricity; it is that I want to avoid being in an a/c environment until absolutely necessary. The area of Pune I live in thankfully has a good amount of tree cover so drawing the curtains and having the fan generally suffices. The summer is only getting worse, hence the need for a cooler.

We spend far too much time in a a/c room anyway (office, car), which isn't exactly good. Hence, the reluctance to get an a/c.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Please suggest me a good convection microwave oven model, preferably from LG(Budget around INR 10-12K).

This would be for my sister, who would like to use it mostly for baking cakes, pizza and warming the food.

For baking and pizza, an OTG at 4-5K is a better choice. For heating an inexpensive microwave is the best.
https://www.amazon.in/Bajaj-2200-TMS...s%2C292&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.in/LG-Solo-Microw...gateway&sr=8-1
I have a similar MW and it is used for heating only

In case there is a lot of baking involved, I would suggest a Gas Cooking Range which has a Gas Oven. Models are available starting from 20K all the way to beyond a lac
http://sunflame.com/cooking-range.html