Air coolers have been the permanent solution to beat the heat during the summer season in India. One of the main reasons you will find it in all the houses is the coolers are energy efficient and consume only 1/10th of the energy when compared to AC.
The coolers can drop the temperature by 5-10F. Since there are many options available in the market, it is very essential to check few important factors.
Type of Air Coolers:
- Personal & Window Air Cooler: The water capacity of these coolers range from 20-40 liters and is ideal for small or medium-sized rooms.
- Desert Air Cooler: The water capacity of these coolers ranges up to 50 liters and can be used in living room or large open spaces.
- Tower Air Coolers: These coolers offer a tank capacity of 20-40 liters and are suitable for small places. The best part about these coolers is they are flexible and offer a sleek design.
Cooling Capacity: The cooling capacity of a cooler is measured in CFM. Here is how you can calculate the cooling capacity according to the room size:
Ceiling height: 10 feet
Room size: 120 sq. ft.
Total: 1200 sq. ft.
CFM = cubic feet/2 = 1200/2 = 600
Thus, if the size of your room is 120 sq. ft., you should select a cooler with a CFM value of 600.
Cooling Pads: The cooling pads play a crucial role as they have a direct impact on the cooling effect of the cooler. These pads absorb water and allow cold air to flow through it. It is preferable to buy coolers with a thicker cooling pad.
Some other factors that you must consider are operation, ease of installation, and maintenance. We have explained them in detail in the Buying Guide below.
Best Air Coolers in India: 2020 Reviews
| Air Coolers | Water Tank Capacity | Power consumption | Warranty | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crompton Ozone Desert Air Cooler | 75 Liters | 190 Watts | 1 Year | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Symphony Siesta Air Cooler | 70 Liters | 160 Watts | 1 Year | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Crompton Air Cooler | 55 Liters | 190 Watts | 1 Year | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Maharaja Whiteline Air Cooler | 65 Liters | 165 Watts | 1 Year | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Bajaj Air Cooler | 43 Liters | 200 Watts | 1 Year | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Kenstar Glam Personal Cooler | 35 Liters | 175 Watts | 1 Year | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Orient Electric Desert Air Cooler | 50 Liters | 190 Watts | 1 Year | CHECK ON AMAZON |
Best Air Coolers in India
1) Crompton Ozone 75-Litre Desert Air Cooler
First on our list is the Crompton Ozone, a 75 litre large desert air cooler. Crompton has been an established brand for home electrical appliances in India.
It also has a very high air delivery CFM of 4600 m3/hour with an impressive air throw of 52 feet. This makes it an ideal product to be placed in large rooms and halls as such (Ideal room size would be 550 sq ft). Perfect for large families or even for small families living in very arid and hot places.
The Crompton Ozone comes with honeycomb cooling pads which, when coupled with the large tank capacity, provide very effective cooling for very long. The blower material is plastic and it has 4 plastic castor wheels to the bottom for easy mobility.
It has a motorized louvre movement which enables 4-way airflow. For control, there is the usual 3-speed knob. It also has an ice chamber, a water drain plug a 190 watts powerful motor. There is a motor overload protector that saves it from voltage fluctuations.
For best results, always place the cooler a feet away from walls or windows towards a corner. This allows cross ventilation and it will work effectively. There is a 1-year warranty on the product and for any further support, you can contact Crompton service at 1800 419 0505.
Pros:
- Heavy-duty desert cooler with 75 litres large tank
- Good for large rooms of 550 sq ft
- Very large CFM of 4600 m3/hour
- 52 Feet air throw
- Honeycomb cooling pad
- 4-way airflow
- Water level indicator
- 190 watts motor with overload protection
- Has ice cubes trays
- 1-year warranty
Cons:
- Plastic quality needs improvement
- Noise
2) Symphony Siesta 70 Ltrs Air Cooler (White)
A company that is known for air coolers for a very long time, the Symphony Siesta is a desert cooler with a massive 70 litres tank capacity.
Similar to the Crompton desert cooler, the massive tank is incredibly helpful as you do not have to frequently fill it in. You can fill it up once and given the size of the room it covers, it’s only once. With this tank, it can serve a large room of size 370 sq ft thus making it a good fit for halls, large rooms etc.,
The grills are specially designed for better air throw. Give the 16-inch fan size, 370 square feet max room capacity, the estimated CFM for this cooler is 1480 m3/ hour. There is no official mention of this on the product anywhere. You can find out the correct CFM for your room using the formula provided in the buying guide.
Coming to the wattage, the Symphony Siesta uses a 160-watt motor thus saving more energy than Crompton. It has 4 castor wheels, an ice compartment, a water level indicator and 3-speed change settings.
Apart from a few noise and plastic leakage issues, there is nothing major to worry about this product. It comes with a one year manufacturer’s warranty and for any support, you can contact their customer centre at 07930130111.
Pros:
- Heavy-duty desert cooler with 70 litres tank capacity
- Can deliver to a room of the size 370 sq ft
- Estimated airflow speed CFM of 1490 m3/hour.
- 160-watt power consuming motor.
- Water level indicator
- Comes with 4 castor wheels and standard 3-speed motor change settings.
- 1-year manufacturer’s warranty
Cons:
- Noise
- Need to improve plastic for preventing leakage
3) Crompton Aura Woodwool 55-Litre Desert Air Cooler (White-Maroon)
Next on our list is the Crompton Aura, a wood wool cooling pad desert cooler. Similar to the Crompton cooler listed number one on this list, the Crompton Aura differs from its cooling pad and tank capacity.
Crompton Aura comes with a 55-litre tank making it an entry-level desert cooler. Even at that level, it is sufficient for a whole day/night.
With an impressive air delivery rate of 4200 m3/ hour, the cooler can throw air as far as 45 feet away. The cooler is perfect for rooms of areas 500 square feet.
The body is made out of abs and thermoplastic material. Similar to the Crompton ozone, this cooler has motorized auto-swing louver movement which enables 4-way air deflection.
Inverter compatible, Crompton Aura consumes just about 190 watts of power. It has 3 different speed modes and variability of these will change the power consumption.
Additionally, it has 4 castor wheels, an ice chamber, a water level indicator, and a water drain plug which facilitate the easier cleaning process.
As for the warranty, the Crompton Aura comes with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Pros:
- 55 Litres tank capacity desert cooler
- 4200 m3/ hour air delivery CFM
- 45 feet air throw distance
- 4-way air deflection auto swing louvers
- Wood Wool cooling pads
- 190 watts power consumption and inverter compatible
- 1-year manufacturer’s warranty
Cons:
- Noise
4) Maharaja Whiteline Rambo AC-303 65 L Air Cooler (White and Grey)
Next on our list is yet another Desert air cooler from Maharaja. Maharaja is a well-established brand for home appliances all over north India. The Maharaja Whiteline Rambo AC-303 is a 65 litres large desert cooler. It comes in both white and grey colours.
As for the area of coverage, even with its 65 litres capacity, the cooler can cover a very large area of 700 sq ft. It can delivery an optimally high CFM of 3000 m3/ Hour. With its 18 inches large fan, it can throw air at a distance of 45 feet away.
The Maharaja Rambo comes with a wood wool cooling pad with ample water absorption capabilities. Apart from that, this anti-bacterial tank also has a separate ice chamber and also an aroma chamber. This lets you pour in not just ice cubes but also some aroma oils to counter the foul smell that air coolers generally have.
It comes with a 4-speed switch knob and a 4 way air delivery through its louvre moments. For better results, always place the cooler about 1 foot away from a wall to enable cross ventilation. This cooler is known for producing very low noise and consuming a considerably low power of 165 watts.
Maharaja Rambo supports inverter power supply and comes with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty. For any further support, you can contact their customer support at [ 1860-180-4111 ] [ 011-3368-4999]
Pros:
- Desert cooler with a tank capacity of 65 litres
- Can cover a room of area 700 sq feet
- CFM of 3000 m3/ hour
- Fan size: 18 inches and this can throw air at a distance of 45 feet
- 4-speed adjustment
- 4-way air deliver
- The separate aroma and ice chambers
- Consumes a low of 165 watts
- Supports inverter
- Mild noise
- 1-year manufacturer’s warranty
Cons:
- Plastic quality needs to be improved
- Needs to improve its product reliability
- Does not come with castor wheels
5) Bajaj DC2015 43 Ltrs Room Air Cooler (White) – For Large Room
Next up is our first personal cooler from the house of Bajaj. Bajaj has a strong history of producing middle-class friendly home appliances for Indians for ages.
The Bajaj DC2015 is a 43 litres large tank personal room air cooler. Though this is a personal cooler with a low tank capacity, it can serve a room of 600 sq ft size. Thus making it perfect for large halls, coastal regions and all types of climates.
As for its air delivery, this air cooler can deliver a high CFM of 4000 m3/ hour at its peak. In general, it can go up to 3000 m3/ hour. As for the air through, it can throw air for as long as 50 feet away which is in direct competition to most desert coolers too.
Bajaj DC2015 comes with a wood wool cooling media with ample water absorption and dispersion. Speaking of dispersion, it has 3-way speed control and can deflect air in 4 directions.
Compatible with an inverter, it consumes about 200 watts of power. As is the case with almost all coolers, place it about a foot away from the walls or windows. Given the height of the cooler, it can provide ample cool air at the bed level. It comes with castor wheels so you can easily move it about from place to place.
Apart from that, it also needs to work towards improving the overall quality of the product as well. Bajaj provides a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty from the date of purchase to battle these issues. For any further information or support, you can contact their support at 1800-102-5963.
Pros:
- A great quality personal cooler with a 42 litres water tank
- At its peak, can deliver a high CFM of 4000 m3/ hour. Otherwise, it delivers a default of 3000 m3/ hour.
- Fan can throw air at an impressive distance of 50 feet.
- Bed level cooler comes with 3 way speed control
- 4 direction air deflection
- Has castor wheels to help move about
- 200 watts of power consumption
- Inverter compatible
- 1 year manufacturer’s warranty
Cons:
- Poor plastic quality
- Noise is an issue
- Product reliability
6) Kenstar Glam 35R Personal Air Cooler
Kenstar is the first product in our list to come with a honeycomb cooling medium and remote control. A 35 litres personal cooler, the Kenstar Glam is more of a combination of tower fan and an air cooler.
Speaking of its coverage area, it can cover a relatively smaller room (more of a bedside than a room in total. It has a swing function that lets you use it more than a single bed. As for the airflow CFM, it can give a maximum of 1150 m3/ hour. For this, it can throw air at a distance of 20-25 feet maximum.
Its tank, as mentioned has a 35 litres capacity and has a dedicated ice chamber on the top. It has 4 castor wheels making it easier to move about.
Apart from the usual 3-way speed control, it has a dedicated swing control button, a pump button and most importantly, a timer button as well. As mentioned previously, this cooler comes with a remote control that lets you control the speed, pump, swing and the timer of the cooler.
Coming to power consumption, it consumes a typical 175 watts of energy. Kenstar comes with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty available from the date of purchase.
Pros:
- Remote-controlled personal cooler
- 35-litre tank capacity
- Honeycomb cooling medium for better cooling
- 35 litres capacity
- 175 watts power consumption
- Swing, 3-speed control and pump functions
- Timer function
- 4 castor wheels for easy movement
- Bed level air throw
- 1 Year warranty
Cons:
- Maximum CFM of 1150 m3/ hour
- 20-25 feet of air throw only
- Needs to improve product reliability
7) Orient Electric CD5003H 50-Litre Desert Air Cooler (Grey/Orange)
Finally, we have the Orient Electric CD5003H, a tower fan styled desert cooler with a 50 liters tank capacity.
What places this one apart from most of its competition is its unique design and its operation as well. Coupled with its height is its high air throw capacity of 3650 m3/ hour. Along with this, it can throw air as far as 60 feet. As mentioned, this coupled with its height makes it ideal for bed level cooling.
This far and powerful throw is possible thanks to its aero fan technology and its 16 inches fan size. The motor comes with 3 variable speeds and the louvres are totally collapsible thus making it secure and not collect any kind of dust when you are not using it. While the louvres are fine, it is the motor that needs improvement as a whole.
Now talking about the body of the cooler, it is made out of good quality and durable glossy ABS plastic. The body has an ice chamber attached to its antibacterial tank. This tank has an auto-fill feature that will carry on the cooling effect uninterrupted and prevent any mosquito breeding.
As for the cooling medium, it too, like the kenstar cooler mentioned above, has a honeycomb medium. This presents 25% more cooling effect and a 45 % more water retention thus keeping you cool better for less water.
Compatible with an inverter, the cooler consumes a mere 190 watts of power. Much like most coolers in the list, it also has 4 castor wheels for ease of movement. It also comes with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty from the date of purchase.
Pros:
- Aesthetically good looking tower styled desert cooler
- 50 Litres tank capacity and an antibacterial tank
- CFM of 3650 m3/ hour
- 60 feet far air throw
- 190 watts of power consumption
- Dedicated Ice chamber
- Collapsible louvres
- 3-speed change and a pump knob
- 4 castor wheels for movement
- Honeycomb cooling medium with 25% more cooling and 45% less water consumption
- 1-year manufacturer’s warranty
Cons:
- Needs to work towards improving its motor quality
Air Coolers Buying Guide:
The quality of an air cooler is dependent on several factors. But before you look at those factors, you first need to decide on the type of air cooler you are buying.
1. Types of Air Coolers
There are only 2 different types of air coolers available in the market now that are categorized based on the functionalities.
- Personal Air Cooler or Room Air Cooler
- Desert Air Cooler
Personal Air Cooler
Personal air coolers or room air coolers are made for one or two persons in a single room (mostly small to mid-sized bedrooms). They are small, compact and cool a room using blowers.
Also, personal air coolers have smaller tanks compared to that of a desert cooler. A personal cooler may have a 20 litres storage compared to the massive 85-90 litre storage tank of a desert cooler.
While that stays, Personal air coolers are very economical and effective against humid areas. If you are a bachelor or a small family or someone who has a very small humid bedroom, go for a Personal Air Cooler.
Desert Air Cooler
Desert Air Coolers are bigger machines that are designed for bigger and spacious rooms. Typically placed outside the window, these coolers take air from outside, cool them down through trickling water and then throw them into the room.
While the cool air comes into the room, the hot air from inside will be let out and thus maintaining the temperature of the room.
But as is the case, these types of coolers are more expensive compared to a personal cooler but they have an additional advantage of storage capacity.
As mentioned before, Desert Air Coolers come with very large tanks of 40-90 litres capacity. Thus no need for hasty refillings like you have with a personal cooler.
For a personal cooler, you might need to refill the tank about 3-5 times in a day but for a desert cooler, you just need to fill it once or maybe twice for a whole day.
Given below table completely explains the 2 different air coolers by considering the features like tank capacity, air circulation and room types that have the same functionalities.
| Feature | Room Air Cooler | Desert Air Cooler |
| Tank Capacity | 20-30 litres | 30-90 litres |
| Air circulation | Blowers | Huge fans |
| Room type | Small/medium | Medium/large |
2. Size of Room and Air Cooler
Size is one of the foremost important factors that you should consider while purchasing air coolers. After deciding on what type of cooler you are going to buy, you need to assess where you are going to use this. Do you have a large room or a small room to be cooler?
CFM (Cubic Feet per Metre) is a metric that decides the air delivery rate to the room. This is calculated depending on the size of your room.
CFM (in hours) = (room Surface area in Sq.ft*height*0.84)
For instance, consider a room of size 100 Sq.ft along with a ceiling height of 10 feet. Thus the total room will be considered as 1000 cubic feet (100*10).
Now, the CFM will be half of the cubic feet which are 500 (1000/2).
Room size=100 square feet
Ceiling height= 10 feet
Total=100*10=1000 cubic feet
CFM=cubic feet/2 =1000/2=500.
The chart below gives you a brief idea of how each sized room has its tank requirements.
| Size of the room | Size in Feet | Cooler tank capacity |
| Small | 12 x 14 | 20-30 liters |
| Medium | 14 x 20 | 30-60 liters |
| Large | 16 x 24 or higher | 60+ litres |
Also, check the product description thoroughly to compare the room size with the air cooler.
3. Cooling pads/ Cooler Grass
Cooling pads (or) Cooler Grass are the boards that come on either side of the cooler and it’s back. They are made out of jute, fibre or other materials which will provide a cooling effect when they soaked in water and are placed near the fan.
When the fast air comes out of the cooler, it touches these pads and evaporates the water on them. These molecules will jump onto the air and cool them down giving you cool air.
There are just 2 types of cooling pads available in the market.
- Honeycomb cooling pads
- Wood wool cooling pads
Honeycomb cooling pads are made in complex honeycomb-like arrangement and jute materials. They have a tendency to retain more water and thus honeycomb pads have a better cooling effect.
A wood wool cooling pad cannot hold a lot of water but are affordable and cheap. So if you live in very hot and humid areas, it is better that you invest some money and buy a honeycomb cooling pad cooler.
But if you are living in areas where it is not too much hot in summers (mostly towards higher altitudes with bearable summers), then save money by buying a wood wool cooling pad.
Even if you are going for a desert cooler, then pick a wood wool one. This is because the speed at which a desert cooler works, the cooling pad type does not really matter that much.
4.Tank capacity
First off, tank capacity is primarily dependent on the size of the room you are placing it in. But again, the tank capacity can also be decided on how long you are going to leave the cooler on for. For instance, you may have a small room but you may leave the cooler on for a whole day which will require a lot of water.
In such cases, you even though the required CFM is higher, you need to go ahead with a desert cooler with higher tank capacity.
5. Power consumption
The best part about owning and using an air cooler is that they do not consume a lot of power. Typically, an air cooler may consume power ranging from 90-200Watts.
Apart from that, modern coolers also come with a lot of smart additions and even inverters too. Depending on what functions your cooler has, your wattage may change.
The rule of thumb is that low priced air coolers have lower wattage compared to that of high priced coolers. But by common sense, the units of power burned by coolers may not have a heavy impact on your electricity bill. Hence do not worry if you have to pick a feature-rich cooler with 200-watt power consumption.
6. Some Other factors to consider
Given below are some of the amazing features that you should keep in mind when you wish to purchase the air coolers online.
- Cooling Pad thickness – The thickness of the cooling pad plays an important role in the air-cooling operation. The pads need to have a minimum thickness of 90mm which will be effective in retaining the moisture and providing enough cooling effect.
- Blower speed – All coolers have a blower speed control. This knob gives you control over how speed the fan would be going. Typically, you will be having 3 speeds. Low, Medium and High. But ideally, the knob can go as high as 7 also. Higher the speeding options, the better you can control the wind from the cooler.
- Electronic thermostats – Some of the high-end coolers come with electronic thermostats which will monitor the temperature of the room/cooler and change the speed of the fan, switch the pump on/off automatically.
- Water level controller – Water level controller features are mostly seen in almost all modern air coolers. The automatic water level controllers ensure whether the water is filled up to the pre-set levels and stop flooding. When the water in the tank reaches the pre-set levels, either it alarms or buzzes and stops flowing of water. For optimum functioning of the air cooler, it controls the inlet pipe of the cooler flowing water into it.
- Water level indicator – An important and very common feature, water level indicators are either level based or just semi-transparent plastic on the cooler frames. A level-based indicator gives you an idea of when you can refill the tank.
- Automatic shutoff dampers – An unusual feature, automatic shutoff dampers are the flaps present in the cooler. It discharges the fan to reduce the loss of cooling from the cooler. They usually present in the duct to open up when the fan starts and shuts when the fan stops.
- Remote control – Many modern coolers also come with remote control. Though available for high-end models, remotes let you control the pump, speed of fan and swing.
- Casters – Caster is a just a wheel mounted on a device to ensure the free movement of an object. Not all types of coolers come with casters. Travel-friendly and lightweight coolers come with castors whereas heavy desert coolers do not come with casters.
Check whether the air coolers you buy have caster wheels or not. If this isn’t included along with the cooler and you need the cooler to move about, then you need to invest a little in casters which allow the air coolers to move freely from one position to another. - Timer – Some coolers come with a timer equipped with them through which you can set shut off time. More of an additional feature, it makes your sleep at night convenient.
- Ice cube tray – The output of the cooler is as cool as the water you pour in. There are many coolers which come with a separate compartment where you can place ice. Such ice cube trays melt down the ice and it adds up to the water to add to the cooling effect.
- Air cooler without water – These are not technically full-fledged air coolers but are lightweight mini coolers which do not have a tank. They have smooth casters which make it easier for you to move it about from one room or place to another. Ideal for bachelors, they often are priced very low but do not guarantee cool air like a water air cooler.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to run air cooler on the inverter?
There are no special separate settings for air coolers to run on an inverter. As they are low energy consuming appliances, if your inverter has the required, you can directly plug it in and it will work normally.
There are however inverter air coolers that come with special inverter settings. When there is a power cut, by switching it on, it balances and works on the house based inverter and protects the cooler from voltage fluctuations.
2. What is the use of honeycomb pads in air cooler?
When the warm air is drawn into the air cooler, it passes through the honeycomb cooling media. Compared to the wood wool media, a honeycomb structure facilitates greater water absorption. This leads to more water getting evaporated and thus provides better cooling.
3. Do air coolers require a lot of electricity to run?
No, an air cooler doesn’t require a lot of energy. Running an air cooler requires less electricity compared to the air conditioners. Of all the air coolers Honeywell air cooler consumes very less power, making an attractive cooling medium where the electricity cost is too high. The average power consumption of Honeywell air cooler is 193Watts.
4. Why does a desert cooler cool better on a hot dry day?
The desert cooler cools much better on a hot dry day than other days, because of the temperature which is too high and the less humidity. Both of them help in having a high-evaporation rate that gives a better cooling effect.
5. How does an evaporative air cooler work?
Evaporative air cooler uses evaporation mechanism to cool the air. The operation is such that when the pump circulates water from the tank to a cooling pad, it becomes wet. The fans draw outside through the cooling pads and when it does, the air is cooled by evaporation.
The key factor to cool the device effectively is to ensure the cooling pads completely saturated at the time and the motors, fans are designed to deliver high air-flow.
6. How waterless air cooler works?
Waterless air coolers are basically normal table fan type mini air coolers. They do not have any tank to store water so they take in air from large spaces and then push it through the fan to a small area. The difference in airflow will create the required coolness.
7. Will air cooler cause asthma or rheumatism?
Not exactly. If you are already suffering from asthma, rheumatism or any other breathing ailment, then it is suggested that you sleep at a certain distance from the air cooler.
Breathing cool air at night times in an air-conditioned bedroom may cause loss of heat from airways that are important for triggering exercise-induced asthma. It also encounters with rheumatism where there is a maximized usage of cooling devices at homes.
8. Do air coolers require a lot of electricity to run?
No, an air cooler doesn’t require a lot of energy. Running an air cooler requires less electricity compared to the air conditioners. Because the cooling fans connected to the motors utilizes less power and handles it very smoothly thereby generating coolness in a room.
Conclusion
Given the humid nature of Indian summers, it is ideal that you pick an air cooler with a very high tank capacity. The Crompton Ozone air cooler comes with a massive 75 litres of water tank capacity. This can serve a large room of 550 square feet and has a large CFM of 4600 m3/ hour and an impressive 52 feet air throw. It has a honeycomb cooling medium and seperate ice cube tray. All this for a very low energy consumption and a 1 year warranty makes it a best buy out of all mentioned in the list today.
While those were our picks for the list, we are all ears for your opinions. Did we miss out on anything or any product? Do you feel like something needs to be added to the list? Have you got any questions regarding air coolers or any other appliance? Feel free to write to us in the comments section below. Our product expert team will write back to you as soon as possible.
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