calicojane

I think tecno has a website, check it out, they have a wide variety of gas hobs, with a choice of colored glass, and solid cast iron grids. Those tecno hobs I examined impressed me as value for money. Solid and they give what u want in a basic glass hob. Tecno seems like a local brand, but designs may be from europe. If I want a value for money glass hob with cast iron grids, I will take tecno. Sadly I have recently bot another hob.

Only too true. In the end, logical people wud not paying a bit extra for somebody who is responsible and capable to handle their reno.

From our research, KDK is reliable but does not have many choices. They have a showroom, but not many models in it. The showroom sale price is competitive to dealer price. They have a funny ball like fan 44" for low ceiling that probably works well(see the specs) but isn't the look we wanted. Also a bit too small. KDK also has this high-end yuragi fan, cost $400+ which gives a natural breeze. KDK is best for its basic white model(like schoolroom), but that is for high ceiling. The 4 blade deluxe model does not look good in real life. It looks better in catalogue. The blades very thin. Elmark, we went to the showroom, they have a lot of models, a lot of different design there. But the design not appealing to me, some very chintzy/complicated. The basic simple ones also I dun like. Some complain Elmark the wind generally no good and I have to concur. Their basic flat low ceiling fan gives almost no wind at all, might as well not put. The ones with the 4" rod(?) that look like flying saucer not so bad. But again, we dun like the design, we prefer simple design that does not draw attention to fan. I suggest Elmark is good because of its large range of design......but if u want basic simple-looking white model, no frills, go for KDK. Lots of the brands lack a good low ceiling fan that is simple in design. There is one generic model in Elmark, Amasco with simple which is very super-flat. Never buy this if u want strong wind. It is only good to circulate air in an aircon room. It cannot provide strong wind because it is too flat to the ceiling, and the blades are also too flat. The other low ceiling fans are like the airtek, airwolf from brands like Elmark and Amasco, it has a generic shape like a flying saucer and comes with a short rod so it can be attached to low ceiling. This one is OK, if you dun mind the complicated look. To attach to the low false ceiling, the contractor has to make a kind of wooden bracket that is actually attached to the real ceiling. This can be done without much problem, but it has to be done well for safety reasons. Like this your low ceiling fan can be installed on your false ceiling, no problem. Tamco, a local brand, has a better low celing fan called "hugger". This one is only 48" but puts out a lot of wind because of blade design--the blades widen towards the tips. But got no remote and regulator is ugly. If u want the max wind from a low ceiling fan, this is the one to get. The design is also very simple and clean. Only got white color though, and presently cannot find on internet, altho can buy already. As a last point, when u go to the showroom for some brands, they give u a quote that is much more than the dealers along Jalan Besar. Dun get cheated, try the Jalan Besar dealers(like TaiYong, Royal Fanco, Lim Kim Thye, Blk 30 Kelantan Lane, etc) also, they can quote you as much as 30%+ lower than some showroom/agents. Another advice: When u go to Jalan Besar to look for ceiling fan, prepare for flooding if it rains hard. Dun park your car in the verasamy or hindoo lanes that side, they flooded up to halfway up the tyre. That time we went there, got trapped in the Royal Fanco, the water almost coming into the shop........

I am told their work is good, but they charge a little bit on high side. One person I know engaged them and so far is satisfied with what they have done. If u want economical, no point using them. If you want good quality and interesting design, willing to pay a bit above average, then you can consider them, this is MHO. In any case you can see from the quotation what they can do, except that you can never tell whether the work quality and design will be like unless you actually see somebody's place that has been done by them.

OK, my detailed quote from Pang Giap was abt $1.5K for the motor system, but $2K+ for the wooden gate. Come out to abt below $4K. I think it is because my driveway is a bit wider than the standard. I'll consider this against the securitex quote I hope to get later on.

Also called Securitex, these gents claim on their website to be SG's oldest, and largest, suppliers of auto gate and security systems. Was quoted same as Panggiap, S$2.8K for basic woodengate plus motor plus installation. More investigation reveals they use the RANGER brand motor for swing gate, I suspect this is a local brand cause they use it also in m'sia, where you can install it for as low as RM1K, I guess many in m'sia live in terraces, while only those more well-off financially in SG can afford a landed property. Thus there is demand for a low-cost auto gate. There is an offer on a RANGER installation in m'sia for RM900+, but lots of reports on m'sian forums of gates not working properly, motor smoking, etc. From the Securitex website, the RANGER brand motor is an electric gear motor, not hydraulic. So far I see it comes in only one type. The specs and drawing are there. They claim that the RANGER motor/system is very reliable and many people have been using it for years with very few complaints. It seems that hydraulic motors are more powerful, but also more expensive, coming mostly from europe, the brands I saw were FAAC, CAME etc. These all were quoted at around S$4K for supply and installation. However, I have been looking around and one of my kahaki installed an electric gear auto system in her landed property and she says it has been working for last 2 years without problem. I guess the most important thing is to get a motor that is suitable to the size and weight of your gate. If the motor is underpowered, eventually it will fail. If you get an overpowered motor, you may be paying too much for something u don't need. Also the after service and guarantees will be important, because this machine will be used everyday.....got to be reliable, and if it does breakdown, must have someone to repair it quickly. Like to thank vampree for her comments on the gate. Nice nickname. Yes, acc to panggiap, it is a mix of chengai and wrought iron. Also if the motor fails, the gate can be opened manually by means of a key. I think unless there is really a benefit to the hydraulic system, I will go with the cheaper electric gear system.

Wonder if anyone can recommend a good installer and good product for this. Am looking for a wooden, swing-outwards double auto gate for my driveway, width just a bit larger than for normal terrace. Called www.panggiap.com.sg for a general quote on their basic wooden auto gate and was told $1380 for the gate, plus $1K+ for motor and installation. Works out to below $3K. The guy will be giving me a detailed quote after measuring later. Another contractor gave me a rough estimate of $4-5K, thus unless the second guy is giving me much better quality in the motor and fittings, then his quote is a bit high.