Airquest is the bottom of the line ICP (international Comfort Products) brand. ICP makes Carrier and several other brands. Here is a comment from another forum, which I think is pretty much on the mark:

"They can be good units that can give good performance and economy for many years if installed correctly. The problem is that most of the installers who sell these brands are known for cutting corners and not doing the highest quality of work.
The more expensive, better known brands such as Carrier, Trane, Lennox, etc. are much more selective with who they sell their equipment to. If there are too many complaints, the installer wont be able to buy those brands anymore. The lower end units usually end up not being installed correctly and they end up having more problems. It's not so much that they are worse units, it's that they usually get installed worse."

Given your experience with this contractor, I'd probably look elsewhere.

Carrier's twin (same equipment, different badge) is Bryant. There may be minor exceptions but they have equivalent item by item models. Bryant tends to be a bit cheaper. Airquest is the conglomerate's lowest tier brand name, I wouldn't expect them to be item for item similar.

I wouldn't use the word "suspicious". More, misleading, intentionally deceptive. Sell and price a Cadillac and deliver a used Chevrolet.

I'd look elsewhere. Not all HVAC contractors are slippery but many are. Look until you find a few who don't speak with forked tongues, they're out there. Good luck.

Thanks everyone. I also forgot to mention that he quoted us the very lowest AirQuest system available. Not to be obnoxious about it, but there's nothing about our home that screams "budget". We suspect that they quoted us the very cheapest AirQuest at a high-end Carrier price.

Did they quote an AirQuest HSA5 condenser? What coil and air handler were quoted? The same equipment also uses Heil, another ICP company, as the brand. It may also be know as Payne, Day Night, plus several other brands. Some of these models may be very similar to Carrier's Comfort series. You can't tell unless you do a tear down and look at every part.

The contractor could have been honest and said he is not a Carrier dealer, and the AirQuest is a good equivalent and costs less. I also don't like how he pumped up the SEER rating. A 14 SEER rating is the lowest allowed for sale in the southern US states.

If you live near the ocean then you should be looking at models which are specifically designed for coastal applications. Carrier has coastal models in the Comfort and Infinity series. Trane as well as others may offer coastal models. It may be worth the extra money if you plan to live in this house for several years.

Go look at Lennox

It sounds like this guy takes advantage of the typical lack of experience/knowledge of homeowners to his benefit. I hate that. Research the coastal models in different lines. You have to have info to protect yourself these days. . . Like always.

Trane are great too. Good for you for being so diligent. It will pay off.

It’s hard to stop a Trane in my experience—the ads don’t lie!

right - it's shady. it's not carrier and it's not 15 seer.

You need to start doing your resreach on SEER and what you should be putting into your house that isn't budget. Sadly - you have to learn way more about things that you want to.

The contractor didn't do well to explain to you what you were buying. It was the wrong approach.

The SEER rating is the result of "what is being paired together" and the sizing of that pairing.

Manufacturers love to embellish just as much as a somewhat sketchy tech, installer, contractor --- what ever.

What's in a name. Perceived value? Stylish lines? Fancy looking tops? The same can be said comparing a Chevy to a Cadillac. Start peeling back, stripping that Cadillac down you find many of the same parts that made up that Chevy. Except the prestige you get driving down the road getting approval from complete strangers as they glance your way. To this day I've never seen anyone drive down the road in their shiny new "choice branded" air conditioner.

Truth be told, it makes a bigger difference what the AC unit does for you versus the name on the side of the box.... Inverter -- spend some money, get a better unit that will pay for itself (depending on use, utility rates, etc --- some climates it's over kill). Pay attention to what it does, not the distraction on the side of the box.

If you're looking for high efficiency and then go an put in a name brand equivalent of the unit this contractor offered you. What just because of a name on the side of the box? Completely different if you're putting in Greenspeed or something higher up as the Airquest brand likely doesn't go that high.

Just got off the phone yesterday who saw one of my videos "copper coils vs aluminum coils" said he couldn't understand what was going on with his units. Of which were Trane's and it's already gone thru 3 indoor evap coils in a short time span.

Here's the video: all brands suffer from freon leaks...

I plan to do an update to this video sometime in the near future... subscibe to my channel so you don't miss it.

He lives outside my service area. If there was any such thing as a "perfect AC brand" --- there would be no need for a board like this. No need for me. No need to compare Chevy's to Cadillacs etc.

What is in a name? If only that alone was what you were buying. A gimmick? If not what would you call it? ___________________________?

I service the Katy, Texas area. ----- They all break.