Trane vs Lennox – Side by Side Comparison

Trane vs Lennox – A Side by Side Comparison of Two Premium Air Conditioner Brands

Our central air conditioner side by side comparisons are undoubtedly the most read articles on our blog. One matchup that seems to be among the most frequently researched is Trane vs Lennox. Both Trane and Lennox are considered premium brands in the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) industry so it’s natural that these two are compared to each other often.

 

If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you know I am the founder, and one of the owners of Magic Touch Mechanical. Magic Touch is a twenty-year old AC Company in Mesa, AZ that provides heating and cooling service and installation near Phoenix and surrounding cities. I’ve been working in the air conditioning business for 30-years and have done everything from sales and install, to maintenance & repair on every brand and model air conditioner imaginable over the course of my career. Bottom line, I know these products inside and out…literally.

I should point out another fact – I am completely unbiased. Why? My company has been a dealer of both of these brands for many years. I personally own air conditioners from both Lennox and Trane – I own several residential properties as well as a large commercial building with multiple AC units, so I’m a consumer myself. While some air conditioning companies may only represent one brand, Magic Touch Mechanical represents many of the major manufacturers. If you live in or near the Phoenix, AZ area, I just want you to buy your new heating & air conditioning unit from Magic Touch…I really don’t care if it’s a Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Daikin, or Mitsubishi Ductless for that matter…I just want you to use Magic Touch!

I’ve read a number of air conditioner comparisons where the author states they are unbiased but then read certain things that I know as an air conditioning contractor are indeed biased towards the brand they sell. They are usually subtle enough that it appears they are being fair, but just enough to make an ordinary consumer lean away from another brand and more towards the brand I as a professional can tell they want to promote over the other.

If you read some of the specific model comparisons I have written over the years you will see that for some models I think Trane wins, some models Lennox is the winner, other models it’s neither, and in some comparisons – it’s a dead tie. Frankly half the people that read our blog don’t even live in Arizona so they’re not doing business with me anyway!

Okay, now that we got that all out of the way let’s dig in to Trane vs. Lennox a side by side comparison:

 

  • Price – “Trane and Lennox are very expensive.” This is a comment I hear a lot. First let’s remember the old adage; you get what you pay for. We all know that’s true for many things, heck most things, right?

 

Yes, both Trane and Lennox have models that are amongst the most feature-rich and have some of highest efficiency ratings available today, and those features and high efficiency ratings come with a price tag to match. You can’t buy a Rolls Royce for the same price you can by a Mazda. I’m not picking on Mazda; my point is we’re talking apples and oranges when comparing a high-end model to a base model – it might not have anything to do with brand.

That said, both Trane and Lennox also manufacture entry-level and mid-level models that are just as competitively priced as the lesser known brands like Rheem, Ruud, York, and Day & Night. We carry models from both Trane and Lennox that compete with, or even beat the price of Goodman and Day & Night. Point being, it’s not the brand name itself that dictates the price, it’s the features and efficiency of specific models that determine the price of that model.

 

Who wins on lowest price; Trane or Lennox?

Now that we know it depends on the model, if we were to go model by model and look at who has the lowest price on the most models: Lennox (emphasis on “most” – not all)

I just read an article that claimed the exact opposite and that was one that I suspect was purposely biased, but could be based on many factors including; location, distribution, and even how much they purchase annually. Here in Phoenix, side-by-side; Lennox has more models that run slightly cheaper than Trane for similar efficiencies and features.

Bottom line: It depends what type and model are applicable in your home. There’s a good chance the particular model best for you could be the one Trane beats Lennox in price on, or the other way around.

ADVICE: Find a nearby air conditioning company that sells both brands and ask them to provide a quote for both!

  

  • Quality – Who builds the better air conditioner Lennox or Trane?

As discussed in the beginning of this article, both Trane and Lennox pride themselves on being “premium” brands. Having installed and service thousands of both brands (and most models of each), I would have to agree they are in fact both top-quality brands.

When considering quality, I’m not considering efficiency or features. I’m considering how it will stand the test of time! When it comes to time we have to consider things like, quality of the components used, cabinet design, etc.

Both Trane and Lennox are very well-built products in my opinion. A good example of this goes right down to the types of fasteners (screws) that hold these machines together. Both apply a Teflon coating to screws in certain exposed areas of the machine to make sure the screws don’t fail to keep the unit securely together summer after summer, and winter after winter. While this might sound like a small thing, all the “small things” add up to the overall quality of the entire product and ultimately the consumer’s experience over the life of the product.

 

  • Features – Who’s air conditioners and furnaces have better features, Lennox or Trane?

You have to read our Trane vs. Lennox side by side comparisons for particular models to answer that question. Both produce models with great features and this takes me back to the point I brought up before; some models Trane takes the prize, others Lennox is the clear winner, and some are a dead heat. While there aren’t many applications where I wouldn’t recommend either, we do run into certain homes where some of their competitors build a better mousetrap so to speak than either Trane or Lennox.

 

Which is better Trane or Lennox?

I recently heard another HVAC Contractor talking about a conversation he had with one of his clients where the customer told him he was going to do his own research to decide which brand was best for him. The contractor replied, I’ve been doing the research for you for the last thirty years!

The reason that resonated with me is; I think about all the products I research online before purchasing something for my business or for me personally, and all the conflicting information and opinions out there in cyberspace. Sometimes I get so bogged down in information overload, I just close my eyes and point and hope for the best – or don’t buy anything at all. It’s those times it would be great to have someone I know and trust who knows about such things that could advise me on which to buy.

This leads me to two points:

  1. Which is better Trane or Lennox? Both and neither! If you read this article know it depends on the model, but both make great products so it boils down to what the application is and what benefits and features are most important to you and your family.

If you didn’t read this whole article and skipped down to this question – you missed the point!

  1. Find an air conditioning and heating company that sells both Lennox and Trane! If you have an air conditioning company near you that sells and installs both Trane and Lennox, you should be able to get an unbiased opinion on which is the better of the two…for your particular application. In other words, they should have the same objective as we do here at Magic Touch – earning your business! We sell Magic Touch, not Trane or Lennox.

 

If you are looking for a reputable Trane Dealer or Lennox Dealer near Phoenix, you’ve already found one! Give us a call today and we’ll be happy to sit down with you and compare models from both manufacturers with you!

 

TRANE VS LENNOX – SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON