Fujitsu vs Mitsubishi Ductless AC

Fujitsu and Mitsubishi Mini Splits Side by Side

If you’ve read my new AC unit reviews or air conditioning brand side-by-side comparisons before, you can skip the next few paragraphs. This is the “full disclosure” statement I make to demonstrate why there is no bias in these review articles before we dive in.

I am the founder and owner of Magic Touch Mechanical in Mesa, AZ. I started Magic Touch over twenty years ago and we sell many different brands of HVAC systems on a daily basis. We sell “Magic Touch” not Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Bosch, Samsung, or Daikin – all manufacturers of ductless equipment we currently recommend and sell or have sold over the last two decades.

We follow the philosophy of “Options not ultimatums”. In other words, we offer our clients numerous brand options so they can choose which is best for them, their family, and their budget.

“In Order for us to Recommend an AC & Heating Brand, They Must Meet All of the Requirements Below.”

Reliability

We record failure rates and types of failures of equipment we install. The reason we only care about the failure rates of equipment we installed is we know they were designed, sized, installed, and commissioned correctly.

An equipment failure on a system that was not installed correctly is inevitable so the brand can’t be blamed.

The brand must prove reliable with a low failure rate percentage in order for us to recommend it. If any brand has an unacceptable failure rate, limited parts availability, or unsatisfactory customer support we have no hesitation to discontinue it. We no longer recommend a few brands for one or more of these reasons.

 

Fujitsu Ductless vs. Mitsubishi Ductless Reliability

There are over 1500 licensed HVAC contractors in Arizona. We have a lot of competitors when it comes to conventional central air conditioning system installations. However, we don’t have a lot of competition when it comes to installing ductless AC units and heat pumps. As a result, we install A LOT of mini split systems.

I bring that up because over the last two plus decades, we’ve installed many hundreds of these systems. Fujitsu was one of our most popular units for a long time (Mitsubishi has surpassed them in popularity with our customers in recent years).

Out of the hundreds of Fujitsu ductless mini split’s we’ve installed over the years. The overwhelming majority of the older ones are still going strong. That said, as compared to Mitsubishi ductless units, we have found our service department runs more repair calls on Fujitsu units.

Mitsubishi ductless units are tanks! Of all of the brands we recommend besides the two this article is about Trane, Lennox, Daikin, Goodman, Bosch, AirTemp – you name it – the Mitsubishi brand has, hands down, the lowest failure rate of the bunch.

 

Reliability Category Winner: Mitsubishi Ductless Air Conditioning and Heating

 

Warranty / Service

Not only must the manufacturer provide a good warranty, they must have a “customer first” mentality when needing to honor that warranty. Parts need to be readily available, and service and support for both us as the contractor and the homeowner as the end user needs to be readily apparent.

A warranty is only as good as the company and service backing it up. Our experience with both our Fujitsu Ductless and Mitsubishi Ductless suppliers here in AZ has been nothing less than excellent. I would have to give them a tie with regards to service and how they handle warranty claims. Granted we purchase a lot of this equipment and they are both vying for our business, but no matter the reason why – they both get five stars from me.

When installed by a Fujitsu Elite Dealer or Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor (like Magic Touch Mechanical), both extend their standard 7 yr. compressor warranty / 5 yr. parts warranty to a full 12 yr. warranty on parts and compressor.

 

Warranty / Service Category Winner: Tie

 

Performance

The equipment must perform as promised to get our recommendation…period! Both Fujitsu and Mitsubishi meet this requirement as far as we’re concerned, but one stands out above the other.

I like the Fujitsu’s overall performance and our clients are very happy with them. However, I love the Mitsubishi’s overall performance, and our clients are practically ecstatic when they tell us how well they perform.

This is particularly true of the Mitsubishi MSZ-FH models which come equipped with the 3D-i-see sensor. This sensor constantly scans the room measuring the temperature in every nook and cranny of the room. The eight-element sensor can even detect where “you” are in the room and deliver less or more air exactly where needed! Sounds like science fiction, right? That’s what I thought too but it’s not. It’s real and it works!

 

Performance Category Winner: Mitsubishi Ductless Air Conditioning and Heating

Installed Price / Value

An air conditioning and heating system not installed perfectly will fail in every one of the above categories. This is particularly true of ductless mini-splits because they are “critically charged” and are packed with nuances that a novice installer wouldn’t know.

We have some recent Facebook posts that discuss mini-split installations starting in the low $4,000 range. Every time we post one, we get internet troll comments mocking us saying things like “I can buy one of these online for ___ dollars” and “I can install this myself”, or “I have a friend who does AC on the side”, etc.

What is it they say about he who represents himself in court? The same is true for anyone who buys one of these systems online and hires Sideshow-Bob to install it!

I know what you’re thinking…I sell these units for a living of course I’d say that, right? Well, first off, according to Google Analytics the majority of people who read this blog article are not even in Magic Touch Mechanical’s service area. More importantly though, I’ve seen this play out too many times to count. These are the same people that a year or two later are saying the brand is junk and “they’ll never buy another (insert brand here).” But I digress – back to the comparison…

You can (probably) expect to pay $300 to $400 less (before rebates) for a Fujitsu single-zone system installed by a Fujitsu Elite Dealer than a Mitsubishi installed by a Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor. However, there is a difference between price and cost and price and value.

In my opinion Fujitsu is a great brand, but Mitsubishi offers a greater value.

 

Price Category Winner: Fujitsu Ductless

Value Category Winner: Mitsubishi Ductless

 

 

Which brand ductless mini-split does this HVAC Contractor own personally? Mitsubishi.

I’ve personally sold, serviced, installed and repaired hundreds upon hundreds of these mini-split systems in my 20-plus years owning an air conditioning company in Phoenix – and ten years before that working in the trade in NYC.

I’ve personally owned one of these systems for 12-years. I’m in the process of installing another multi-zone system as we speak on one of my properties. (I’m installing a mixed system with several high-wall mounted air handlers and a recessed ceiling cassette air handler). I could get a lower price on the equipment from Fujitsu than I am from Mitsubishi…I bought Mitsubishi!

 

I am brand neutral!

I can’t stress enough that I don’t care if our clients choose a Fujitsu or a Mitsubishi – I just want them to choose Magic Touch Mechanical to install it!

 

Magic Touch Mechanical has been installing ductless mini-split heat pumps and ac units for over twenty years in the Greater Phoenix, AZ area. No matter if you want a single-zone unit to cool your garage or master bedroom or a complex whole-home multi-zone ductless system, we can make it happen. Schedule a free site-evaluation and consultation today!