I interviewed 10 HVAC contractors for this job. This included the "big box" companies Home Depot and Sears, "discount" contractors, as well as mid-range independent contractors. I would classify Emin's Air Conditioning in the latter category. Notably, Emin's was also by far the top of the line across all categories. Product: Emin installed a three zone Fujitsu system (24k BTU compressor, 12k/7k/7k indoor units), and was very conscientous about ensuring the system would function as intended based on manufacturer recommendations. Some other companies had wanted to install higher BTU systems, which required purchasing a significantly larger and more expensive outdoor compressor. In the end, Emin's knowledge of HVAC saved me at least $1500 dollars. The cooling power is more than sufficient for our space. I would posit that Emin had a better understanding of how much power is needed to cool a given square footage than many others. For comparison purposes, Home Depot was selling a similarly powered Mitsubishi system, which is also an upper end system like Fujitsu. However, they wanted $18k for the job, which is absurd, especially when they just farm it out and take 20% off the top for their sales job. Sears was selling a far inferior Carrier system. It's worth making sure you have your contractor tell you exactly which units you are buying so you can research them yourself. The Sears system, for instance, was their "middle of the road" system, and not the better Toshiba system. Of course, this required my own research into what they were selling. The "discount" contractors were trying to sell three individual 1 compressor:1 indoor unit systems. There are efficiency benefits to this, but the cost is higher. Ultimately, I really think the reason the "discount" companies were pushing this is because they just didn't know how to install the more complicated multi-zone systems. Warranty: Emin's Air Conditioning offers two years labor warranty, which is a full year more than any other independent contractor would offer. He is clearly willing to stand behind his work, which I highly respect. The parts warranty come from the manufacturer for all these systems (in my case, Fujitsu). It's pretty simple. If you buy the units online, you get no warranty. Don't let people confuse you on this issue. Just call the manufacturers and it will be patently clear. Don't buy it online. If you buy the units and have them installed by any licensed contractor, you get an extended warranty on the parts. If the contractor has taken specific courses from the manufacturer, you get an even longer warranty on the parts. Emin is not a "Fujitsu Elite" or "Mitsubishi Diamond" contractor, so the warranty on the unit was 10 years (rather than 12 from a "Fujitsu Elite" contractor). Ultimately, I appreciated that Emin offered double the labor warranty than any other comparable contractor. Installation: Emin's Air Conditioning warranted high marks here. First: Emin is present on site, doing install work, and leading his team the entire time the installation is happening. That is huge. He doesn't send out a "salesman" to sell you on the product then farm out the work to the cheapest bidder. He doesn't give his team instructions then head off to another job. He is working on the job from start to finish, and checking with you to make sure it is all getting done according to your needs. It's a part of hiring this company that simply can't be valued highly enough. On top of this, I was a very picky customer. Aesthetics are very important to me. And let's face it - the mini split linesets and draining pipes are ugly. No way around it. And unless you have an ever so perfect place to put the units, you are going to have to have line sets and PVC draining pipes running along your walls. So it was extremely important for me that the company I hired be able to help me hide everything as much as possible. It can't be completed invisible. But what Emin was able to do was wonderful. His lineset covers are metal and paintable. And he runs them nice and straight, and does his absolute best to keep them inconspicuous. The PVC draining pipes are paintable, and he was very diligent to make sure they drained appropriately and were as unobtrusive as possible. Scheduling: Emin fit me in within two weeks. This was during a brutal Los Angeles summer, when HVAC contractors were slammed. Many had wanted 6-8 weeks out scheduling. Emin gave me a date and stuck to it, which was very important to me. Quick story to help demonstrate Emin's professionalism. We had indeed expressed to Emin our concern about aesthetics. And he had assured us he would do his best within the limits of the system. Indeed, most everything was going according to plan. And we knew that there would be linesets running on our roof outside our window. But when we saw what the actual blocks onto which the lines were mounted looked like, they were very chunky and ugly. So we pressed pause and spent a fair bit of time trying to come up with a solution. Emin re-ran the electrical conduit in a very nice fashion over our window, which meant it couldn't be seen at all. He then came up with a way to use very clean metal line covers to mask the lineset, all while making sure there weren't too many bends in the run so as to render the system inefficient. It was a potential moment for conflict between customer and contractor. But thanks to Emin's positive attitude and desire to please, it actually ended up being extremely satisfying. It really felt as though we had worked together to come up with a solution, and left me even more impressed than I already was. It added several extra hours to the job, and required additional material, yet Emin did not ask for more money or balk at the process at all. A real pro. Price: Emin came in with a very reasonable price. It wasn't the absolute lowest, but I had reservations about using the "discount" contractors. And given the little work-around situation we ran into as described above, I know for a fact that they wouldn't have been able to work with me to make the installation as nice as Emin's. Emin's AC: $10,000 (high end Fujistu three zone system, installed beautifully and inconspicuously, 2 year labor warranty) For comparison purposes: Top AC: $8500 (high end Fujitsu brand, but was subcontracting the electrical work to an unknown entity, and pushed very hard for the three separate system install despite my objections; 1 year labor warranty) Connor Heating/Air: $11,000 (high end Mitsubishi three zone system; 1 year labor warranty). They needed 8 weeks lead time to do the install, and still couldn't give me a firm date. Otherwise, these guys probably would have done a good job. But the extra year labor warranty and the ability to stick to a schedule, plus the $1k price savings pushed me to Emin. JW Heating/Air: $13,400 (high end Daikin three zone system; 1 year labor warranty). They were a company that had a whole separate "sales" and "install" team. So they guy who came out to promise how everything would look aesthetically actually wouldn't be there to install the unit. It might have been OK, but the price was very high. Sears: $13,100 (mid tier Carrier three zone system, was going to $15000 until I negotiated over several weeks to get the price listed). They do have an excellent warranty which covers 5 years labor plus yearly maintenance calls; but the fact that it was a relatively mediocre system and the extra money made it not worth it. Home Depot: $18,000 (high end Mitsubishi three zone system; 5 year labor warranty). This is just to much money. They take their chunk off the top, then hire contractors to do the work. Summary: Emin is extremely professional, reliable, and willing to do what is necessary to make you happy with his work. He is genuinely interested in leaving you pleased with the work he does, and I have no doubt that he will stand behind his work should anything go wrong. I wish more contractors had Emin's approach to customer service and business.