I bought a Symphony Surround air cooler from Chennai on 27th Feb for Rs 4000. Initially I thought it would not be suitable for Chennai’s climate due to the high humidity. I also got a 2 year warranty for it.
I found that the cooler is sufficient for me. The thing is that, you need to keep the windows opened for the cooler to take in fresh air. If it gets a flow of air, then it really does its job. Try adding cold water and ice to improve the coolness. Change the water atleast every 2 or 3 days. But this is not an air conditioner. It does not literally bring down the temperature of the room. Where ever the air flows from the cooler, it will give a chillness, thats it.
I didn’t find any difficulty with the moisture or humidity part. Dont keep the windows closed. If you do, there wont be any cooling effect and the room gets very humid and hot and uncomfortable. This cooler only consumes 80 Watts(0.08 units per hour) so this definitely saves on electricity costs compared to an a/c.