Overall Rating: Sweet!
Webasto is the manufacturer of our new 9000BTU, reverse cycle, AC unit that we bought from Defender Marine in July of 2011.
My only previous exposure to Webasto was on a friends 44 Peterson sailboat and a diesel heater drip system that he installed for the Pacific north west, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect even though the internet reviews were quite good and the price was by far the best I had seen.
The unit arrived as advertised and I was very impressed with the quality of the equipment as well as the well though out installation instructions. The packaging was extremely thorough and a quick check of the parts list revealed no missing items.
As an aside, one of the things I liked about the Webasto unit was that it did not come with a raw water AC pump. I have installed 5 other marine AC systems in the past and invariably they each came with the same, totally inadequate Teal pump that has never lasted more than 3 months for me. I prefer to get a top of the line Cal pump instead and so it was nice that I didn't have to pay a premium for a pump that I wouldn't use.
Some of the things I really like about this unit over others I have had are the variable speed fan motor, the whisper quiet operation of the unit, the two, opposed condensate drains of which either or both can be used depending on your needs and the included remote control.
Anyhow, after a three day installation process ( I am slow ), our unit is now in and has been running non-stop for 72 hours trying to help combat the 100 degree temps we are seeing here in the south. So far the unit is reunning flawlessly and I see potential for the Webasto rating to climb up the "sweetness" scale as time progresses.
I would definitely buy this unit again.
PS - Webasto if your listening, the only thing I would like to see you change is the offering of a model without the reverse cycle heat. I have never seen a reverse cycle that works well when it truly gets cold (below 45) and I really could have done with a smaller overall footprint that would have resulted from leaving the heating out. Just a thought....