Are you on the lookout for a reliable, good value boiler to heat your home?
If you don’t care about premium brands – or even like to avoid them where possible – then you may already be looking at Ideal combi boilers, or its rival brand, Baxi. These are both good, well-established British brands currently offering great value on the market right now.
Perhaps you remember the good, old-fashioned models that just kept on going for decades. Or maybe you’re a first-time buyer, and don’t like the idea of paying premium price when you can get the same 10-year guarantee for a cheaper model.
But which brand should you go for? Well, this is a tough one and as an experienced heating engineer, it’s hard for me to say right off the bat, as it could depend on what you need for your home.
However, I’ve compared both of these brands on various factors, below, to at least give you a good start.
Performance
I’d say performance-wise, both of these brands are now back at the top of their game. Their combi boilers are great products, well-made and well-researched. Of all the Ideals and Baxis we’ve fitted in the last couple of years, we’ve never been called back because of any problems. However, we install 20 times more Worcester Bosch boilers than these.
The only thing I’d say here is that with Baxis, the boiler casings tend to be more wobbly and can vibrate compared to the ideal ones. When it’s a big tin case, it can be noticeable, and a bit of an annoyance.
The winner: It’s a draw!
Reputation
In terms of reputation, both are good, well-established British brands. There was a bit of a glitch with their first-gen boilers around 18 – 20 years ago, but now they’re producing very good products that are highly praised. Just a quick search online will show up plenty of favourable reviews, so this one, again, is a draw.
The winner: It’s a draw!
Range of outputs
Both of these brands offer a good range of outputs, however Baxi has a bit of a trick up its sleeve. You see, Ideal offer a 30kW, 35kW and 40kW, whereas Baxi offer a 33kW boiler – right in the middle. So, it’s a bit more of a range – and still for the same price as a premium brand’s 30kW. In a very competitive market, both seem to be offering slightly different things.
The winner: Baxi
Flow rates
In other words, the rate of water you’ll get to your taps. Because everyone seems to want faster flow rates these days – especially for high pressure showers or to fill a bath faster – flow rates have become an important factor for most combis. And both of these brands offer a max flow rate of 16.4 litres per minute. Another tie!
The winner: It’s a draw!
Range of products
Both of these brands offer a good range of products, include compact and larger models. Both also offer LPG combis. However, Baxi have a bit of an edge with their extra-long twin-flue system, so I’m going to call Baxi the winner here.
The winner: Baxi
Guarantees
I’m afraid Baxi once again has the edge when it comes to guarantees. The reason being, they offer a 10-year no-quibble guarantee on their platinum range, with no strings attached. You don’t need an accredited installer, filter or controls to get this deal, and I think they’re the only brand who do that.
Don’t get me wrong, Ideal also offer 10-year guarantees, but for the Logic+ you need to find the right accredited installer, and for the Vogue, you need to install the brand’s own filter.
The winner: Baxi
Value for money
This is a tricky one, because I can genuinely say it depends on the output and model you need. On some outputs, Ideal is a clear winner, however on others, Baxi wins out. You almost have to really compare your quotes to see which model you’d be better off with in terms of value.
For example, a Baxi Duo-Tec 24 is a lot better value for money than an Ideal Logic+ C24. However, the Baxi 33 Platinum comes off better value than the Logic+ C30! The only thing is, the Baxi isn’t a compact model, and delivers 3kW of extra power. However, if you needed a compact model, you’d have to go with the Ideal.
The winner: It depends on the model
Customer service
Speaking from an installer’s point of view, Ideal’s after sales service has been superior in our experience. However, both have UK call centres, and a good standard of customer service.
The winner: Ideal
Advice from an experienced heating engineer
Whether you’re going for Ideal or Baxi, always check your fixed price quote and check exactly what you’re getting. If value for money is essential, see if there’s anything else you can squeeze out of your engineer. Some should be able to offer you discounts, better guarantees, or free servicing. There’s always things you can ask for.
I recently got a call from a chap on the phone from Birmingham asking about an Ideal Logic+ 10-year guarantee. He told me his engineer knew nothing about it, so I said: “Tell him to call his local rep and find out about it.”
Two hours later, I got a phone call from the engineer in question. He wanted to call me and say ‘thanks’, as he’d previously only been offering 7-year guarantees and didn’t know he had the option to offer his customers a better deal!
Conclusion
I hope this blog has helped when comparing Ideal combi boilers to Baxi’s offerings. Both are great, well-established British brands with some great value for money deals at the moment, but it really depends on what you need for your home. Oddly, some outputs and models are a better deal with Baxi, and others have Ideal as the clear winner!
That’s why it’s best to carefully check the specifications and prices with your engineer, and hopefully they should help you out with their own recommendation. The only other thing is that Baxi has more options with their extra long twin-flue system, giving you more options of where to locate your boiler.
Got any questions about Ideal combi boilers, or Baxi for that matter? Then leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
