I can only guess on this one because a true comparison would require both to be the same size and have the same achieved air flow rate. I would not expect anyone to have such a setup that could be compared. The baffle noise will be due to turbulence from air passing over the sharp edges of the baffle sheet metal. The mesh noise will be due to turbulence from air passing over the edges of the mesh holes. Although baffles have more metal surface than meshes filling the same area, I would argue that baffles have less edge length. This suggests that the mesh filters would generate more turbulence and thus be noisier. However, the size of the turbulence cells could be different in each case, and the sound frequency spectrum for one might be different than the other, leading to different perceptions of the noise relative to the actual achieved acoustic power. So, we are faced with a lot of qualitative fluid dynamics phenomena that don't lead to an obvious conclusion, so intuition prevails. In my estimation baffles will be no more noisy than meshes for the same air flow rate. I would also estimate that at moderate flow rates where the mesh induced noise isn't partly ultrasonic, the mesh noise will be louder. Also, relative to the italics above, equal fans do not yield equal flow rates, even with perfect MUA control. The losses in ducts of different diameter are not equal, and meshes will cause greater pressure loss, even when clean, than baffles for the same actual aperture area. (And most mesh filters do not cover as much area under their hood's boundaries as baffles usually do for the same hood boundaries.) So the flow rate achieved with meshes may be lower, but at the same time the air velocity at the mesh may be higher, and hence more noise is generated per unit area for less area. This is a non-trivial condition for which to have to estimate relative noise. kas

Sure, I meant, not daily use, or constant use, but the volume of smoke, steam, etc. In those cases, the hood 'captures' the smoke/steam from billowing out while the fans do their work. Larger area hoods and deeper hoods hold the steam within the hood itself. If the baffles or the impellers are right on the lower surface, they only suck up the steam they can get to. If there is excess, it isn't held withing the hood, it billows out into the room or up to the ceiling. As an example, on the Kobe website there is the model you're looking at, CH122 and a similar model CH179 that has the impellers recessed up inside the hood a few inches. Here is a link that might be useful: Kobe rangehoods

Broan/NuTone/Best make a large range of ventilation equipments and generally you get what you pay for as far as I can tell. However, why a "high end" appliance dealer wouldn't include some other brands is unclear. At a minimum, I would expect a Wolf dealer to have examples of Wolf hoods. (My hood is a Wolf, made by Independent before Wolf moved production in-house.) Decide how high you want the hood for good site lines and reaching to the back burners, and missing one's head, while keeping in mind that the front burners will be emitting plumes that expand as they rise, so height corresponds to increases in needed overlap -- side to side and front to back. 10 degrees from vertical measured from the flame diameters when pans are on the burners can be used for plume expansion estimation. Sketch it out. Given a height and hence width and depth, calculate the square footage of the entry aperture of the hood. For wall hoods the light bar in the front may qualify as partial or whole entry aperture area. Multiply area by 90 CFM/sq. ft. Multiply by 1.5 if you don't know all the pressure losses. Find a blower that has that result as a rated value. Decide on in-hood, in attic (in line), or on roof. Farther away is generally quieter. If there is room for a silencer (Fantech) between blower and hood then the result will be quieter still. There is a lot of dissension about ease of hood cleaning by type. I can say that my Wolf hood baffle assemblies easily remove and can be cleaned in a dishwasher. (I have ten of these, so it takes two loads.) One still wants to reach up inside and wipe the surfaces. I use Simple Green, but likely there are myriad possible choices. I have never owned a VaH, and was initially repulsed (2007) by the Magic Lung® claims. Others like them. If you have guests sitting where they can see into the hood, a baffle system may be aesthetically superior. Duct should be sized so that full power actual flow rate achieves a velocity in the duct between 1000 and 2000 ft/min for best balance between grease condensation and grease impingement. You can go lower (larger duct) if you pre-heat the duct in cold weather. On CFM focus. Standard (if that actually ever applies) residential hoods are designed to fit into residential kitchens. Commercial hoods are designed to fit into commercial kitchens. At a minimum, the typical difference is two feet of ceiling height. When the commercial hood can be built so that there is tremendous volume below its baffles, there are conditions where the specific flow rate (CFM/sq. ft.) can be reduced below the value I suggested above. This is due to "baffle averaging" resulting from the reservoir volume vs. plume steady state and transient volumetric rates. At the other extreme, residential hoods with little volume below the baffles will allow plume escape (capture failure) if the plumes are not immediately entrained into the baffle flow. And, of course, plumes not initially captured are not contained and removed except as a matter of long term kitchen (and whole house) air replacement. So CFM focus varies. Another difference is that commercial hoods are typically operated at a fixed CFM and the MUA is balanced for this case, whereas residential hoods, along with bathroom fans, etc., operate at variable CFM, and this makes the MUA control more complex.

"I truly feel bad for people that let such little things like walking a couple extra feet or having to reach over to the counter next to you for something, make them miserable." For people who spend a lot of time in their kitchen and especially if multiple people are in there at once or making very intricate meals, every extra step can be a bit of a PITA. Something as simple as having to reach around an open frig door to take stuff out and put it on the counter can become a major irritant when done numerous times per day. Fine for a few weeks, maybe not so fine for a few years. A well planned kitchen can be a joy to work in while a poorly planned kitchen can become irritating. A well planned kitchen can encourage someone to cook and experiment and learn new things while a poorly planned kitchen can discourage all of those. I agree with you that attitude makes a big difference. We've cooked in tiny kitchens in Scotland and inadequate kitchens at beach houses. A good attitude and adjusments to what you choose to make can go a long way. HOWEVER, if it's a kitchen that you'll use every day for years to come and you'll use it a lot every day then paying attention to small details can make a huge difference in how much you enjoy it.