kobe or futuro futuro range hoods

jwarnersd

16 years ago

I am looking for a quiet but reasonably proced range hood. both these companies keep coming up. anyone have them?

looking at the wall mount chimney with glass in both

thanks

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Comments (8)

crl_
16 years ago
bumping because I was wondering about Futuro myself.
dmlove
16 years ago
I can't tell you anything about Futuro, but I do have a Kobe hood. It has 4 speeds and 2 halogen lights. It's the stainless chimney style, model RA094. It works very well on the back burners. The problem with this hood and any other hood is depth -- it's I think 22" deep, so there isn't good coverage on the front burners. On my cooktop, the highest BTU burner is the left front. I'd like a hood that gave me better coverage on the front. This may also be a design issue, becuase on this particular model, the front 4" or so are taken up by the lights. So the fan starts even farther back. Anyway, it sucks well and is only very noisy on the top speed. Pay attention to coverage (with any hood) and you'll be fine .
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We have the Concorde waiting for other parts of our kitchen to be installed. When we tested it in our kitchen for checking the height, we were pleased with the noise and sucking power of the fan even tho it was just blowing out of the top pipe. The problem with this model is that it really needs to come down to be reachable for us vertically challenged types. I don't believe that will be a problem with the ones you have mentioned. The stainless steel does show fingerprints easily but is of good quality finish. We understand because our house is set up similarly tho I prefer the stereo on while cooking myself! :)
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So, here's my story on Futuro Futuro. I found a range hood that I really liked. Of course, not knowing the brand, I did my research. They had on their website manual for the range hood that the warranty is provided by the DISTRIBUTOR (NOT the manufacturer) - RED FLAG. I was also concerned because all of the pictures of the range hood I had wanted showed a range hood over 2 burners (not 4 burners) and I saw the range hood was very small in diameter - RED FLAG. I did see that they had a limited lifetime warranty on their blower motor which I thought was great! I emailed Futuro Futuro at their email address which is an "optonline.net" address (as opposed to a normal corporate address) - RED FLAG. I quickly received a response that the range hood they are selling in the US was designed for Italy and Italians normally have only 2 burners!!! When I asked if the range hood I was looking at was designed for 4 burners (as is normal in the US) I received no response). I also wrote to them about their limited lifetime warranty on the motor blower that was listed on their "ABOUT US" page on their website and also asked who the distributor was who would cover the warranty. Well, they responded that there was no limited lifetime warranty and that they CHANGED THEIR WEBSITE TO ERASE THAT LANGUAGE right then and there! I still have their old website photo as I'm guessing anyone who purchased their range hood prior to today would have that limited lifetime warranty. (By the way - as of now it's still listed on their Newegg shop that they provide a limited lifetime warranty on the motor although according to them that's not true). They wrote to me that their distributor is Air Forte. Air Forte appears to be a company owned and operated by ONE Russian guy who is from Brooklyn, NY. He appears to be the one who started this import business importing Italian range hoods. I'm going to bet he won't do much when it comes to warranty work. Manufacturers generally have the bucks to back up warranties - individual people generally do not. While I appreciate the quick responses from Futuro Futuro - there were enough red flags in this process that I will be avoiding them. They are not listed with the BBB and there's something fishy going on here....
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First of all, let me say that my experience with hoods is extremely limited. The hoods that I have owned were either useless or broken. I have lived in this house for two years with no hood whatsoever. I do cook most every night however and have cleaned up the grease myself. I'm bothered more by the smells of deep frying and stir-frying even more than the grease. When I would stir-fry in this kitchen my husband would come running in to open every available window door to let the smell out. So for me the hood was more about smells than grease. Last night when I did pan-fried chicken it took almost an hour since I couldn't find my big fryer and had to cook in batches. I asked both my husband and my daughter what they smelled and they both said "cooking". There were no heavy oil smells and the grease around the stove was pretty minimal. I did turn on the hood 10 minutes before cooking and used the 15 minute auto-turn-off switch at the end. We went out to watch fireworks and there were no smells when I got home. So I have to say that so far, I'm a happy camper. Like many of you, I wanted to get the best hood possible. I read great reviews of Kobe hoods here on GW and was all set to get one until I saw a picture of their island hood. I just hated it. It was then that I asked more about the Futuro Futuro and the few responses that I got were positive. That being said, they were not from people who were heavy grillers or stir-fryers. So I had to make a decision. I stir-fry maybe two or three times a month and I grill outside so that wasn't an issue for me, but I was going to be looking at the hood everyday. So I went for something that I thought might work well-enough and that would make me happy to look at. I have to say that so far I'm more than pleased. But Live Wire Oak makes good points and if it is all about function for you then you have to make your own decision. Carol08-In response to your questions, since we didn't have a hood before and because we have bedrooms above the kitchen I couldn't do a remote and I didn't do any noise deafening. I was fortunate that we could run the duct straight out from island over the soapstone sink and out. So it's a very short direct run. From what I understand, a lot of the sound issues come from the turns in the duct. Back to the Futuro Futuro, at it's lowest, I would say that it's very quiet and you can definitely hear it at the highest level, but at that level it should really be working hard. YMMV. I wish that I could give it a stir fry test soon, but they just started refinished the hardwood floors in the house and they asked me not to cook things that could splatter grease until they're done which won't be for at least 10 days.
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I know this is an old thread, but here's how Futuro customer service responded to me the other day about the difference between models and performance, especially side capture performance. Note that they say the Plane model has a "perimeter suction system". I can only go with a 36" wide hood due to island configuration and size restrictions. "We offer a selection of 36" wide island-mount range hoods, most of which are 22"-24" in depth. Regarding the capture area of different models, there's not much performance difference between models with 3 filters (Streamline/Galaxy/Plane, for example), and models with 2 filters + glass panel. The reason for this is, even with a full-width filter area, there's much more suction in the center (where the blower is), and less on the sides - so changing the sides from a filter to a panel doesn't make much difference in the end. To maximize capture performance, some of our models feature the "Perimeter Suction System", which draws air through collector slots, creating an "air curtain" effect and in addition, distributing the suction more evenly so there's bettter capture performance on the sides. For maximum efficiency, we would recommend the following 36" island-mount models, in order of descending capture performance: #1 - 36" Gullwing Black or 36" Gullwing White - motorized panels open to maximize capture area. #2 - 36" Lido Island - extended glass shroud maximizes capture performance. #3 - 36" Europe, 36" Integra (available in Black, Mirror, and White), 36" Lombardy (Black or White), 36" Plane TOP - Perimeter Suction system for improved performance. #4 - 36" Acqualina Glass - curved panel directs air into the filters, more effective than flat surface. Other models, such as Plane, Moon Crystal, etc, are also effective, but if you're trying to get as much capture as possible, the models above are recommended."
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billdonroe
16 years ago
I have a Futuro Futuro hood and im very happy with it. I was a little skeptical about buying before seeing it in person but it arrived very well packed and looks better in person than it did on pictures. It's quiet, which was most important to me and works very well with my Miele electric cooktop.

Here is a link that might be useful: Futuro Futuro - Plane Range Hood
mariepatterson
16 years ago
I am also looking for a quite and reasonably priced range hood. It is true nowadays there are so many companies on the market and it has become very difficult to determine which one is best for me. According to my observation, they all have one thing in common Â "Italian style" "Italian design" "European style" "Japanese design". Unfortunately, Kobe is not an exception. While being on the phone with a customer service representative from Kobe, It took me a while to receive the answer to my very important question. "What country is the hood made in?" The answer I received sounded like: "WellÂItÂs Japanese design", I asked my question again and I was answered: "It is designed in Japan", I replied: What country are your range hoods made in? Eventually I got a straight forward answer: "Taiwan" which is no better then China.
A Fake Rolex (made in China) also "Swiss design" but it doesnÂt work any better, and you can throw it out after the first rain, or a fake $40 Gucci bag -"Italian Design" will be thrown out after a few times used. I have become sick of this nonsense, and I donÂt want to be manipulated by these companyÂs marketing strategies. I want to go with European quality, and European MADE product. I just can not decide which one? Does anyone have any suggestions?
dmlove
16 years ago
My Kobe fan, whereever it was made, exhibits very good fit and finish, and continues to work perfectly well -- the halogen lights work, the buttons work, the fan works on all speeds, the baffles do their job and are easily removed, cleaned and replaced (as designed, that is, see above re "coverage").
rickmendel
16 years ago
Mariepatterson,
I completely agree with you. Some trusted high quality Italian manufactures you can look into are Miele, Futuro Futuro, Gaggenau, Faber, and Elica. I hope this helps.
jraz_wa
16 years ago
I realize this is an old thread, but I thought I'd defend the Kobe's being manufactured in Taiwan. Taiwan has been manufacturing high quality electronics for years - don't assume they are the same as China when it comes to manufacuring (or in any way, for that matter). I've toured manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, Japan and the US. Taiwan was right up there with the others.

How do the Kobe's rate? That should be what matters.
chefbecky
16 years ago
Check out Sirius Hoods. They are made in Italy. There are some positive comments on them elsewhere on this forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sirius Hoods

kobe or futuro futuro range hoods

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crl_

dmlove

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