Over the several months that I've been collecting information on installation of a range hood vent, I've learned quite a bit here. So I thought I would pass on this "best practices" info that has been very helpful to me about the ductwork. It's for a Ventahood ( I think) but seems pretty generic to me. It doesn't answer questions about induction vs gas but it did help me determine exactly what size ductwork to use, etc. It also mentions at the end : "Since smoke also expands as it rises, the hoods sides and front edge should extend 3" to 6" beyond the front and sides of the cooking surface" I knew the recommendation was to increase size on the sides but I didn't know about doing that in front. Well, don't think this is required by code so we will pass on this requirement but if we had problems, we might consider moving the vent away from the wall (and extending the ductwork.) So much to think about. I don't have a G.C. to pass this task onto so appreciate all the tips here. Hope this stuff I'm posting here may help someone else. Best Practices - vent hood

You didn't mention whether you are talking about undercabinet or wall-mount/chimney- style hood or something else. Anyway, Kobe hoods give a lot of bang for the buck, and are well-made, with Kobe providing great customer service to boot. So check out that brand. Another choice is Costco which sells name-brand hoods at amazing prices. Typically lower-priced hoods use mesh filters, but Costco sells hoods with baffle filters which are better than mesh filters. Plus, you are likely aware of Costco's wonderful return policy should anything go wrong with the hood. Costco used to carry the Kobe Brilla hoods which was a fantastic deal, cause that's a nice hood. But I just checked the website and the Brilla hoods aren't there any more. Costco changes its inventory frequently; may be worth a trip to a Costco store to see what they have in the store. The Costco website right now shows Ancona hoods, but I am not familiar with that brand. Again, there's the Costco return policy... P.S. the 33" height above the cooktop you mentioned should be the maximum; 30" is pretty much ideal, but 33" is OK. Just don't go higher than 33". Below, I tried to direct-link to the hoods at Costco, but Costco will only link directly to the large kitchen appliances page. So, from there, search for "hood". Hoods at Costco Kobe Hoods Website

laat2 - I guess I'm not sure why doing a massive remodel would necessitate an external wall in our kitchen. Our current kitchen is on the top story of a 4-level split. We're moving it downstairs, into a re-done main level that will put the kitchen in the center, essentially. It will be located as "east" as it can go on that level, but to the east of it will be the basement (a half-flight down) and a living room (a half-flight up). To the north is the garage. To the west is a family room. To the south is a long sunroom that spans the length of the family room, kitchen and basement/livingroom - i.e. runs the length of the house. Four-level splits are a monster to deal with, but essentially, the kitchen is the "heart" of that main floor, and thus has no external wall within 15' in any direction. We're coming from a decade of cooking on an electric range with an OTR microwave that we really never turned on while cooking - we only use it when we roast our coffee beans. Venting has never been a priority - we never gave it any thought at all. I think I'm really only aware of it now because I read these forums. Otherwise, we probably would have stuck an undercabinet hood over the cooktop and never thought twice about it. Even in my childhood home, where we cooked daily with NG, the exhaust was only turned on if someone burned something in the oven. We're reusing our current frig and dw...bought a double wall oven off Craigslist...so I don't even really have any other places to scrimp from. Most of our remodel cost is in true construction (framing, roofing, siding, concrete, windows) and very little in "allowances" such as appliances. Our flooring has been purchased - nowhere to scrimp there. Can anyone tell me what the result will be if we do have to run the duct down the wall and out across the basement? The option that had the three 90-degree turns? I know it's not great - I just want to know how truly bad it is...will it cut the 650cfms down to about 200? 100? 50? Essentially nothing??? AP

They are also evidently a pain to install. I'll probably get one, because I can't vent and so the hood is really just a decor item and they are cheap, but if you are looking for serious venting, I don't know that they would be a good choice.