Does Zephyr make good range hoods?

12 years ago

I am considering the Zephyr Europa Firenze Series ZFIM90S range hood. It is 36" wide and 715 CFM. I think it is beautiful, and I can get it on sale for a good price right now. My other option is a similar looking model from Futuro Futuro, which has 940 cfm and 3.2 max sones, but costs about $600 more. I will be using the hood with a Wolf gas range - 4 burners (16,000 btu) plus grill (18,000). I rarely use more than 2 burners at a time.

I would appreciate any feedback on Zephyr quality.

Features:

Stainless Steel Finish

715 CFM Vent Fan

Maximum of 6 Sones of Noise

Optional Spice Rack

2 Halogen Lamps

Dual Level Lighting

Touch Controls

6 Speed Levels

15 min. Delay Off

Filter Change Indicator

Filter Clean Indicator

Metal Casing Blowers

Aluminum Filters (metal mesh)

Telescopic Option

Here is a link that might be useful: Zephyr

Featured Answer

kaysd
Original Author

12 years ago

Thanks, djg1. It's good to know you are happy with the company's product, even if it is a different style hood.

Comments (9)

djg1
12 years ago
FWIW, we have a zephyr tempest II and we're happy with it -- seems solid and well made and when it's on full it will take care of anything (anything we've tried at least). On the other hand, ours is a very different model from the ones you are looking at -- more of a traditional tented design with baffles (and 1100 cfm). I've no experience at all with the models you mention, but had heard generally good things about the company before ordering. Sorry if that's not quite specific enough.
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I have the 30" version of this range hood. My first hood was a cheapo Kenmore that worked great but sounded literally like a 747 was about to land in my kitchen. Its 2003 replacement, a Broan Allure III, was the worst piece of c**p I've ever had. Thin films of grease were constantly deposited on the countertop to the left of the range (the Allure has two mesh filters, but only one fan - to the left, of course). The top of the hood also was constantly dirty, a sign the hood was letting steam and grease escape over the top. We put the Zephyr in about three months ago. It's a bit quieter than the Broan at highest speed, and much more efficient. No longer any greasy film on counter or hood top. Easy to clean, although I think they could have figured out a way to make the wire finger screens snap-in, instead of having to keep a small screwdriver in my kitchen drawer. We're very pleased with it. I needed a decent fan that vented directly out the back and had a fairly high front, so the Zephyr filled the bill.
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We installed a Zephyr Napoli Island hood about 6 weeks ago & are very happy. Ours does not rattle. Since the recommendation seems to be to extend 3" on each side of the cooktop & you will have 2" without a lot of frying, woking & grilling you should be ok for coverage -- especially since you are up against a wall. Mounting against a wall contains the steam & smoke & enables the vent to pull more effectively than an island hood. I think we have 695 cfms, but cannot remember the sones. I mostly run on cycles 1, 2, or 3 since I am usually working next to it. I definitely hear the air pulling on the higher settings 4 - 6, but do not feel that I hear the motor running. Last night I burned something & put it on 6 for 20 minutes & was very pleased with the results. The stainless steel finish is beautiful & well done. We had a warranty call during installation & received prompt service through the local distributor. My call went to HQ in California & although we are across the country in Georgia, the service was prompt. Your price sounds great. I have heard that the installation of a hood is trickiest appliance in the kitchen, thus your success can depend a lot on your installer/contractor. Good luck!
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I have heard good things about the Zephyr, and have looked at the Kobe pieces as well. For my taste, I found the Kobe pieces more to my liking, but not a day-and-night difference. For ease of cleaning, I like baffle filters over mesh or "oil cup" designs. You can toss them in the dishwasher once a week or so and they'll stay clean and last much longer than mesh. VentingDirect.com carries the Kobe as well. The photos aren't great there or on the Kobe site, but having looked at many of them, post here and I or someone else could probably help describe the visual differences.
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I have a Bluestar 30" RCS v2 and a Zephyr Napoli 36" island hood (ZNA-M90CS). The stainless steel color match is very good. To my eye, they look as if they were made from the same batch of steel and brushed with the same tools and technique. I really love my Bluestar RCS but I have mixed feelings about the Napoli. It looks really nice but it is a lot noisier than I expected. Technically, the noise volume is relatively low and to spec -- ranging from about 40dB(a) to 66dB(a) depending upon the fan speed setting. The problem is not the noise volume, but rather, the quality/pitch of the noise. It is not the low frequency sound of air rushing through the baffles. It is a higher pitch whirring motor/fan sound right at ear level.. You can easily talk over it with normal conversation, but it is quite irritating to listen to. Also, as an island hood, its flat bottom capture area it is not very effective. If I place a steam kettle with its spout directly under the center of the hood (the baffles are 33" above the burner grates), a large portion of the rising steam hits the baffles and then just rolls around and up the sides of the hood to the ceiling. There is no effective storage volume below the baffles to capture and hold the effluent long enough for the air flow to completely exhaust it into the duct. In retrospect, I would rather have an island hood with an external blower and deep recessed, angled baffles.
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deeageaux
12 years ago
I have no personal experience with Zephyr but I know they are owned by Nortek. The same company that owns Broan and Nutone. They whent through a quick bankruptcy to reorganize debt into equity for the banks holding the debt.

Made in China. Should be as solid as Best by Broan but with generally more unique styling.
Kraniem
12 years ago
Mine is also a different style. I've had my Zephyr Typhoon for almost 6 years and am still very happy with it. It's a bit loud on high (850 cfm) and I find that if I grill lamb burgers sometimes my smoke detector goes off, but I love how easy it is to clean.
silvercanadian
12 years ago
Am I missing how to quote posts on this forum? Since I can't seem to find that option, I am responding to deeageaux's comment of Zephyr hoods being made in China. I recently spoke with Zephry asking them where their hoods are made and their hoods are manufactured in Italy, Taiwan and China depending on the model.
mark_gmail_com
12 years ago
They are good, but too expensive, there are plenty of less expensive models out there.

Here is a link that might be useful: range hoods
athensmomof3
12 years ago
I am considering a Wolf grill in my rangetop too and went to the SubZero/Wolf showroom in Atlanta (they don't sell anything - they just display and inform and demo kitchen). They stressed multiple times the importance of ventilation with the Wolf grill. She said that you have to account for a 27" deep hood for the Wolf grill or you will get lots of smoke. She also suggested 1100 cfm if you go with the grill. She says she gets calls all the time from folks who don't have the deeper hood because a KD decided it wasn't as pretty and their fire alarm goes off when they use it. Sort of scared me off to be honest!

I would be concerned that the above hood won't be sufficient from a ventilation standpoint. . .
athensmomof3
12 years ago
Oh and I have read a 900 cfm hood is minimum for the Wolf grill - I think their literature even says that, maybe?
tomdamico
12 years ago
The lights on the Zephyr hood are located right in the best area for airflow, blocking the most direct path to the blower.
Corners look strange to me - if it's trying to be modern, why make the corners look old-fashioned?
And the deal-breaker for me would be the high noise level at only 715 CFM.

Also, they did not specify the stainless steel grade, so it's probably the lowest one. Typical for anything made in China...

I'm sure you can find much better out there.

Does Zephyr make good range hoods?

kaysd
Original Author

Comments (9)

djg1

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Kraniem

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Does Zephyr make good range hoods?

kaysdOriginal Author

Comments (9)

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kaysd
Original Author