Vent-A-Hood, the best out there. I have a 36" Capital Culinarian range top and a 42" Vent-A- Hood. It is not noisy and does what it is supposed to do, perfectly. We cook quite a bit of Asian food and Thai food, which is very pungent. I can't smell anything with the hood on. It has 3 fans, and can use 1-3, your choice, I like the halogen lights as well. Not cheap, but worth it.

As implied by the directions at the link, the higher the hood, the larger its aperture has to be to encompass the cooking plumes expanding from the pans on the burners. The larger the aperture, the more flow rate is needed to maintain an adequate velocity at the aperture.

Width-wise, a 42-inch wide hood over a 36-inch cooktop should be "adequate" (means not perfect) at 34 inches height, but there could be some spillage from a wide pan at the edge. Aim to use central burners for the worst effluent generating cooking projects. Going to the 48-inch model would ensure good capture.

Depth wise (front-to-back), the adequacy of 24 inches is a little harder to evaluate from a distance. The wall at the back solves plume expansion on that side, and using the back burners for the worst grease generators should allow 34 inches above the cooktop without degrading capture significantly. Generally, deeper units aren't widely available for residential use, so this can be lived with.

Noise from some VAH hoods has been widely denounced here, but I haven't listened to them or this unit so I will only comment that an often better solution is a roof-top blower or fan. Optionally, given room in an attic and a roof-top fan, a silencer can be added from, e.g., Fantech.

The goal should be to be able to wok while conversing at a relatively normal level and not breath fumes outside the hood zone.

Note that all of the above is approximate and depends somewhat on what is cooked at what temperature over how big of an area.

kas

Your concern with noise level should also focus as much on duct size as you are on sones. What size duct will you have from your hood to the outside? You could buy the quietest hood in the universe, and it will still be noisy if your duct diameter is too small for it. The hoods you are considering say in their specs what size duct they need. Typically for a hood with 600 cfms or more, you need an 8" or 10" duct. For example, the Best by Broan you mentioned specifies an 8" duct. If your duct diameter is smaller than what is specified, you will get a lot of noise through no fault of the hood, as too much air is being pushed through too small of a space.

If your kitchen's duct diameter is say, 6", and you cannot switch it out (you said your kitchen is 90% finished), then you will have to lower your expectations for cfms. There are some hoods available that are spec'd for 6" ducts, but not with the 1000 cfms you've mentioned. If you already have an 8" or 10" duct, then your options for a quiet powerful hood are excellent.

That Best by Broan hood you cited goes for about $2800. At that price, it should have baffle filters, but instead it has the less expensive mesh filters. I like the Kobe RA02 hood you mentioned which has baffle filters, and costs much less than the Broan.

Whether you like Ventahood/VAH or not seems less dependent on its exhaust abilities, and more dependent on whether you like the method for cleaning it versus cleaning a baffle-filter hood. There are people who are strongly pro or con the VAH-cleaning method, so you should go to a store where they have them on display to see for yourself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kobe RA02 Hood at ajmadison

This post was edited by akchicago on Tue, Jul 2, 13 at 21:03

Thank you all. I should provide more detail about our specific installation and cooking style. We have a really simple duct run. We have a 10' vaulted ceiling, with no attic above. I plan to use an 8" or 10" duct (depending on hood model), run straight up the wall (covered with a chimney -- not in wall) and out the roof. So it will be a 4-5' straight run. Since there is no attic, an in-line blower or silencer is not an option. We do not want to incur the extra cost and hassle of buying, installing and servicing an external blower on the roof. (Plus, I am not convinced it will be that much quieter since the roof is only a few feet above the hood and our kitchen window is open year round.) On the stove top, we mostly saute and simmer and boil water for pasta -- no frying. I do a lot of roasting in the oven. I have been cooking without a functional vent fan for years, but would like to do better this time.

I am considering the Best by Broan because I can purchase a new, open box unit for under $1600. If I were willing to pay the $2700 list price, I would be buying a hood by Blue Star, Wolf, Modernaire or VAH instead. I considered the Kobe -- it is a great price for the cfm capacity and baffles -- but I simply don't like the way it will look in my modern kitchen. (I don't think the clipped corners look modern, although it looks great in other kitchens.) The hood is very prominent on the wall facing the living room, and I want something sleeker. DH thinks we should just buy the Zephyr, despite the 715 cfm, because we can get it for under $1400 and just be done.

Can anyone comment on how the Best by Broan hood functions?