Gee, that's a new issue to worry about. My hood, DCS Eurohood, has the controls underneath but on the right edge - I've never noticed them getting greasy or sticky. On the other hand, the outside front of my hood does get a little greasy because the hood isn't deep enough to cover the front burners completely. I think in my case I'd have more of an issue if the controls were outside on the front.

I strongly urge that you do not buy Proline. I recently purchased a Proline insert for my custom hood. I had the hood built around the specs for the Proline insert. I researched liners and was intrigued by videos put out by Proline. I actually called the company to get more information on a liner. After speaking with a Proline rep they convinced me that this would be a good liner. I was concerned about the low price, but the rep assured me that was a promotional price, and they wanted to get reviews on the product. My review: TERRIBLE, MISTAKE, CHEATED. Model: PLFL CL 3416D. The description of this liner is that it is quiet. FALSE. Stand next to a jet engine during takeoff...that is how loud it is. If you intend to have a conversation in the same room, be prepared to yell at each other and even then you might not be heard. This liner is unusable if you intend to be in the same room. It is so loud you can hear it outside the house. The boast "runs at a maximum noise level of 4-5 sones, or the volume of a quiet conversation, meaning that it is extremely quiet" right on their website - it's an absolute lie. When I contacted Proline and asked for help with a solution to the problem their attitude was "too bad, you bought it, it's your problem". They said I installed it incorrectly. It was installed by my professional, licensed general contractor. The home inspector actually failed the final inspection in part because of the Proline liner. The inspector said air was blowing back down into the cooking area. I found mounting holes in the housing for the fans that wa blowing air back down the liner. I had to cover them with duct tape. I remodeled my kitchen and bought a custom hood. The hood was built around the dimensions for this liner. Now i am stuck with it. IT IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. Buy a Venta Hood or Z-Line...don't buy a Proline. Junk and no support. Beyond disappointing. My plan now is to gut this piece of junk, purchase a remote blower and figure out how to install it into the attic since I am stuck with this junk. Seriously, do not buy this liner and don't do business with Proline...they make false claims on their website, they do not stand by their products and their customer support is no help at all." UPDATE: Proline has now changed their website on the sones rating. They duped me, maybe I have saved some other unfortunate soul from falling for their false advertising.

I can appreciate your situation, Pemfan. There are some "better" recirculating hoods --- not just more powerful as homepro notes but also with better capture area. The biggest problem with OTRs is that they mostly just cover the back burners. Not a whole lot of benefit to them in recirculating mode. That said, I've seen NYC kitchens that were smaller than the small antique bathrooms in my century+ year-old house. If you got somewhere to hang or stash a MW, do it. If you don't, .... well, I know folks who used window fans and other stop gaps. We work with the kitchens we have. As for "more powerful" burners, I have to ask about how you cook. Bigger burners are best for larger pans -- ones with bases of at least 10 inches in diameter and sometimes 12 or more. How many and how often do you figure on working with four big pots at a time? Or five, if you get a five burner range? If you are going to be using two big pans on the front, (say a 12" diameter LC fry pan and a 5 to 7 quart LC oven/casserole/pot) s what will you be using in the back. Maybe a couple of smaller pans (say. a 3 quart and 2 quart LeCrueset sauce pan?) If the latter, then you actually could be better off with the typically smaller back burners of major brand ranges. Another thought to consider: one of the advantages of most pro-style rangetops is that the burners tend to be spaced wider apart so it is easier to run four large pots at once. Major brand ranges generally have the burners on 9" centers (front to back) where that distance will be 11 inches apart, or wider, on pro-style ranges. YOu may want to check that on the Ilve if you are still considering it. IIRC, the burner spacer on the Ilve stove is even narrower per the Euro-style standards. Finally, as has been suggested here recently in some other threads, you'd probably find it a lot more convenient to get a four burner stove and find a place to stash a 120v portable induction cooktop (say a Duxtop 9100 or Max Burton 6400) which you could pull out and use on those times you need five burners. Still, if you have your heart set on a five burner unit, a fried of mine recently got a very good deal on a "ding-n-bing" GE Cafe range. (I almost bought one myself three ago when I was stove shopping, but I got outbid and wound up with an NXR from Costco, instead). I know a number of people who are happily using five-burner models from the GE Profile line, or the Frigidaire Gallery line. Somebody above suggested an Electrolux range which also might work well for you but I would check the owner's/user's guide to be sure you can light the burners manually in the event of a power outage. Some E'lux and Whirlpool Corp. products run all controls through an electronic control panel which means you can't light the top burners manually. For four burner units, I;d suggest the same brands plus Bosch. (IIRC, some Bosch gas ranges are made under subcontract with Elux/Frigidaire to somewhat different specs.) A couple friends have has Bosch ranges and been pleased.

That is commonly called a register, not a diffuser, although some diffusion surely takes place. The device commonly called a diffuser has larger, fewer blades, and will be less turbulent on the output, more directional, and less restrictive. Examples start here: https://www.hartandcooley.com/grilles-registers-and-diffusers-grd/commercial-grds/ceiling-diffusers One specific type is this: https://www.hartandcooley.com/products/are/aluminum-louvered-ceiling-diffuser-flat-margin And within this collection, type 1L without damper would be my off-the-cuff suggestion as a relevant example. https://www.hartandcooley.com/assets/files/59/sd-9303.pdf Choosing will require more effort than I have put into it!!! Generally, you can adjust the blades to flow near perpendicular to the face or variously off axis to parallel with the wall you mount it on. You may also find more applicable/aesthetic units. I can't tell if there is something about the physical shape that would preclude your using it on your wall interfacing with your ducts. I have a 3 x 3 foot unit of this type on a hallway ceiling aimed to flow down the hallway toward the kitchen.