Do NOT buy from Futuro Futuro!! The sales staff are very friendly, but if you have ANY PROBLEMS, they will stiff you! We just bought a ~$2000 Streamline W unit and we recieved the transformer unit broken off and a crack through a corner trim joint in the stainless steel. When we called the company, they first said we would need to mail back the unit ... we were fine with that (even though the installers had already come out). But we got a call a few minutes later saying the turnaround time would be >3weeks, and would be unneccessary ... we were advised to install the unit and the company would arrange for a repair facility to come out and fix the issues after the installation .... Now I'm running the circles with company seeking recourse on the assurity I was given - and there was one particular support staff who was EXTREMELY rude and abrasive, even attempting to ridicule me on the phone! (Anthony from the sales side was very nice, and he was the one who assured me, but so far he has been extremely ineffective in being able to do anything!) So, buyer beware.... I wish we had gone with the more well-known and reputable brands for ventilation hoods. We just completed an entire kitchen remodel and the wolf appliance distributor here in Chicago was recommending a different company's product. I really had hoped Futuro Futuro would have met my expectations (especially being a relative newcomer in the ventilation hoods market here in the US), but I guess that's what I get for taking a chance on trying a new unknown company. Please don't make the same mistake I did. Well, please contact me with any questions if you want to know details of my experience, I am happy to share it.

antss, The builder has been wonderful but as all the strands of this project start to mesh everything must be ordered soon to keep up with the schedule. Right now the stall is on the framers finishing up. If I don't pick the right range hood now either we'll run into one of two problems. Either frame the ceiling for a 6" duct and find out later the 6" size is inadequate and have to pay for the changed ceiling height (plus potential ruining the ceiling design) or leaving it unfinished and paying for the framers to come back when we know exactly what works for our ventilation needs. An epiphany would be great but I was rather hoping for a miracle. We have so many conflicting opinions and since we have no expertise in this area it's hard to decide who knows what they're talking about especially since we have so many variables that complicate the issue. I'm asking here because I've come to trust Garden Web more than any other source. Thanks for the help and opinion. You too, Weissman, thanks.

I hadn't seen this thread when it appeared in Oct. I actually find it kinda odd. The OP has never posted again. Maybe it was indeed spam? Either way, I have really found the original Range Hood FAQ very helpful, and have emailed the link to friends cause it's such a good summary. I don't think the OP has added anything helpful to the hood FAQ, and his additions might confuse someone new to the Appliances Forum, or someone struggling with hood choices (the hardest choice for me in my kitchen!). As others have pointed out, it's odd he chose a 36" hood for a 48" range. Odd that he doesn't mention Wolf hoods in his discussion of high-end hoods, even though that's the range brand he chose. Why does he say baffles are not standard in high-end hoods - that's incorrect. And indeed, despite his contention, the greater component of noise in a hood is the airflow. You can have two identical hoods in two homes - the home with the problematic ductwork (i.e. more bends, longer, or narrower) will be noisier despite the identical motors. I think the Futuro hoods are a good brand, judging by what others have enthusiastically written on the Gardenweb about them. But I hope that people looking for helpful info on hoods in general will look at the original Hood FAQ rather than the OP's additions.

We have the DA 1180 above our Miele Induction range. It works very well and not too noisy unless you run it at the highest speed. The only thing I'm not crazy about are the switches for the lights and the fan. They're a little bit difficult to turn on and adjust. I may just be comparing it to my old hood which had rocker type switches. Overall, I'd recommend it.