Mine is old. Light (fluorescent tube) is in the back. The part that sticks out is glass so it probably gets plenty of light from the large fluorescent tubes in the ceiling. Anyway, it's bright.

Some of the nicer hoods will let you adjust the spotlights. And try to find a showroom where they are plugged in--it really helps to be able to play with the buttons, even if they aren't vented.

Mine are toward the front and shine directly on the front burners...but my back burners are still well lit and not at all in the shadows or the dark.

I have two small halogens at the front of the hood (36" hood) and I swear I could perform surgery on my cooktop if necessary--very well lit all around :)

I have a Kobe hood with two small halogens in the front on an angled surface so all burners are well lit.

Mine has 4 halogens across the front edge. They are set at an angle (15*?) so they aim toward the back burners slightly. For extra light there are 2 @175w heat lamps as well.
Casey

I have a Zaphyr hood with two halogens. They are on the sides, centered in the middle.

I have a 42" Vent-A-Hood and have three 50-watt halogen lights in the front. OK, I'm not home so I can't tell, but I think they shine straight down. They have two levels...high (50 watts) & low (25 watts). Like Berf's, on high they're bright enough for surgery! We rarely use high, low is plenty bright enough and the 3 lights light up front & back burners...as well as the niche in the wall behind the cooktop!

Note: You can also get fluorescent lights instead of halogen with Vent-A-Hood.

My hood is 24" deep, btw.

Here is a link that might be useful: SEPH18/SEP18 - Euroline Pro with Emerald Lip

I have a 45" Modern-Aire with 3 halogens that span the front and do a excellent job of illuminating the entire 6-burner rangetop.

Two Halogens at the back - no problem seeing all over the 36" cooktop (and the counters on either side, the drawers, etc!

My two lights are in the front but the strip they are on is slightly slanted so I have no problem seeing on all burners.

I have a 42" Vent-a-Hood and ditto everything buehl said. I love it!

My 36" Berta hood has two halogens in the back, and it gives great light.

Mine is a 42" Best by Broan with 3 halogen lights across the front/ They are angled towards the back just slightly, and I agree with the comment about performing surgery under them. I have moved under those lights when I need to see something especially well. LOL I've never noticed a problem with shadow front or back.

Thank you all! Though most seem to have lights in the front, those with them in the back do not seem to have issues.

Due to some unexpected budget changes due to issues beyond our control (problems with the addition added by the PO in the 80's we were not able to anticipate until the roof, ceiling and walls were opened) I am having to be a bit more creative with the budget and reallocate resources.

I am going to be installing a Berta 36" drop-in gas cook top and have decided to go with a 36" hood (I know, I know, bigger is better).

I don't want to skimp on the hood. I emailed Bertazzoni and they assured me that I would be okay with the 36" hood as long as I had 600 CFMs. I also checked and their hood is 19 9/32" from front-to-back (and even better, evilbunnie doesn't have problems) so I am going to make sure that I have about that distance front-to-back.

(Just checked...our hood's lights are actually mounted on an angle, so they do project toward the back ever so slightly.)

I have a 36" Broan Rangemaster Elite hood. It has two halogens at the front, and two warming lights at the rear. I haven't even put bulbs in the back ones yet, but the front lights light up the whole cooking area VERY well. Another feature I love about this hood is the 900 cfm motor is located on the roof (it could also be mounted on an outside wall) so the hood is much quieter than most hoods.

Here's a picture....you can see the space for the larger warming bulbs in the rear and the two smaller round holes at the front for the halogens.

I have the Wolf 42" wide 27" deep hood. There are 2 halogen lights along the front, about 2 inches back from the edge.

This is the super deep version of the hood, and I use the hood lights all the time to illuminate that end of the kitchen. The coverage is even and I can just as easily see the rear burners as the front. You cannot tell the lights are along the front edge...it looks as if the bulbs are in the middle from the even coverage.

I have the Berta hood installed against the exterior wall (so very little ducting to diminish power) and it nearly sucks the cat out of the kitchen. So it should do the trick. Plus it's awful purty.