How extra $$$ are distributed will be dependent on the manufacturer and the number of hands between the manufacturer and you. Design aspects that actually cost more money ($$$ that aren't extra) before any hands intrude include: Baffles that function correctly aerodynamically while still affordable to manufacture Quality stainless steel Sufficiently stiff (low gauge number) stainless steel Perfect welding where it can be seen Forming more complex curves Some attempt to measure performance and adjust the design until it is optimal* Best performance for a given aperture requires enough height and hence more metal Technical data Serious follow-up support, if required From a non-recurring cost standpoint, it takes a lot less $$$ to design just for aesthetics and manufacturability and ignore the real reason for the hood. kas ----------- *By this I don't mean going so far as performing end-to-end computational fluid dynamics studies on candidate designs. The cost divided by the number of sales of one model would likely be prohibitive, unless done for free by grad students.

What scheme does this remote use, optical, RF, acoustic? I would disable the remote, disable* the sensor that receives its signal, and see what happens. But my guess from this sparse information is that the unit is not well shielded from noise on the electrical lines. Some filtering of the feed power would be called for in that case. (Not something you would design yourself unless your doctorate is in electrical engineering.) However, suitable and economical devices are probably out there. Also, if electrical noise is the culprit, one has to wonder at your wiring, and whether the house-wide grounding/bonding approach is functional. * block or disconnect if you can get to it

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.

From what I understand from previous discussions on this forum, venting vertically with as few bends as possible maximizes cfms and (slightly?) minimizes noise. We didn't have this option, unfortunately. This is our first house and therefore first time I had ever used a range hood at all, LOL, so all three range hoods used the same set-up. I can compare the different brands I've had, but not a different setup. I can only say that the three people I know with range hoods that vent vertically out the roof seem quieter than mine (none are remote blowers, which are the quietest), but they are also different brands so I can't make a straight comparison.