I'm in the same boat, I'm buying a Wolf 30" DF range, and I only have 30" between the stove top and the cabinet above. I'm thinking of going with the Kobe Ch-122 as it has a depth of 22" so it will capture the majority of the front burners and the length of the unit is 5 7/8". Leaving almost 25" of space between the stove and the hood. I'm 5"10 and I went to a store that had this setup and I was relaly suprised because it was very workable for us, didn't bother me at all. I'm still debating on getting the even larger CH-27 model, which has a length of 7", but that would leave me 23" of space between..I dont think it should make too much fo a difference. I'm leaning towards the Ch-27 because it uses baffles which I have heard is much better than the CD-122 which uses the oil catchers.

>How effective would a ductless/recirculating chimney style hood be? Far less effective than one that is vented, for sure. However, there are a number of hoods that can be set up to be recirculating--what style do you want? Stainless, stainless+glass, wood?

Hi Beth, We are getting the 36" Wolf open burner rangetop. I was told that you need the 42" hood in order to vent it properly. I think the depth is usually about 21-24"; but I could be wrong on that - or it may vary by manufacturer. You should talk with a good appliance salesperson about it. Our's is not going between windows. We did learn that there are minimim clearances from the burners to any combustible surfaces (cabinets, window trim, etc...) I believe the Wolf specs say 6". Our cabinetmaker had to adjust the plans, because our KD had not accounted for that clearance in her layout. Fortunately, it all worked out. Just thought I'd pass that along. (my rangetop is sitting in the box in the other room, waiting for installation. I can't wait until they can get it out of the box!). Good Luck!

Stainless steel easier to wipe down than wood. Also, it’s more of a pain to buy the separate components for a hood with cabinetry surround than a metal hood where it comes all-in-one. Also you need to make sure that the cabinetry surround is designed with proper proportions. A metal hood, you just shop for the one with the correct measurements. For a cabinet hood surround, you will have to carefully examine what the designer‘s hood surround plans are. It needs to be 6” wider than the cooktop. It must be deep enough front-to-back which is at least 24” deep; a common error of cabinet hood surrounds is that they are designed too shallow. Also sometimes a cabinetry surround plus a wall of more upper cabinets all around it can look like too much wall of cabinetry. Depends on the design.