Re circulating works okay and is better than nothing, in my HO, provided the system is maintained. Thats the kicker with re-circ systems - kinda like your furnace filter needs regualr maintenance. There are two components to re-circulating hoods - the grease capture component which is done by the baffle filters before the air reaches the carbon filter and the second component is the carbon filter which is tasked to remove the cooking odors from the "grease/moisture cleansed air", HOWEVER in order to do so its critical that the grease filters be washed OFTEN(i recomend to clients weekly) to stop grease getting sucked into the carbon filter component - if the carbon filter component gets grease on its like a greasy sponge - useless. Secondly the carbon filters need fairly regular replacement which is dictated by your cooking style - smelly foods such as fish, curry etc - often etc, etc - hope the above helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Recirculating range hood

I am also looking for a quite and reasonably priced range hood. It is true nowadays there are so many companies on the market and it has become very difficult to determine which one is best for me. According to my observation, they all have one thing in common  "Italian style" "Italian design" "European style" "Japanese design". Unfortunately, Kobe is not an exception. While being on the phone with a customer service representative from Kobe, It took me a while to receive the answer to my very important question. "What country is the hood made in?" The answer I received sounded like: "WellÂItÂs Japanese design", I asked my question again and I was answered: "It is designed in Japan", I replied: What country are your range hoods made in? Eventually I got a straight forward answer: "Taiwan" which is no better then China. A Fake Rolex (made in China) also "Swiss design" but it doesnÂt work any better, and you can throw it out after the first rain, or a fake $40 Gucci bag -"Italian Design" will be thrown out after a few times used. I have become sick of this nonsense, and I donÂt want to be manipulated by these companyÂs marketing strategies. I want to go with European quality, and European MADE product. I just can not decide which one? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Depends on your parents. If they do fairly heavy cooking, and are somewhat handy, you might consider Vent a Hood. They are fairly low tech machines, with few things to break. If you can do an 8" duct, you could do one of their low profile (9"H) or pro height (18"H). My aunt has one at that power and it has lasted ... well, more than a decade of daily stir fry wok cooking and belIeve it is still going strong. You have to be comfortable with how it cleans... taking the housing down and washing the box, and every so often for deep cleaning, the blower wheels, which should be aligned properly when our back on or it might make slight rattle sound. But she is very satisfied with it. If you're parents are heavy cooks (it doesn't get to much heavier than daily stir fry), and don't mind being a little hands on with choosing their hood, the VAH is a pretty good choice. If they don't do such heavy cooking and prefer to be much more hands off, and have a dishwasher, Zephyr, especially one of the quieter DCBL models would be quite good. Same with Miele, except better filter construction and easier cleaning (no exposed wires or blower). Just remember to absolutely throw the mesh filters in dishwasher after greasy cooking to prevent grease buildup blocking the filters. If they are liable to forget, look for one of the Elica hoods that have the new SS micro hole filters, more forgiving then aluminum mesh. Marine grade ss wouldn't be a bad idea, but 304 SS isn't generally considered to be marine grade, even by manufacturers themselves. Marine grade refrigerators (for boats, for example) is usually 316 SS and usually very expensive. Not that 304 is at all bad, it's a very good grade for indoor use. But calling it marine grade is maybe exaggeration.

I know this is an old thread, but here's how Futuro customer service responded to me the other day about the difference between models and performance, especially side capture performance. Note that they say the Plane model has a "perimeter suction system". I can only go with a 36" wide hood due to island configuration and size restrictions. "We offer a selection of 36" wide island-mount range hoods, most of which are 22"-24" in depth. Regarding the capture area of different models, there's not much performance difference between models with 3 filters (Streamline/Galaxy/Plane, for example), and models with 2 filters + glass panel. The reason for this is, even with a full-width filter area, there's much more suction in the center (where the blower is), and less on the sides - so changing the sides from a filter to a panel doesn't make much difference in the end. To maximize capture performance, some of our models feature the "Perimeter Suction System", which draws air through collector slots, creating an "air curtain" effect and in addition, distributing the suction more evenly so there's bettter capture performance on the sides. For maximum efficiency, we would recommend the following 36" island-mount models, in order of descending capture performance: #1 - 36" Gullwing Black or 36" Gullwing White - motorized panels open to maximize capture area. #2 - 36" Lido Island - extended glass shroud maximizes capture performance. #3 - 36" Europe, 36" Integra (available in Black, Mirror, and White), 36" Lombardy (Black or White), 36" Plane TOP - Perimeter Suction system for improved performance. #4 - 36" Acqualina Glass - curved panel directs air into the filters, more effective than flat surface. Other models, such as Plane, Moon Crystal, etc, are also effective, but if you're trying to get as much capture as possible, the models above are recommended."