I don't have either brand, but thought I would insert a comment related to grease extraction.

There are at least two meanings to this term. One meaning is that given sufficient capture and containment by the hood -- determined by hood aperture overlap of the cooking plumes and hood aperture air velocity -- grease will be precluded from settling on the walls and ceiling, thereby effectively extracting it from otherwise contaminating the room air.

A second meaning, which I think is more common in the cooking HVAC world, is extraction of the grease from the air being ejected from the kitchen into the external environment. The use of baffles is intended to collect the larger end of the grease particle size spectrum so that these particles will not condense on the inside of the hood and the ducting. The intent is to then eject into the atmosphere the less likely to condense smaller particles. Baffles also act as a fire-stop.

There are commercial cooking circumstances where multilayered filtration is used to collect a wider range of the particle spectrum, but this level of removal is not necessary for most residential or restaurant cooking.

The extreme case is represented by the perforated ceiling vent systems where intense UV is used above the ceiling to inert all of the grease (convert it to CO2) that would otherwise accumulate there due to the low velocities of air in the plenum intermediate to the final ducting.

May I ask which usage you were intending?

kas

I'm the OP. I'm talking about grease extraction from the fumes entering the hood. The capture of fumes from the range has more to do with size of hood and extraction rate. I'm assuming I'll capture the fumes; the question relates to preventing the grease from going up the ducts.

Yes, baffles (as well as mesh filters) will collect a large part of the grease, but not all. When I clean my hood's baffles after a relatively long time, I also wipe out the hood interior. There will be a thin film of relatively viscous grease on the surfaces, and presumably in the ducting. Grease on the duct interior can be periodically checked (mandatory in
commercial applications) but I think you will find it to be a very thin
layer.

Is there a need in your application for collection of the entire grease particle spectrum?

I should mention that typical mesh filters are likely better for grease collection (as long as they are routinely cleaned) when the air flow rate is low; baffles work by centrifugal impingement and should be operated with strong flow when cooking greasy foods. Baffles will function whether greasy or not, but the air must be turned through the baffles at high speed to get good extraction.

I have seen ads in the past for layered filter commercial hoods intended for broad spectrum collection where the baffles are followed (in the up direction) by such as mesh filters and ball bearing like filters. You would need to consult with a specialist hood supplier if your needs are in this direction.

One exception would be if you were to use the relatively expensive recirculating hood systems made by VaH and Broan. These have several filter layers. You could perhaps skip the odor-collecting final charcoal layer and vent the air is to the outside.

kas

Thanks for your insights on grease extraction through baffles and filters. That helps. I'm not running a commercial burger business out of my home or anything, so I don't anticipate the need to take extra steps for more complete grease extraction. I did wonder why I don't see baffle-filter combos for externally vented hoods - just industry convention, or baffles are really that good, or just ignorance and lack of data to show how filters in addition to baffles are a good idea.

Regarding these two brands, XO and Prestige, neither provide a detailed drawing of their baffle design. From the photos, the Prestige baffles have the corrugated surface of commercial baffles, but the XO baffle has slots in a flat plate; presumably within the XO baffle there is a tortuous path for air flow to extract the grease droplets. Can anyone comment on these?

With grease extraction being but one of my concerns, I'm still interested in info on noise level or general experience with Prestige and XO vent systems.

You can do a search on this forum for posts from people commenting on these brands. There is a search box at the top of the Appliances Forum page. I did a search for you using the words "prestige" "hood" with the quotation marks, see link below. You can do same with "XO" "hood".

http://www.gardenweb.com/gardenweb/query/%22Prestige%22-hood/topic=appl

alaskaneric: Commercial baffles have to balance extraction against pressure drop. I don't know anything abut XO baffles, but my argument is that residential gear, where and to the extent that it makes sense, will be most efficient when it emulates commercial gear that has to be efficient.

The reason you see baffles without additional filters is that they are adequate for their purpose. Generally they are formed of sheet metal. No one is likely to try to make their section look like NACA airfoils for optimal flow.

You might want to download KVSApplDesign_catalog.pdf from Greenheck's web site for more insight into the issues.

kas

Thanks, kaseki. There's just a dirth of info on XO hoods. Their baffle latch system could appeal to some homeowners. Not a problem to me but I've seen complaints of baffle edges being sharp. Some baffles have handles for that reason.

Miranda33, I had already searched the forums for brand mentions. Most mentions are in search of owners with experience. Little experience posted; mostly several years old.

I have lived in Europe and used European appliances for many years. This is a generalization, but generally mainstream European appliances are skimpier in quality. It is a result of the cost of living there. Top of the line American appliances are very rare in Europe - too expensive, but the European appliances can be marketed in the US. With decades of experience using European appliances, my gut feel is that the XO will be inferior to the best in the US market. It is less expensive. My search for owner feedback was a hope that it might be good enough to be a fair tradeoff. Everyone likes their projects to come in on budget. Budget creep is so easy. My inclination is to Prestige, but I'm trying to give XO a fair shot to save $400.

Hi!

We are one year out of a complete kitchen renovation and we went with the XOT1836S. It is nicely crafted and is pleasing to look at. it has three baffles that are removable and are dishwasher ready. The brushed stainless steel is easy to clean and maintains a nice fingerprintless appearance if cleaned properly. I use the stainless steel wipes on it once a month or so and wipe it with a microfiber after cooking. The exhaust fan is fairly loud on the 2 setting and on the 3 setting is just loud. it has a slight harmonic too but its not off putting. I only use 3 if what Im cooking is smoking and that has happened once or twice...

Its also A LOT less expensive than the Thermador branded hood we were looking at to go with our 36 inch Pro Grand. The salesman actually talked us out of the Thermador and into the XO and we are very happy with it.

Good to hear, smittyb. We were speculating about the baffles on the XO. It has a slotted face plate instead of the cut, bent sheet metal. Can you tell me any more about the baffle design? Can you assess how well it works - like are you getting grease in the baffles and not in the hood behind it?

The baffle design is slotted but you can't see through them. There is a lot of flat surface area for the grease to stick to. No grease gets behind it but you should wipe the edges when you remove them for cleaning. I put them in the dishwasher once every few months. They come out glistening and like new. You will have to give them a cursory wipe every so often as some grease will start to weep due to gravity. Just a few drops. It just reminds me that the hood is doing its job. We have a 6 inch steel duct that vents to the front of the house. The bushes absolutely sway back and forth when it's on 2. If you stand close to it on 3 you can feel the air moving past your face.

Thanks for sharing, smittyb. Nice kitchen! Gorgeous counters! And clearly your cooking appliance got a priority in the remodel. Not to get off topic, but are you happy with the Thermador Pro Grand? I'm curious about how well the on/off simmer works.

That pic was taken a few days after the backsplash was done. There is a drawer missing because it had to be about a half inch less wide to accomodate the dishwasher handle. If you want to I have a album of the reno in my profile. We did a lot of research on the Thermador vs GE Monogram vs Wolf vs et al and spoke with a few sales people who were helpful. We also saw a working demo of the Thermador at the store we purchased from. The oven has quirks which apparently all manufacturers ovens have according to our sales person. It puts out BTUs. Boils water very fast with the power burner and the extra low simmer works great. Apparently the newer models ( like this one) have a better design of the simmer function. Extra low means the burner is on for 7 seconds and off for 53 and there is only one click to start the burner. Its barely noticeable. We did have an issue with an error that kept appearing though. If the oven was in use as well as the range top an error would appear to check cooling fan. It pops up on the front led. The oven would shut down and we would have to throw the circuit breaker and wait 5 mins. Very frustrating. Thermador came out and said its a control board issue...hmmm... On a less than year old 7200 dollar range?? Currently the board is on order and they are coming back to reinstall but i think I found the problem. The oven has two cooling fans seated in the rear under the range top. It draws air from the cool back and pushes it out the front. So I started to think. When the oven reaches 300 the cooling fans kick in to cool the sensitive electronics. I get it. I work in IT. Heat kills electronics. In the IT world we have hot aisles and cold aisles in datacenters. Cool air is drawn in from the back and blown out the front as hot air. I noticed we had little to no air coming out of the front of this range. Hmmm...both fans spinning happily but no air coming out. It turns out, the air intakes for both fans are on the back of the unit. Which is pushed up flush to a wall...no air is getting in to cool the electronics. I pulled the range out(all 350 lbs of it) about a 1/4 in h from the wall. No noticeable difference in aestetics. And Voila. Air is now coming out the front as designed and Ive run the oven at 500 for over an hour with no issues. Ran it for 4 hours the other day to simulate a 4 hour roast and no issues to report. I dont know why Thermador doesnt tell its installers to not push the oven flush to the wall.
Im still having the control board replaced though. Its under warranty.
But I digress.
The looks great, cooks great, is easy to clean and impresses the heck out of us.

One caveat. Never ever use the self clean for the same reasons I mentioned above. Its goes up over 700 degrees. I just wont chance that kind of heat.

Thanks. Useful feedback on the Thermador range. Well done to solve the fan problem.

Thanks for the update.

I would NEVER EVER work with this company. Their products are sub-standard and their service companies are a joke.

I have purcashed a few of their products and always needed them serviced within the year and/or replaced..

Buyer beware.