Stan Z: My Range is 30" GE Profile Model: PGS920SEF1SS (with one 20.000 BTU power burner and other 4 ranging between 5k to 11k).

The ducting is not in place yet - we are moving the kitchen from its current location to another room in the house, so all the plumbing and electrical work will be new.

I don't use the wok much at all, but lots of searing and seasoning. And one of the reasons I want to get a range hood is to get my house rid of strong cooking smells.

Outside of the GardenWeb appliance forum almost everyone (contractor, kitchen designer, salesperson) would put a standard 390 cfm 30" hood above that range unless homeowner requested something else. If you want more (or are planning ahead and think you might want to drop in a Blue Star or Wolf range someday) start with 8" ducting and bring in an HVAC contractor now to design a make up air system before the drywall contractor comes in. Putting in provisions for a well functioning 600, 900, or 1200 cfm range hood could add cost but now's the time to do it while the wall is open. You'll have to decide whether it is a budget buster or not, or if there are other tradeoffs you can make.

Stan Z, isn't that something my architect can do? But regardless, which of those models above would you pick? And what is the difference between the two BEST models that warrant a 1k difference in price? Both are 600 CFM... I read and read the specs and still cannot see the difference. What am I missing?

The more expensive Best hood is deeper, has auto on/off features, and has baffle filters instead of mesh.

I can't recommend hoods I've never used, but will comment on general
requirements and how particular hoods seem to conform or not.

The blurb under each price for the two Best units describes the differences -- baffles vs. mesh filters, for example, plus the (somewhat unneeded in my view) automatic blower control for the more expensive. I would go for baffles, but the flow rate into the hood aperture should be capable of around 90 ft/min, which corresponds to 90 CFM/sq. foot of aperture.

The Best baffle hood's aperture area seems to be under 6 sq. ft., so a flow rate of 540 CFM is desirable. Unfortunately, this hood has a 600 CFM blower. Because blowers are rated in open air, and the baffles and other parts of the ventilation system (including MUA) cause pressure losses, it likely won't actually pull more than 400-ish CFM through this hood. So you might be a little under served. An 800 CFM blower would be better.

(I wouldn't be surprised if within the myriad Best offerings there was a more powerful hood of this size, with or without the auto feature.)

Mesh filters (if kept religiously clean) likely collect grease better than baffles at lower air flows (from the air that gets by them) but these lower flow rates may not be sufficient to keep the rising cooking plumes from partially reflecting from the metal surfaces and escaping out of the hood. This depends on what you cook, as it is a function of rising effluent velocity, which is related to pan surface temperature plus, where applicable, gas flame heat content.

For more background, review the many hood threads on this forum.

kas