Chisue, I'm not sure if there is such a thing as an effective recirculating hood. Try posting on the kitchen forum. Make sure you give them the size and type of range you are trying to vent. We went without any hood for 2 years while working thru the kitchen project. We just prior to Thanksgiving made the choice and ended up with a Kobe hood which is very quiet and effective. It was not inexpensive however. I don't know if they offer white or black. Good luck in your search.

I have a Broan that works well. I'll look up the model number and reply later. It's a 30 inch hood and comes in black or white. I know we've had it for a long time but there is a comparable model available at the big box stores.

The fan is very quiet except for when running at highest speed (level 3), which will move a ton of air. I usually use at level 1 for normal cooking. The lights are bright and have a couple levels. The brightest will light up your workspace like a Christmas tree.

The quietest exhaust fans are made with squirrel cages. The sound is measured in sones or decibels. The sound is made quieter if the air goes through the roof or into the ceiling. Yes sound waves travel. The air the fan moves is measured in CFM's. The lower the CFM's the quieter and less efficient it is. The solution here is to get a high CFM with a variable speed switch. The lower the speed...the quieter it is...but then you can turn it up for a few minutes to get a quick burst of air being pulled out of the area. A broan or Nutone(same company they merged) with a 190-250 CFM is fine for a glass top range like you described owning in another thread. Here'a link to look at a few....

I looked at Lowe's web site and can't find our exact model (we've had it for over 10 years). This white hood is similar to ours and moves air at 400CFM (good). It can be ducted or not. It's a bit over $300 but performs better than the standard hood offerings.

This white hood is about half the price, looks similar but only moves air at 250CFM (ok). Can be ducted or not.

Thank you all! Big help.

If a spec sheet says 'hallogen' bulbs, could I use LEDs or even incandescents. Hallogen is very HOT, isn't it? Some of the hoods have ONE 75W bulb. Kinda 'cook by feel' or wear a miner's helmet? My hood at home takes two 100's.

Yeah, the halogens get hot. I think the connectors for halogen are different than LED. However, there are LED bulbs made in the halogen configuration. I don't know where to get them but a friend of mine has them in his Broan range hood.....probably available at the big box stores.

Thanks, dees_1.

BTW, I did post on both the Kitchens and the Appliances forums. Nada. Just goes to show that The KT Rules!

I have the exact same hood that Dees-1 has. Mine happens to be white, and it will eventually be changed to black. I was hoping to be able to get the exact same hood again. I really like it, and mine is vented to the outside.

chisue, I used to haunt the Appliances and Kitchen boards.....I know too much about appliances for my own good! LOL

Mine is very quiet right now. It vents straight through the west wall and is stuffed with blocks of upholstery foam plus cardboard taped inside filters until maybe April.

There is one model, a Zephyr, I think, that is considered much superior to other recirculating hoods, but it is $$$.

I should have made it clear that this is for our Maui condo, which is rented to vacationers nine months of the year. I will have to compromise to keep the price down. We installed very quiet (but vented) Hampton Bay exhaust fans in the bathrooms here. They were not much more expensive than the Broan fans, but are so quiet I have to remind myself to turn them off.