Undercabinet hoods tend to be small, weak, and underpowered. You may get 300 CFM with 1 or 2 speeds, and a single light... that's about it. Also, if you're looking for "invisible", this ain't it - usually about 4-5 inches thick, and sticks out about as much. A cabinet insert hood ("power pack" or "insert liner") will give you several advantages: a.) Higher CFM (it's not a toy with 2 little fans anymore) b.) Much quieter performance (because it's located inside the cabinet) c.) Option of ducting it out or using charcoal filters to make it ductless d.) Option to use bigger duct than an undercabinet hood e.) Squirrel-cage blower, not 1 or 2 simple fans - better performance and less noise f.) Depending on the manufacturer, may have an option to use a remote control, which makes it simpler to operate The only negatives I can think of for in-cabinet hoods: a.) you lose a portion of the cabinet space (but honestly, how often would you reach to the cabinet over the stove?) b.) getting to the control buttons, and finding the right one, may not be convenient. c.) the bottom edge of the doors, as well as the bottom edge of the perimeter of the cabinet, are still exposed to the steam. According to my experience, there are plenty of undercabinet range hoods, which are OK to put in if you don't intend to cook with adequate ventilation, but if you want something that actually works, go for an insert or full-size wall hood.

We ended up with a Broan 'Power Pack' with an external blower. (see link below photo) We had the upper cabinet constructed with a center channel for the duct so we could still have shelves on each side, plus the duct is covered so it looks great. The results are mixed. On the plus side, the appearance is great. The Broan Power Pack (the part that installs in the cabinet) it only four inches high, so it eats very little cabinet space, and it uses just an eight-inch duct, so the channel width is reasonable. (Need a bit extra width in the channel so the installers can tape the duct connections.) With the cab doors closed, everything is covered up. With the doors open, it looks clean and we get the convenient shelf space. And with the 600cfm blower, cooking odors get sucked up nicely. But there are negatives. One is that the Power Pack is cheaply made, but what should you expect for a mere $400?!? (We would have spent more on something nicer, but neither Broan nor anyone else makes something similar with better quality.) Both the fan and lights are controlled by flimsy plastic sliding switches. The housing and the decorative cover bend out of shape easily. And it's difficult, if not impossible, to get the decorative cover to lay flat against the bottom of the cabinet. (Spent only an hour on that issue so far...hoping another 2-3 hours will get it to fit right.) The remote blower (another $400) is in the attic just above the cabinets. I think the installers had never installed a remote blower. They have it sitting right on the joists so some vibration transfers to the cabinets. In the upper cabinet just to the right of the vent hood cabinet, and right below the blower, are drinking glasses. If the glasses are touching each other, we hear the tinkling sound of the glasses vibrating against each other when the blower is on. Separating them fixes the problem. The blower is a bit noisy, but not excessive. But, in some parts of the kitchen you hear an annoying low frequency noise. It's weird. You don't hear it standing at the cooktop, but three feet away you do. The installation instructions include an option to hang the blower from chains attached to the roof supports, which might have addressed the issue. I'm thinking of putting some sort of rubber-like material between the blower and the joists to act as shock absorbers. The point is if you get an external blower, think thru where and how it's mounted. (Note on photo: Backsplash tile is, literally, on a slow boat from China...was on backorder for 2-1/2 months.) Here is a link that might be useful: Broan Power Pack

Hello Houzz Community! I found this thread when Googling a similar topic. I'd like to replace my under cabinet hood with a wall mounted hood, and yes I know I have to remove the cabinet above the current hood which I'm fine with (see photo). My existing under cabinet hood vents out the wall to the side of my house - see photo, and note the vent is not blocked by those shrubs, there is space around it, you just can't tell from the angle of the photo :-) So my question is....can a wall mounted hood be installed to vent out the existing vent in the wall, or does a vent need to be created in the ceiling? Also, what type of professional can help answer any related questions I have about this? Would I ask the wall mounted vent manufacturer? Or a handyman? Thank you in advance for any guidance! I am a newbie homeowner and am learning as I go, so truly appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge with me!

I just had a copper hood made by Premiere Copper. It was completely custom and was much less expensive than other options for copper hoods. My designer ordered it for me. ETA - With both a copper hood and a wood hood, you buy a hood insert separately from the decorative hood cover. After you buy the hood insert, you send the specifications to your cabinetmaker or the copper fabricator and the decorative hood portion will be made to fit the insert. The style of the hood - so far as I know - is what you order especially with wood since you would generally get the wood that matches your wood cabinets.