I agree with Weissman. I had a friend who had no duct at all. She hired an HVAC guy to install ductwork by opening her drywall, installing the 8" duct between the studs (or was it the joists?) (just barely fit, she told me), and cutting a hole to the outside, including the damper. While it sounds like a big deal, she told me that in the end, actually it wasn't. She was lucky to have an empty soffit above her cabinets, and also did not have a long distance to the outside, about 6'. She says she is so glad she did it. The cost (she was surprised it wasn't so much) and any aggravation are long forgotten, but meanwhile she will have years of enjoyment from cooking with her hood and good ductwork. Of course it depends on each home and its setup, but you could at least look into it.

houses14, my Imperial range hood is not an insert, rather an under cabinet ss hood. However, the materials used, and the quality of construction, the fan motors, are the same with minor variances to allow for space restrictions within the smaller size of my hood. Construction wise, it is all that I had hoped for, was easy to install, and has functioned beautifully. Packaging and shipping were excellent. The ss is marine grade. This means that the amount of chromium in the ss will prevent rust from forming in the interior of the hood over time. The electrician informed me that their fan motors and switches appeared to be top quality. The warranty for my hood is 7 years, which is almost unheard of in the industry. Their specifications and installation instructions are right on to allow for optimal operation. For example, my duct is 8" from hood to roof jack and had to have a certain rise in height from the hood before the first angle in the duct work. Baffles remove and reinstall easily for cleaning. It was a joy to call Imperial direct with technical questions at their manufacturing headquarters in California. Someone was always immediately available to answer my questions regarding their vent hoods or recommended installation. My installer was promptly referred to their engineer for technical assistance as I requested that the wiring that would automatically turn on my hood once a certain temperature below the hood was reached be disconnected as I did not want that feature. To me, having that level of service available when answers are needed means a great deal. I found that the folks at headquarters were always honest even if it wasn't the answer I wanted and that they knew their stuff. Their light and fan switches are continuously variable which is rare on vent hoods. This means that they both function like a rheostat with a continuous increase, or decrease, rather than clicking up or down discreet notches, such as level 1 to 4. Also, I liked having the option of installing the switches wherever I wanted remotely, rather than being mounted to the underside of the hood. The hood easily handles removal of odors, steam or grease beneath it's surface. I've found that if the hood is allowed to run for about 10 minutes prior to cooking that it can be operated at a lower level and do a good job. The hood on low is fairly quiet but is noisier than I had anticipated at higher levels with having dual fans and baffles. Also, highest cfm level is 1000 which is a factor. However, I used a different size led bulb than Imperial recommended. I now have a gap around the bulb that needs to be filled with a rubber gasket. Also, the temporary roof jack is too large, and the correct one is waiting to be installed so the jury is still out on the noise issue. Noise level was quite an issue for me, but even if it remains unchanged, I would still buy the same hood given how pleased I am with the overall operation and that I can easily live with the noise that I now have. I'll have to look up the name of the online vendor I used and will add that information tonight.

Care to comment on whatever you bought? I am looking for a 36" insert that is very quiet :) . My renovation has stalled terribly.

I hate wood hoods they get greasy and discolor from both grease and steam so can't help.But I guees if you do not use the range it won't matter.As for the insert you need to now go to a place tha sells inserts with your meaurements of the hood you have already ordered which BTW should have been oredered after you got the hood insert.