Is the Hestan Ventilation hood the same as Vent-a-Hood?

2 years ago

I have had Vent-a-Hood for years and I'm in the planning stages for an extensive kitchen remodel. I was pretty sure that I was going with either the Bluestar 48-inch gas range with griddle, but something kept nagging at me. I wanted the BS power and I liked the BS burners (open), but their griddle isn't an infrared which is far superior. The only ranges that have infrared are Jenn-Air, Wolf, Miele, and this new(ish) company called Hestan! Jenn-Air, Wolf, and Miele are all underpowered for what I want. And I am definitely going with a separate wall stack with either Miele XXL or Thermador CSO (all non-plumbed), Speed oven, and a warming drawer. Miele and Thermador are the only ones that make a large capacity Convection Steam Oven (CSO).

I started looking at the Hestan Ranges and their dual-fuel 48-inch is over $17k with their all-gas version at a "doable" just shy of $14k. Their 48-inch rangetop is at a surprising $5,600k, identical configuration to their ranges. Wow, the power on this thing and the center wok/large pot 30,000 BTU burner blew me away. It is a 5 burner top with infrared individual temperature control (not just low/med/high). The burners put out an impressive 15.5k, 15.5k, 23k, 23k, and the 30k, and all are dual-stacked and can achieve 500 BTU's on simmer. Impressive.

There is just too little information out there on them, but I really am impressed with what they have put together here, even if it is a sealed burner system.

Anyway, this all lead me to the ventilation and a possible package deal. Looking at their videos and downloading their specs, it dawned on me that this has the identical Vent-a-Hood "Magic-Lung" system. 1200 CFM with two separate "Magic-Lungs."

Does anyone have any information if Vent-a-Hood indeed makes these for Hestan? Reading many, many posts on here, I see that Hestan makes commercial appliances and outdoor appliances. They just started in 2015 with their "indoor cooking line." Fulgor Milano makes the separate wall ovens and pretty much all of their other appliances are re-badged in the Hestan style and naming. From what I can find out, is that the only appliance that is specifically Hestan are their ranges and rangetops (not cooktops), which really stand out in performance and style.

Sorry for the long post, this is all so interesting and very daunting as this will be my "forever" kitchen now that I'm retired.

Thanks in advance.

Featured Answer

opaone

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

"I have worked in rrstaurant kitchens for more than 50 yrs and no one had a BS range all had Garland"

You do understand that Bluestar is a consumer grade range and would be inappropriate in a commercial kitchen? And that Bluestar is what was the residential product from Garland?

"I use a griddle for every Sunday morning and still do not see the need for one to be built in."

A built-in griddle is typically thermostatic so it maintains even surface temps which is the purpose of a griddle. More: https://bamasotan.us/griddle-faq/

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Comments (14)

wdccruise
2 years ago
When asking questions like this you should list product model numbers, not just ask "are these the same" without specifying clearly what "these" are.

However, for most appliances Hestan is a rip-off vendor: contracting for the manufacture of appliances by OEMs, slapping the Hestan badge on them, and dramatically jacking up the prices. Cooktops, refrigerators, dishwashers...it's all the same game. For example, SMEG makes Hestan dishwashers but Hestan charges $1000 more for them.
Jody Dietz thanked wdccruise
kaseki
2 years ago
We can determine hood requirements, but whether a given hood can meet them in operation depends on the characteristics of the hood system and of the make-up air system. Without these two systems being defined together, adequacy is not determinable. Much more needs to be stated and planned before choosing a hood based on a possible package deal.

Searching and reading should be employed to become familiar with the issues. While the time commitment may be high, there is a wealth of information here on hood requirements and make-up air systems that should inform your planning.
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Well, let's see if I'm up to four questions all at once. Rule no. 1, do not believe VaH sales persons trying to explain blower operation unless you have some other means of determining their veracity, and most importantly, their understanding of the fluid dynamics of air. Rule no. 2. Blowers that suck air also blow air and cannot know what is the cause of the pressure differential across the blades, at least at the tiny pressure differences that apply to hood blowers. Pulling air could be a problem when the intake is at feet of water column reduced pressure, not inches. This does not mean that the blowers will be unaffected by operating into a duct bend, or from a hood transition, etc., but in general, even a VaH blower is pulling air from one side and pushing with the other side, and its blower, like all others, is constructed for one direction of air flow and to achieve a particular flow rate performance at a tolerable sound pressure level. I don't keep up with VaH, but I thought that their 1200 CFM (claimed) hood had two 600 CFM blowers, not four 300 CFM blowers. Perhaps they are using two motors, each with two cages. Fan blade tip noise is caused by the turbulence of the air spilling from the blade tip. It results from operating at a high speed exacerbated by spilling from a crude airfoil shape. Casablanca ceiling fans move a lot of air but the turbulence is at most modest due to the low speed of each blade tip. Duct noise is from irregular air flow in ducts. It generally won't be laminar at the flow rates of interest (1000 - 2000 ft/min). Pressure loss of bends is the result of degrading the flow due to increased side wall interaction as the moving air tries to pile into the blockage ahead before turning. Smoother longer turns reduce the effect. VaH Magic Lung blowers use squirrel cage designs that are good, I guess, for throwing grease at the hood walls, but have a weakness -- they don't like added pressure loss relative to some other popular fan configurations, such as axial in-line blowers or centrifugal carousel types such as Wolf/Broan/Abbaka roof blowers, so actual flow due to inadequate MUA or constrictive ducting will have a greater effect on actual flow rate than these other designs. It is certainly possible to build an external chase for ducting and even for the silencer (about 4 inches larger in diameter). Number of bends is worth minimizing, but it is always possible to specify a blower to provide the needed flow rate at a given pressure loss if the bend number cannot be minimized. Roof blowers usually also work mounted on walls. One secondary effect is that on roofs, sunlight UV generally degrades and eliminates any grease that condenses on the blades and is expelled onto the shingles, whereas on siding that is in shade the grease may become noticeable. Commercial blowers operated in up-blast or side-blast configurations likely will not blow grease onto house surfaces, but condensation within the unit may lead to some release around the unit. Downward ducting has a couple of deficiencies. The process of turning a rising plume to a downward direction requires additional energy (equivalent to pressure loss) and likely causes the grease particulates that escape the baffles to condense by impingement early rather than being expelled. To keep the typically long horizontal underfloor duct path from dripping, a continuous down tilt will be desirable, and in a typical basement this may lead to requiring a hole in concrete rather than in a wood wall. Some municipalities may not approve such paths. The "heat rising" view is probably less relevant because the duct velocity will be at least 10X the velocity of the intake to the hood. Last, an observation. My hood blower is rated for 1500 CFM and is roof mounted. Actual flow into my hood is about 1000 CFM with presently passive MUA. This is 100 ft/min air flow across the hood entry aperture. I have a 10-inch duct with LD-10 silencer. Flow is 1800 ft/min in the duct. There are three bends, all less than 90 degrees to get the vertical hood direction to a shallower direction in my attic that encompasses the silencer, then two more partial turns to match the roof blower's intake angle. Note that configurations of this type not only allow room for the silencer, but also allow the hood exhaust to be placed more optimally on the roof, if needed, than exactly above the hood. I hear mainly baffle hiss at the cooktop, with a slight underlying rumble, likely due to imperfect fan carousel balance interacting with imperfectly stiff roof planking. Edit: I feel comfortable asserting the baffle pressure loss, and MUA pressure loss, dominates all the pressure losses in my duct path. tl;dr: An external blower downstream from a silencer will always be quieter than a blower in the hood for a given flow rate so long as the external blower is not constrained to being significantly smaller than the in-hood blower. Other noise will depend on whether the baffle size and shape is reasonable for the air flow rate and the duct size is such that the air flow in the duct is in the range of 1000 to 2000 ft/min. Let me know what I forgot to answer.
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Danny Z
2 years ago
Does anyone know who makes the Hestan refrigerators? From what I have seen (all metal + glass, infinitely adjustable shelf heights, etc) I can’t find another fridge with these specs that would be made by the “secret” manufacturer. Thanks!
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
IMO no home needs a 48" range not even done in restaurant kitchens unless you cook for 20 3 x a day look at a 36" Built in griddles are just a puzzle to me unless you cook on a griddle all the time get a $25 one that spans 2 burners and works just fine. IMO get appliances that can be serviced where you live . As for the hood that is decided by the range you buy how complicated the make up air install will be and I would rarely go anything but Vent-a-hood . Any good appliance store will give you a good deal without you needing to go all one maker since there is no maker that makes everything well.
wdccruise
2 years ago
@Danny Z: "Does anyone know who makes the Hestan refrigerators?"

The Hestan 36" refrigerators are re-badged Fulgor Milano refrigerators. The top-vent Fulgor Milano models are $10,400 and the Hestan ones are $12,370.
opaone
2 years ago
A few thoughts.

If you cook a lot then I'd go with a BS RNB over any other consumer range currently available. A better griddle would certainly be nice (and we use our griddle a lot for a lot of different things) but the burners on the RNB are worth a lot more. More: https://bamasotan.us/2020/12/the-kitchen/ (and also the griddle link within).

I would stay away from VAH or similar. They are quite loud and do not do a very good job of effluent removal. There are much better options including Accurex, Halton, Prestige, etc. More: https://bamasotan.us/range-exhaust-hood-faq/
Danny Z
2 years ago
@wdccruise yeah idk about that. Literally every mentioned feature of the Hestan fridge is missing in the fulgor. Fulgor also doesn’t make a 30” column fridge, who would be making that one then?
Jody Dietz
Original Author
2 years ago
Danny Z, The Hestan refrigeration products are all made by an Italian company called Fhiaba. Consumer Reports last year raked them over the coals last year.

I was thinking for built-ins (actual cabinet depths with the special hinges and custom fronts) of going with Miele, Fisher Paykel (most affordable), Liebherr, or Thermador.

After much thought and research, I always come back to the very expensive tried and true... Sub-Zero. Not their newer more modern models but their classic versions.

https://www.subzero-wolf.com/sub-zero/full-size-refrigeration/builtin-refrigerators

They are the most serviceable and really stand by their products. Parts are always available and service is readily available. I had a glass front Traulsen in the past and it was a nightmare.

I also looked into the newly designed True Residential line and bounced back to the Sub-Zero.

OpaOne. Thank you. Yes, I agree. I'm about to press the order on a Blue Star 48" RNB with the 24" griddle as you have done. The burners are what have me hooked, that and that they are the easiest to repair and basically just like how my large outdoor kitchen grill/burners are set up. I once had a Garland with a salamander set up that was a similar type of burner as the BS, in a house in Connecticut, problem was that that had to have the kitchen built around it! LOL.

I haven't ordered yet as I've been waiting to see what all of the hype is about with their new and much delayed Dual-Fuel Range/Rangetop series is all about. Of course, that places BS with the dilemma of mixing electronics with old-fashioned high heat. Not a good mix and much the reason why Wolf succumbed to lowering their BTU output and sealed burners.

Take care everyone.
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Sabrina Alfin Interiors
2 years ago
I'd reconsider using the Bluestar range and also use their hoods. Bluestar started in the restaurant equipment business so good ventilation is part of their brand. From what I can see, Hestan is overpriced for what you need, but if you're willing to pay more because you like the way it looks, that's up to you.
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
2 years ago
I have worked in rrstaurant kitchens for more than 50 yrs and no one had a BS range all had Garland and I have a 40 yr old Garland as one part of my outdoor kitchen a bit of cleaning and runs like a top . I use a griddle for every Sunday morning and still do not see the need for one to be built in.
wdccruise
2 years ago
@Danny Z: "Literally every mentioned feature of the Hestan fridge is missing in the fulgor."

I don't know what features you are talking about. You have to carefully examine the photos, descriptions, and manuals to determine what feature exist in each appliance.

"Fulgor also doesn’t make a 30” column fridge, who would be making that one then?"

Hestan doesn't want you to see the insides of its products so it provides few pictures but the Hestan KRCL30 ($10,140) appears to be very similar to the Bertazzoni REF30RCPIXL ($7900).
kaseki
2 years ago
I think the trade-space should include a cooktop sans griddle having sufficient burners, and space on the side under a longish hood for an electric griddle -- assuming the griddle will be used for greasy cooking. It would cost a bit more for hood, blower, and MUA counterparts over the long hood needed for a 48-inch gas cooktop, but there would be more countertop space when the giddle wasn't in use and the gas cooktop complexity would be less. The space could also be used for Cooktek portable induction units if some extravagant party required a large number of cooking pots and pans to be in use and ventilation coverage was needed.
User
2 years ago
Look at Best by Broan hoods. We installed a chimney style over out 36" Wolf gas range 5+ years ago and it's great. Don't remember the CFU's off the top of my head, but we went with whatever CFU was greater than the output of all the burners.....you need something powerful over a big stove.

Is the Hestan Ventilation hood the same as Vent-a-Hood?

opaone

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Is the Hestan Ventilation hood the same as Vent-a-Hood?

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