Our Zephyr Cyclone range hood is now installed. No assistants were needed. The trick was to screw and tape the 3.25 x 10 to 6" round adapter pipe to the new hood so that when lifted into position the pipe pokes through the wall and supports most of the hood weight. By holding the front of the hood up to the cabinet bottom the 1" electrical shielded electrical cable access hole and the four support screw holes were marked. Using a 9" drill bit extender I was able drill the the support holes with the hood in place. The hood was functioning by the time dinner needed to be cooked. DW's only critical comment was that the two 40 watt lamps were too bright on the high setting. They are not recessed enough to be completely shielded by the hood for shorter folks, so they become a glare source. A PAR 20 50W halogen lamp also works in the hood fixtures but sticks out about an inch rather than being almost flush like the 40 watt non-halogen bulbs supplied with the hood. To finish tomorrow I will install a new Broan exterior duct cap with damper. There is an impressive outflow of air at all three fan speeds as felt from the outside vent opening. The lower two speeds should be adequate for nearly all cooking activities and the noise is acceptable. If we had billowing smoke then the 650CFM third speed would be welcome. The prior hood was rated 180CFM and was very loud at anything beyond the minimum speed. This black hood looks great with our new black Electrolux slide-in range. The 22.5 inch hood depth matches the 22" maximum front burner distance from the back wall.

What kind of range or cooktop do you have? Do you have ventilation to the outside?

I did a lot of online research this summer when I had to pick some out to create an appliance budget for our new house. I just went to the appliance store last night to see them in person and this one is the one I am sticking with. KitchenAid 30" Not too expensive, has the vent outside option, powerful but quiet at lower speeds. Seems like "do-it-yourselfers" found it somewhat difficult to install, but if having a pro do it you should have no worries.

If you want easy to clean, then make sure your hood has baffles rather than mesh filters. Huge improvement. If you want the hood to be effective at removing smells, consider at least these parameters: hot air doesn't just go straight up and through the vent hood, some of it actually initially bounces off the hood. If you want the hood to work, it can't have a flat surface at the bottom. It must be recessed to contain rising air. hot air rises in a cone-shaped plume. The hood should be at least 6" wider than your stove and as deep as you can make it. for both of the above reasons, hoods are usually designed with the assumption that they are between upper cabinets. The sides of the upper cabinets help guide the air where it needs to go. don't make your vent duct too narrow. With low-powered hoods such as the 400CFM models that you showed, you have to moderate your expectations. But at least make the best of what you have. A bigger duct is a cheap change order and can make a huge difference.