No they're not. MWs usually have much lower CFMs (200 - 450) depending on the brand, whereas most range hoods start at 600 and go up from there. Also, MWs don't have as effective a capture area as a hood.

Thanks all to those that have taken time to provide feedback and post pics. First off, I didn't intend to offend anybody with the "cheesy" question. I haven't done much research and was mostly asking about 30" over 30" (smallest size avail) would look ok. Was hoping it would be decent looking becaue that's all I've got room for unless I do a full on remodel which isn't in the cards right now. To the right of the double oven cabinets I've got about 8 inches and then a doorway. Unfortunatly the wall is NOT an outside wall. I was assuming that the micro is vented up through the roof or up/over, but I'm not 100%. Going to dig around this weekend to figure that one out for sure. If it's not vented, I'm pretty much S.O.L. Asides from the cabinet Modification, I was planning on doing everything myself. Have the ability to do it, but not the fortitude to deal with a 25ft HVAC run through interior walls. Moving the electric and doing a minor modifcation to move existing vent hole up would be fine. Probably a ridiculous question, but are there any commercial/pro style looking vent hoods that circulate air and dont require actual venting out? The motivation for doing this is mostly cosmetic asides from really desiring a cooktop with more BTU's. We never cook fish inside or use heavy oil with cooking/stirfry so it's not like the hood is going to take a beating. Pugger & Bob, thanks for taking the time to post pics. Like the nice finished look of your spaces.

We recently bought a house with an ADU and are getting ready to rent it. The range hood in the kitchen is both ducted and ductless. For some reason, the installer (or previous owner/tenant?) installed the range hood so that it both ducts to the outdoors as well as back into the unit. Trying to understand how to convert this to the ducted-only configuration. Can I just block the holes to the ductless part? Is it more complicated than that? Looked at the manual quickly and didn't seen an obvious fix (or set-up to reverse). Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks.

There is a big difference in the performance of ductless (recirculating, ventless) and ducted, range hoods. The biggest difference is that ductless hoods only remove the grease (metal filters) and smells (charcoal filters), but most of the other pollution goes right back into the room. A hood that's ducted to the outside removes *everything* - grease, odors, excess heat, moisture - and on top of that, because it's actually sucking the air out of the kitchen, it pulls fresher air into the kitchen. More info here if you're in a reading mood: http://www.futurofuturo.com/rangehood-FAQ-10-reasons-to-have-a-range-hood.php Yes, installing a duct is a hassle and an expense, but in the long term, you'll be a LOT happier with the hood. Oh, and don't forget that charcoal filters cost money, and replacing them every few months will eventually cost as much as a duct installation. So if you're planning to live in the house for more than a few years - do it right from the start. Here is a link that might be useful: Range Hood Benefits