'a powerful fan.'

An important and somewhat critical powerful fan.

Have you looked at Kobe?

True, but it does make one wonder what kind of engineering and design requirements are really necessary for this kind of aplliance. But then again, as a consumer, I probably tend to understate what goes into it.
I've looked at Kobe and it prices slightly better than some of the other big brands so it's definitely on my radar. But I guess I'm really curious about everyone's experience has been with these lesser priced rivals. While sometimes you certainly get what you pay for, other times you pay for marketing campaigns and gimmicks. Just wondering which of the two is present here.
Thanks for the follow up weedmeister.

We installed a Proline 900CFM under cabinet hood last October. It was priced right (under $700 including delivery), is well built and works great. My only complaint is that I would like the under hood lights to be brighter.

As mentioned on another thread, I am happy with my Broan Elite 64000 series undercabinet hood. 650CFM, and about $600 plus installation. A big selling point? The Broan name, which is kind of mid-downmarket, is nowhere to be seen on the hood, ha ha.

But to Willtv's point, its halogen lights could land the space shuttle at night. Actually a little too harsh.

Thanks Willtv and Segesta....I'm not ruling out that Broan model, but i am leaning more to the higher CFM models (900 cfm). Thanks.

I'm considering a 1200 CFM broan 42" elite. Now one has them locally though.

People have very different expectations in terms of what is "well built". Can you tell us why you think the proline is well built? What are you comparing it too.

Tony, By well built I mean that it is has good fit and finsh, no sharp edges and feels sturdy. It is made of a heavy guage 430 stainless steel. Many lower priced hoods feel flimsy. The baffles are easy to remove, clean and reinstall as is the grease trap.
I looked at Best, ModernAire and Broan. For the money, I felt that Proline was the right call.

I have a chance to pick up a Jenn Air 650cfm hood for about $600. Anyone have any feedback on them, or know who really makes them?

Trying to finsih our kitchen on a budget, and keeping the hood under $1k helped. I enjoy cooking, but never run more than 2 burners at a time and feel that the 650cfm should be adequate for the Bert we ordered.

http://www.kitchenhoods.ca/catalog/index.php

We live outside of Vancouver, BC. This company is in Burnaby, we have seen there products and were extremely pleased. We have a mix of Electrolux (36" fridge, 30" wall oven, Gaggenau (36" induction), and a Cavavin Frenchdoor beverage centre. This fan was the only item where we saw true value with a budget hood. Stainless steel baffle filters, 860cfm fan, and halogen lights for only $519.00 Canadian. Quite a few different sales people from different high end shops around Vancouver have mentioned this shop. Our model is in the "professional" series which have the better baffle filters.

Here is a link that might be useful: The model we chose

Just FYI, Zephyr is changing some of its models (not all) to LED lightbulbs - less hot and guaranteed for a full three years. Replacements are expensive, but expected to come down in price as LED becomes more popular.

We've just bought the Zephyr AK2100 in stainless, but it won't be installed until next week. We had the criteria of: (1) must be vented straight out the back, and (2) high rounded front - my DH hates hitting his head on the hood when he leans over the cooktop, and we're restricted by an undercab mount.

Just for the record, after we use it for a few weeks, I'll report back on whether we're happy with it or not. Hopefully it will be better than the Broan Allure III, which is possibly the worst $300 I ever spent back in a 2003 updating. A total piece of crap.

Split767 - my understanding is that the hood that you refer to is sold under the "Spagna Vetro" brand in some countries (e.g. Canada) and under the Cavaliere Euro brand in other contries but is the very same company. I'm glad to hear you're happy with it. Thanks.
I do like some of the Prolines a bit more as they have greater depth - their models range from 24" to 27" deep compared to Cavaliere Euro's 20". However, they will run a couple hundred dollars more, so it seems that it will depend on budget. Thanks all!

Our Zephyr Typhoon 2100 has now been in for a month, so here's the review I posed separately.

Here is a link that might be useful: X-link: Zephyr Typhoon 2100 budget range hood

i don't understand how it is possible to change the height of any range hood that gets installed to replace the microwave. If it is not mounted as high as it goes, then there is going to be a visible gap of space at the top between it and the cabinet above.

Here is a link that might be useful: range hoods

My experience has NOT been good, to say the least I am very frustrated.
Placed order for PLEW832.36 1600CFM with 10' chimney extension Jun 20, 2011. ProLine informed me the design was changed, instead of one motor at 1600CFM, the redesign was 2 motors with 1000CFM. I asked about the venting, my response was we have a gasket that covers both outlets to converge into one, ok so I have 1 hole in my wall for the vent, is that right? yes was the answer. Vent did not arrive until Aug20 2011. Vent did not come with the gasket they said it would, I called to inquire about this and they now said it needed its separate vents to beyond the wall and then could be joined into 1 pipe. Installed about 2 days later. As our kitchen did not have a vent, we had to have one installed, quite a process, as we have a room above the kitchen. Turned on the vent and such a racket... quietest on the market, don't think so! So I called Tech support and spoke with Spencer, he said it was not supposed to sound like that and they would send another one to replace the one installed. Also, the chimney extension did not arrive at the same time, called and they said it was on its way, it was delivered Aug 26 @ 6pm! The new vent was delivered Oct 27 2011. Called the installer to come back and take out the old and replace with the new. Guess what! Still the noise, not as bad, but still very noisy. I placed a call to ProLine for tech support and was told he was out of the office and a message would be given to Spencer for a callback, I am still waiting for that call. I was looking for a different type of "Y" connecter and a distribution center for HVAC advised me to call a company which specializes in vent work. I did, they took a look and said it needs 2 separate vent runs. However as they were preparing to do the work yesterday late afternoon, they removed the vent pipe and still the noise on one of the motors, sounds like the left. The installer said it sounded like the bearings were bad. I called and spoke with Heather, she said she could do nothing about it and will talk with Spencer on Monday. As a footnote, this company is a venting company, that is all they do, they install Viking, GE, Dacor, etc... high end vents, they have been in business for 40 years, so they should know what they are doing.
All of this has been a great expense, each time they have to come back it is more money. Now, the vent company, will add additional vent at a cost of about $350. So this install process has cost us as much as the vent ... Vent with chimney $1000, first install $630, additional install $350. Also, manual that comes with the vent is for a single motor. I feel that if they changed the design, venting is a big process to making the vent work properly, they should have advised on that process and have new manuals made.
I must say that Proline has been very accommodating, but they don't tell the truth about when the product will be here (too many conflicting excuses). I think 2 months wait each time is a little long for arrival. Perhaps they should put more vents on that slow boat from China!
Sometimes what seems to be less expensive turns out to be more expensive, than if you had chosen a more expensive one in the first place.
Please CHOOSE carefully.

I've had experience with Kobe. In a word: poor reliability. See more in this thread:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0114284127094.html

I'm in the market for a 'no-brand' hood that doesn't have the upcharge of the big brands. However, that may come at a cost per some of the posts above.

Seems Pro-Line is great price but poor customer service.
Has this changed in the last 7 months for any1?

If you are patient and willing to compromise somewhat you can find a brand name hood on ebay for a reasonable price. Given the reviews of Pro-Line, I would not give them my money.

On the other hand, I've had good experience with Proline's customer service. Mine came slightly damaged (rivets popped out) and they were quick to ship a replacement. I've had it for 4 mths now and its been working great so far. Easy to clean with the baffles. Construction-wise, its not the best, made by Chinese company as are most of the lesser known brands anyway. I believe they all come from a few different factories in China depending on the model. Do a search on alibaba.com for "stainless steel range hood" and they all show up! On my model (PLFW 116), the rivets were slightly too small for the holes so it has the tendency to pop out during shipment but easily fixable. If you dont care for the warranty, you can even find the same models on Ebay much cheaper. I too dont believe there is much science/engineering behind a hood, so I'm reluctant to spend thousands on one. Almost bought a Kobe but it was $200 more and the store told me made in Taiwan. For $600+, performance has been fine and no more smelly house when we stir-fry or grilled steaks! My wife even burnt a fish once and the smell quickly sucked out and we rarely go above speed 3. Good luck with your search.

@ klingon & eve72: thank you both for the kind advice.

I will keep searching & report my findings.

I've never used alibaba. How is it?

I have purchased several hoods from Proline for a few kitchens I designed, starting in early 2011 and the most recent was in june 2012. They have really nice and beautiful hoods and I love that they are logo-less.

In my experience, there can be issues with the customer service on certain models or things that go on back order if you get unlucky, which it seems Kathleen1945 did. This happened to me when I ordered one that was shipping from a different warehouse and it was backed up. But I just talked to them and changed to a model they had in stock and there wasn't any problem.

The thing you do when dealing with them is simply call them first and make sure they have it in stock and that they don't have any issues with the one you want. you really won;t have any problems. One of my hoods I found out had a a problem with the fan in it that was making it really noisy, I guess they said one of the propellers got reversed or something. I didn't have any trouble getting them to immediately replace it. All of the other ones were fine when they arrived.

If you are on a budget, this is the best place to get a vent hood. It is kind of a bummer they don;t sell other kitchen appliances. Proline's hoods are great if you want something that is good quality but are ok with it not having a Viking logo on it.

I think it is odd that somebody would buy one of these hoods and then pay somebody $600 to install it, the hole point of these hoods is that they are inexpensive and if you are even mildly handy you can install it yourself and save tons of money. Buying a proline instead of a Viking and installing it myself instead of paying a contractor saves me about $2000. Just like buying ANYTHING online, you can get really good deals on great stuff, but you have to be smarter about it than you would if you walked into a store.

I personally would go with this model I linked instead of that one at the beginning of this thread. It's cheaper and it's prettier.

Here is a link that might be useful: This Hood

@KarenSwift - thank you for the very detail review.
I'm of the same mindset.

& to be honest, there have been more positive reviews on gw.com than negative in regards to pro-line.

Now, I won't discount any reviews & will just do more due diligence.

It's just frustrating that in looking for appliances in the 21st century, the first word that comes out is if the manufacturer/vendor has good customer service NOT if the product works as advertised.

alibaba is a wholesale site but you get an idea of which factory in China makes some of the things you buy based on the model, specs and pictures.

I was almost ready to order the hood for a new 48" gas range but it is hard to get beyond the Better Business Bureau's low rating of Proline and the BBB's report of 35 complaints about the company in the last 35 months. Two thirds of those are "Problems with Product / Service."

Additionally, I was surprised to learn from Gardenweb's forums that Proline hoods are made in China. IMO, product origin ought to be prominently displayed for the benefit of consumers who aim to buy goods made close to home.

Before ordering anything from Proline, one would be well-advised to check out their history with the Better Business Bureau.

Here is a link that might be useful: Proline Range Hoods BBB page

I searched and pondered these same questions. Opted for Zephyr 685 cfm ZSAE30BS. 699.00 vented uutside. I think they call it "Savona" I have 30" all gas GE cafe double oven range. I must say, we've been very pleased. I'm tall and I cook every day. This hood has a rounded front and no sharp edges. Mounted appropriately..28* above cook top in my case, workS just fine. At regular speeds, low or medium, I have great venting without make up air issues. At high speed, I do need to tie down my dog as he begins to slide toward the kitchen-and the volume increases significantly. It does, clear the air-quickly. So..it works, and I think it's pretty nice looking. I don't run a professional kitchen but I do use mine very frequently. This unit is more than adequate for my needs. It didn't break the bank.

Hope it's note too late or inefficient to bring an old post back to life -- I'm new here. Like others, I wanted a no-name 900 CFM/baffle filter range hood. I just ordered such a hood (under cabinet, 30") from Amazon which won't ship until the 26th, so I have a few days to back out if need be. The price is $429 -- no sales tax, no shipping cost. Other than the 4 excellent reviews on Amazon, I cannot find reviews for Eureka range hoods. Does anyone out there have any experience with this brand?

Here is a link that might be useful: Eureka 900 CFM SS range hood - $429

Hope I can revive this thread; I am also looking at budget wall-mount 30-in. wide hoods of about 600cfm. can anyone comment on Windster or Z-Line?

I like the baffle design, but could go with mesh for my type of cooking.

Any other good budget recommendations? It seems there are a zillion great-looking inexpensive hoods available on eBay, Amazon and the like, probably all made in the same factories in China. However, I want something that functions well and is not loud, so am willing to pay more, but not $$$$ more.

I'm planning on using one of the lower cost alternatives (zline, proline...) for our remodel. I'm a mechanical engineer and honestly it makes zero sense to me that vent hoods cost as much as they do. Its a blower and duct work, coupled with a tiny bit of switches a few lights etc. I actually thought of making my own but the price of the stainless steel alone would cost half of these cheaper hoods (keep in mind that my price on stainless is way higher than a full factory that buys by the ton). As long as they deliver it I'm really not worried, initial problems get resolved via credit card company, long term I can replace bearings for a couple bucks should they go bad, weak lights are easy to replace the bulbs. Absolute worst case the blower completely dies, I can then go get and external roof blower and just install that to the existing vent.

Going to go with a 48" capital Culinarian range, all this stuff is way overpriced, the range has features you cannot get otherwise, expensive vent hoods just make zero sense.

Paul