Also just wanted to throw this out there: with the pricing of any of the above hood INSERTS mentioned, is a bill of 2K (or just under) just silly high? I'm only considering it because it has been reviewed by many as the best product. And I cook heavily w/ smells and fumes, and have an open floor plan, and low ceilings.

If there is a better bang for buck hood insert out there that would be of comparable quality, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

The least expensive insert with 1200 cfm for a 42" custom hood from a "good" brand is the Best CPDI362SB which at ajm is $1215. The top performing products are rarely "best bang for the buck" you usually pay a premium for the last bit of extra performance. It is roughly twice as loud as the Prestige and only the baffle filters are made of 304 SS the rest is made of cheaper 430 SS.

Trade-Wind PSL74212 is like a poor man's VAH with twin squirrel cage blowers but with baffle filters. Should be quiet but then you have to clean those squirrel cage blowers, it does not specify 304 SS but looks like thin 430 SS to me. Just a shade under $1300.

I think all the baffle filters are 12" squares but set at different angles. The MA insert is 12" high vs the Prestige at 14' which gives the area under the hood a different depth.

MA changed their units a few years ago with maximum performance in mind to handle what the Capital Culinarian was cooking. So my guess is that MA > Prestige.

Thanks - so it looks like if I want the premium, I go with the MA (with in no certain terms the Prestige being a solid second choice).

I still am confused as to the actual size of the hood inserts, and wish I could just hold them side by side. I wish I could make a decision just by looking at them. Anyone have pictures or own these and can help me compare!??

Kas - you're right, my last paragraph was unclear, sorry. By 'insert' I meant the actual appliance/box that housed the blower and baffles, and 'liner' would be the flat metal sheet (that would extend from the lip of the wooden hood to the insert on all 4 sides, likely at a sight upwards angle, if the insert is raised say 6" above the lip of the wooden hood, inside the hood). Maybe my terminology is off, but I hope that makes sense!

I've also gathered from this discussion, that perhaps this is not quite comparing apples to apples? If slight variations exist in each product (i.e. size of baffles, angle of baffles, depth, height), then there's no way outside of mathematical calculations to know exactly which product will best remove the effluent - and that means I have to just trust that when they say "1200 cfm" that it is actually operating at 1200, regardless of all those measurements which are in question.

Deeageaux - thanks for the other recs, just what I was looking for. I had looked for the Best, but didn't see it in 1200cfm, so I will look again. I think I could live with lower quality ss, and a little more noise. Question: is the height difference (12 v. 14") in the MA and Prestige relevant? Won't the location of the motor/hood insert be determined by where the contractor places it inside the hood (lower or higher), or am I totally reading this wrong?

Wow, $1250 is a stark difference from $1800-2000. Maybe this should be an obvious choice for me? :)

The height is the measurement of the units themselves.

Placing the Prestige higher or lower inside the wood hood itself does not change the insert itself at 14".

The Best is roughly twice the noise and the lower quality SS could lead to rust and will look different than your other SS appliances, which I take is all 304 SS? Maybe you are getting a lower priced microwave with a 430 SS door skin? The choice of SS is not a purely academic issue.

I'd go with the Modern Aire, the 27" depth is a huge advantage over the 16 5/8" depth on the Prestige, at whatever cost difference...

At best, the 1200 cfm is that of the entire package, without correction for any pressure losses from the ducting connecting it to outside, and without consideration of any pressure losses in supplying make up air.

After all, not even the most conscientious manufacturer can guess those two parameters.

At worst, it is the zero static pressure performance of the fans themselves, without consideration of the further pressure losses across the baffles and those at transitions such as the aperture and duct interface.

kas

Thanks, Got it. Thanks for helping me try to compare/quantify some of these issues. So much to consider.

If anyone has used the MA, Prestige, or Best insert with liner in a custom hood, PLEASE let me know if you have any tips for me re: installation, or what exactly to tell the cab maker and installer. I'd hate to spend this much, and not have the desired, effective outcome.

Hope this thread can help others in the same situation. Thanks!

Hi new_morning,
Have you decided on a specific insert? I am wondering also, please, which specific Modern-aire insert you were considering that was 27" deep? Were you referring to the insert that is 22.5" deep being housed in a 27" custom hood?
The information in this thread is very helpful. I am on the same insert quest that you were on, except that I may have an 8" duct constraint. I'll be posting a question on that shortly, but am curious where you landed on your search.
Thanks, Ott2