Hi Gardenweb!

I'm trying to decide between 2 similarly styled wall hoods that will be ducted:

(1) Faber Tratto $1200

http://www.faberonline.com/tratto.html

(2) Futuro Futuro Moon Crystal $1400

http://www.futurofuturo.com/wall_mounted_Moon%20Crystal_57.html

Three main differences that matter to me are:

1) Filter Type: baffle (faber) vs mesh (futuro)

2) Capacity: 600cfm (faber) vs 900cfm (futuro)

3) Noise Level: 3.5-6.5 sones (faber) vs 0.5-3.2 sones (futuro)

So "on paper" who wouldn't go with the Futuro Futuro? But, my problem is that I've done lots of research and found that there is no real standard for testing any of these numbers.

Example, 900cfm may be achieved if measured out of a 2ft of ducting with no elbows along the way. But if you have 8ft of ducting and 2 turns it can reduce the amount of air extracted. Furthermore, there's no indication of whether or not these numbers are measured with the filters in place or not.

My question, is if owners can speak about their experiences with either of these brands and/or the 3-points listed above.

Thanks!

Side note...both companies have european counterparts:

Faber's European site is:

http://www.faberspa.com/faber/en/homePage/catalogoprodotti/indicearredo.html?springaction=modello-dettaglio&serie=185

Futuro appears to be made by European brand "Falmec":

http://www.falmec.com/eng/design.html (look for Astra Glass)

I was told by a local appliance sales rep that in Europe there is a standard for measuring capacity & noise for hoods so you can compare different hoods more readily.

So in Europe, "on paper", the Faber capacity is higher than the Falmec (or Futuro Futuro). Although the noise level is lower on the Falmec.