I'm no expert, but I have been reading this forum alot over the last year.
We probably need some more info to best help you.

Island, wall mount or undercabinet hood?

Style? Modern, industrial, or does it need to match an older design era of the cabinets for a more built-in look?

What kind of stuff do you cook? Lots of frying, high heat cooking or wok cooking?

Will it vent directly outside via a short run, or will it need a remote fan?

People say lots of good things about http://www.modernaire.com/ (linked below) and their customer service is apparently very good at figuring out what you need.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.modernaire.com/

thanks for you quick response -
Kitchen is omega, natural cherry. Marion door style - almost like mission style - plain - boxie look

would be wall mount

not really looking for the build in look - more of the stainless steel, with the boxed in vent going up - not sure what style thats called

Cooking - we are not really into gourmet cooking - we are really just practical living people - meaning - yes - i can burn as good as the next guy...

I am thinking a remote fan might be the best approach - altho the builder has wired for a local fan - what are the real differences in functionality?

My main objective is that it has the highest practical CFM and works well - looks/style are secondary to me as long as its a good reliable product that takes the smoke out when i try to sear my next steak!!

thanks

Is this the style you're thinking of? (8' ceilings w/18" tall body of the hood)

I would go with at least 600cfm. Be sure you follow the manufacturer's recommendation concerning minimum duct size...it makes a big difference in both effectiveness and noise. Bigger won't hurt, smaller will.

If you have room, get a hood that's 6" wider than your cooktop. The 3" overhang on each side of the cooktop helps quite a bit for capturing smoke, grease, fumes, steam, heat, etc. (Remember, as all these things rise, they also begin to disperse horizontally. With the 3" overhang you have a better chance of capturing the "stuff" that's drifted horizontally.) So, if you have a 36" cooktop, a 42" hood is best. (That's what you see in the pic I posted...36" cooktop + 42" hood.) Never go narrower than your cooktop, though!

I like my Vent-A-Hood. Others like Modern Aire. There are many manufacturers out there... Wolf also makes one, as I recall. I recommend checking the Appliances Forum for more information and recommendations.

Here is a link that might be useful: Appliances Forum - Overview of vent hoods

yes - this is the style i am thinking.

Vent-a hood is one of the ones my appliance guy is pushing - this is the one with the "centrifugal lung apparutus"?
any con's to this one?

I Will look at modern aire
Any other recommended makes?
thanks

He's probably talking about the "magic lung" It's supposed to be so effective that 600cfms are equivalent to the 900cfms from other manufacturers. I have no idea if that's true... But, since their competition hasn't objected and they've been claiming it for years, it does make you wonder if it might be true.

Anyway, it's a lot more effective than our old builder-grade, cheap hood was! By many times!

It's also pretty quiet...a lot quieter than our hood that required only a 4" duct...our Vent-A-Hood requires an 8". Yes, it does still make some noise and probably more than most people's do who have the same model, but we have 3 or 4 turns plus over an 11-foot duct run (4 turns if there's a turn behind the hood to go up to the ceiling...and yes, I did say 4!). B/c of our venting situation, I suspect we're not getting the 900cfms and I suspect it's louder than "normal" installations. But, since it's quieter than my old one plus I can carry on a conversation w/someone in the kitchen w/o raising my voice when it's on high, it's quiet enough for me!

It's my understanding that a remote fan is quieter...I wish I had thought about it when we were planning, but I was so caught up in our venting "drama" that it completely slipped my mind until it was too late. Oh well!

I would look at other options as well...don't limit yourself to Vent-A-Hood or Modern Aire...look at others. And checkout the Appliances Forum. You will have to wade through the very strong opinions some people have for their brand of hood, but try to look past it to the less vehement comments! You should be able to get a general idea of the quality of most better known brands. Oh, I think Best by Broan is also a favorite of some.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vent-A-Hood's Magic Lung

There is a strong bias on the appliance forum in favor of Modern Aire. While I love the look of Modern Aire ventilation hoods, they are quite pricey. I am going with Vent-A-Hood's 600 CFM magic lung as it meets my needs. One big difference between Vent-A-Hood and other manufacturers is that it has a housing that snaps apart for cleaning in the dishwasher or with warm, soapy water.

Other manufacturers insist that the mesh and baffle filter is better and this is what is used in commercial applications.

You might want to look at Best, too. They rated high in Consumer Reports. Also, make sure to look at the Wolf specifications on the mounting distance required from the top of the range to the ventilation hood.

And, yes, figure 1 CFM for each 100 BTUs as the general rule for ventilation requirements.

Good luck!

Good luck!