There's a fair amount of interest in Kobe brand so I thought I'd post my experiences.

I bought and installed a Kobe Island Range Hood (model IS2436GSB) late in 2006. It has performed well until November 2011 when the lights stopped working. The bulbs were OK, so I called Kobe and talked to a somewhat unhelpful technician. He couldn't tell me much and there is little electronic info in the user's manual (what is there is really confusing and inaccurate) , but the problem was likely in the LCD panel, the "processor board" or the transformer. The board was the most likely culprit, so $110 and 3 hours later, I replaced it to find it didn't help. (There were other things that didn't work besides the lights)

Long story short, between 2006 and 2011, Kobe made 3 versions of this hood, each with a different electronic design. Since the LCD (display on front) was not available anymore, they offered me a "discount" on an entirely new unit.

Bottom line: nice looks, but poor design, poor construction, poor support and poor repair possibilities. Stay away from this company.