The swiveling periscope appears to have been discontinued...it also required a large amount of undercounter space to install, was very expensive, and was only approved for use with the Gaggenau Vario hobs (which are also very expensive, and come in limited options) It probably did a better job than most other downdrafts, but it was still fighting a losing battle with physics versus an above-cooktop hood with decent capture area and power.

The backsplash downdraft looks really nice, but if you look at the specs for it it is recirculating only...it has a centrifugal grease trap and an odor filter, and then sends the air right back out of the toekick area. Check out the linked video...

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaggenau AT-400 video

Eleena - don't do a downdraft......they simply don't work. I have one in my current home - a Dacor with remote blower and it does not SUCK anything out of the kitchen. I don't even turn it on anymore - no point to it.

For the new build, we are going with a Modern Aire hood which gets very good reviews.

M