XO XOV36S is 36"x24" D 700cfm with optional baffle filters is about the same as the Zephyr.

And the hood is made in Italy by Faber but the blower is made in Germany by EBM.Faber has about 50% market share for rangehoods in Italy. EBM has about 42% market share for hood blowers in Europe plus they make other type of fans/blowers too.

XO is a new marketing company but its being distributed by Eastern Marketing in the US which also distributes AGA, Bertazzoni, Blomberg, Lynx, Marvel, Vent-A-Hood, and Waste King. And is being carried by some reputable stores too.

deeageaux, thanks for the xo recommendation. I liked that hood but they didn't have sone info on the website. I contacted them and this is what they told me.

÷àààààààà3 speeds 200CFM/450CFM/700CFM
÷àààààààà2.8/ 4.9/8.4 Note 700CFM is a tremendous amount of airflow in a 6â duct hence the sone level.

Those sound levels seem very high compared to similar kobe models. RA-02 runs at 5.4 sones at 760 cfm. I don't like the looks of RA02. It looks bulky to me.

There is no standardized method for measuring sones in the appliance industry. Same goes for dishwashers and decibels.

Some measure the fan by itself, some measure the fan on inside a hood if an internal fan, and some measure connected to a short duct run while others to a bit longer run.

I think sone measurements are good to compare different blowers within the same manufacture but not really great to compare noise across manufactures.

Thanks again deeageaux. That makes sense. I will definitely consider this model. Do you have any other recommendations that flt my criteria?

I saw some posts here with people saying their XO's are pretty loud on the highest setting. Anyone here own the XO model hoods. Opinions on the noise levels or general performance?

We decided to go with the XO hood. We are a few months away from actually purchasing and installing it. The sone information I mentioned above was apparently for the older model of xov36s. The correct sone is about 6 max. Thanks deeageaux

Bought a 36" Cyclone NA330 680cfm for $740 from local dealer. Solid hood fans at good price

Pairing this with 36" American range Performer

newhomecolumbus - I hope your new construction is complete. Can you share your review on the XO hood? I'm looking for one and like the 24" dept. I've used Kobe and love the quietness at the first setting. Where did you purchase it and how much was it for? I'm hoping to spend less than what amazon has it for. Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: XO hood - 36 chimney vent

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.