Would you be willing to consider Fujioh?

Here is a link that might be useful: fujioh cooker hood

hi, we just installed a ge slide out hood- the big part is hidden is the over the stove cabinet and there is only a small slide out glass piece that turns onwhen you slide it out. is almost no there.

L

Here is a link that might be useful: ge slide out hood

What CFMs do you need (what BTUs is your range?)

We needed a high-powered one since we have a "pro-sumer" style range. The Thermador we bought -with an integral blower- was absolutely ridiculously loud. So we replaced it with a remote blower, in the attic space. It was quite inexpensive (from Fantech, and we added a length of insulated ducting to further reduce sound) and SO much quieter.

If you go that route, you can use ANY hood piece you want. All it is is the collection area, filters, and connector to the ducting. I believe it is much cheaper and quieter to go this route than to buy a complete hood/blower set like most people do. Of course, this is only if you need a high-CFM hood.

I have an Imperial brand hood built into my cabinetry. The sones start at 1.6 for the lowest setting. When I bought mine a few years ago it was the quietest one I could find. Look at imerpialhoods.com for more info

Gaggenau has a 30" hood fan that is very quiet. That was the only feature I cared about in a hood fan. My old one was so noisy I never used it. When I was shopping for a hood fan I went around the showroom punching buttons to listen to them all. When I got to the Gaggenau there was no sound. The salesperson said, "That one is just not plugged in." But it was. Later the rep told me it would be even quieter when installed with the proper ductwork etc. And it is.

Check out Fan Tech. We were skeptics until we tried on in our bathroom remodel and now I will have NONE OTHER. You can be IN our bathroom and not hear our fan run.

I saw this one thought it seems like a great deal, it's made for 30" cabinets.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11466923

The OP also needs to look at his/her ductwork. The exhaust could be the quietest one on the market, but if the ductwork is problematic, the exhaust's low sones won't matter. Your duct diameter should be 8" or 10", not smaller. And the more turns the ductwork has, the louder your exhaust will be regardless of brand. And the longer the run is to the outside, the louder the hood will be, regardless of brand. The duct differences are why you will have one person saying their hood is very quiet, and another person with the exact hood saying it is noisy.

Also, you didn't mention which Kobe hood you like. Note that baffle filters are quieter than mesh filters, and Kolbe makes exhausts with both kinds, so shop for the one with baffle filters. As to the 36" width of the Kobe you like, it is actually better for your 30" range to have a 36" hood; you will have better capture area to exhaust the smoke and grease. If your cabinetry does not allow for a 36" wide hood, then a 30" hood is fine. But I wouldn't cross off the Kobe 36" hood if you can fit it.

willis13 - I too am in the process of shopping for a hood. This does not answer your question, but thought it might be useful to post this "FAQ" about hoods that I found in the appliance forum:

Here is a link that might be useful: Hood FAQ

Also look at Sirius brand hoods -- That's what we got, and it is really, really quiet!

AKChicago's point about the ducting is also very important. From the research I did, it seems vent noise comes from two sources:

- Motor noise, which you can control by the appliance you purchase and the way you mount it, and
- Air Noise, which you manage by having the shortest, least-obstructed air flow you can.

Some very interesting tidbits -- Unless your hood vents straight up, you have to change the direction of airflow at some point. You may also need to change the shape or size of the ducting - from round to square or vice versa, both of which disrupt airflow and increase noise. But it seems that if you change direction at the same time as you change shape, you get one of the changes 'free' noisewise... And two 45 degree turns are much quieter than on 90 turn. Ridged vents should be avoided if at all possible (fire and noise).

I wish I still had the link, but there is, somewhere out in Internet-land, a great little tool to calculate your 'effective duct length' -- a measure that is comparable to a plain straight run. This little chart factors in turns, sizes, etc. to really help you keep things quiet.

akchicago, thanks for that info on the duct work, I wasn't aware of that. We should be able to have a short run, minimal turns, thank goodness! Kobe only seemed to have two hoods, one without the "quiet" feature, and one that was too big. So I guess I didn't like any of them :( But they do seem to be recommended here.

Sweeby - My cabinet designer just sent me a link to Sirius, so that probably means they are available here, so will definitley look into them. Their web site seems a bit useless though, can't see (quick glance) any actual info on the units, just photos.

Salal - does gaggenau do one you can build in? I can't see on on thier site, but there is a distributer of them close to my home, so will check them out tomorrow.

Thanks to the rest of you for the suggestions... am doing my homework!