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We have, or I should say HAD, a microwave hood right over our cooktop. The builders of the home had taken some shortcuts and installed the hood WAY too close to the cooktop (dangerous) and they also had not installed any ducting.
Natural result of such and environment is that the microhood died on a O/D of grease in the interior.
So we set oput to find a decent range hood alternative that would hang at the right height over the cooktop and pretty quickly found that there was NO WAY that a microhood existed that would fit. Also, we found, we could not find replacement cabinets in the same styleas the kicthen to create more room over thecooktop to retrofit a new microhood.
Conclusion: buy another microwave that is not a hood AND find a range hood that would not exceed 7" in height so that it would not be too close to the cooktop.
Secondly, find one with enough CFM to work well for our wokking and excessive cooking.
Thridly, try and find all this WITH a recirculation option so that we would not have to try and put expensive ductwork into the home.
Forth: have it fit our stainless look kicthen decor
And lastly, get all this for under 400$.
About the ZEPHYR AK1200
We shopped and shopped and always found something amiss: either not enough CFM, no recirculation option, too expensive or a combination thereoff. 2 brands did jump out at us for reasonable prices, good CFM and nice designs with low profiles: SUMMIT and ZEPHYR.
Under 400$ it is almost impossible to find all this, mind you.
The ZEPHYR AK1200 won for us because of a couple of reasons, that we consider pros.
PROS:
) Price, price, price
0 Non-obtrusive design that cann fit into any decor.
0 All stainless outside, no plstic black panels etc as the Broans in this price range sport. the controls are in a plastic panel but under the hood.
0 Lighting with dimmers (2 step, not halogen), 2 lights, well aimed at cooktop and easily cleanable with glass covers
0 400 CFM!! For this price. Awesome
0 Large single blower/fan cage.
0 Cheap recirculation option: under 20$!! Very cheap.
0 Low sones at low speeds, does get noisy when blowing full speed but that is the price of most CFM
0 Again, can be installed ducted (3.25" by 10") or ductless
0 Easy clean dishwashed aluminum filters
0 Really low profile at 5.25". perfect for those that need under cabinet without excessive space available for larger hoods.
0 Timer feature on blower
CONS:
0 Not as silent as hoped, but as silent as it gets in this pricerange.
0 Control panel un underside of hood, easy for wifey but I have to still feel around a bit.
0 Some mighht find the design not very inspiring.
0 Fan cage is plastic
0 Little on the loud side in all 3 settings
CONCLUSION:
The ZEPHYR's offer excellent designs at perfect prices. Not excessively expensive but with features that compare to >500$ hoods. If this is too bland, look at the ZEPHYR or SUMMIT more expensive lines. They get very modern but unfortunately too high profile for us. Even the Boran's we looked at did not compare, being a low end manufacturer. This stuff is Excellent price/quality.
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Zephyr AK1200BProduct Description: Exceptional performance in a quiet package, the Breeze II is equipped with upgraded 400 CFM blowers. Three blower speeds and a convenient delay feature let you step away while the fan runs for 15 minutes, then automatically shuts off. Sleek, integrated controls simplify cleanup, and the two-level incandescent bulbs offer a nightlight dinner. Options: Re-circulation Kit, Halogen Lighting. ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: Florida, Georgia, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, louisiana, Arkansas, Maryland, Washington D. C.
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