Quality, excellent value, with a couple of shortcomings
on August 18, 2019
Posted by: Navid
Replaced OTR microwave, and couldn't be happier. Great air flow, reasonably quiet, and obvious quality construction, with a commercial grade filter/grease trap.Only 3 gripes, 1 major, 2 minor (in order):1-Really, really, REALLY need a mounting hole template, and preferably on heavy paper. This thing is heavy, and the mounting holes are difficult to access from below. Furthermore, the mounting plate on top is thin, so if the holes in the shelf or cabinet bottom need to be enlarged or elongated, there's a good chance the metal will bend in, releasing the relatively small head screws and washers. I almost dropped it during installation because of this. Ended up using fender washers (which needed to be trimmed to clear the motor mounts in the back.... yuck!)2-Turning on the fan or lights requires turning on the unit first. That's 1 extra unnecessary step, IMO.3-Light dimming, or at least 2 levels of brightness would have been a great feature.The unit has only been in use for couple of months, but I have confidence in the apparent durability. In spite of the above, I gave the product 5 stars because I consider the quality and value to be overriding.
Easy to install. Dropped right in to replace my old broken 30" hood. I bought it because it bad a rear exhaust option. Beat part is the LED lights, that provide nice bright illumination to the range below. Fan has lots of sped adjustments, and works great too! Best kitchen upgrade I have done ever! A quality unit.
Looks good, works as expected. Expected better engineering. Clock not accurate; have to power on, then clock, then adjust speed down to desired low noise level. Installation was a pain. (Had to move wiring from prior good, then hold hood in place to secure.)
Very sturdy, easy to install and looks great! Replaced an over the stove microwave (why people do this I'll never know). You most certainly need 2 people, but cabinet jacks would work better, as there is usually NOT room to have 2 people hold it up while a 3rd person puts in the screws. I made a cardboard template, sunk the screws in half way, then we were able to lift it onto the screws and slide it back. Tightened the screws and we were ready to go.With a gas stove, the kitchen is MUCH cooler (vent on 3 of 6 settings), as it sucks up the heat released. With the oven at 375, 3 burners going, one of them a large pot of water for boiling pasta, it removes all the steam and heat. You can stand 3 ft away and have a conversation and not notice any heat with the vent on its 4th speed, but I took it to 6 (cause I can lol)