I’ve had an over the range microwave for as long as I can remember. Always had very inadequate exhaust/venting. I’ve only had this under cabinet range hood for about a week, but I’m loving every minute of it. I no longer smoke us out of the house when doing high heat cooking such as searing meat or wok use. I love the fact that I can take the baffles out and throw them in the dishwasher. I could never clean the mesh baffles in my microwave exhaust. They would never come clean. I am looking forward to many years of use with this over the range exhaust hood.
I replaced a microwave oven with this potent 500 cfm range fan and it works super at clearing away smoke when pan frying meat or steam vapor when boiling in any of the burner positions. I was able to easily adapt the 8” vent to the 3-1/2”x10” existing vent that has a short 3 ft run to roof with no performance issues using a sheetmetal adapter bought online at SupplyHouse. I was initially concerned of the reduced area but such a short run posed no problem or strain on the equipment. I highly recommend this range fan if you are ready to ditch the microwave for a real stovetop fan. The price was great at $350 including tax. Took 3 hrs to install using my own heavy duty screws and anchors and beefing up the bottom of the upper cabinet with extra filler plywood to ensure good fastener mounting surface.