I'm redoing my second kitchen and put this in my second after loving it in my first.
Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Futuro Hoods

Lisaslists -- can you tell me which hood you have? Your link just took me to the main page and there are a ton to choose from? Is it quiet? Adequate cooktop lighting? Thanks!

Yes. Quiet. I have an island hood. You want a wall one, right? Check out the sones. It is quieter than most, even maybe the kobe. 4 halogen lights which is plenty for me. The site isn't that confusing once you get into it. Just choose wall, then go to the size you want and select various models to see details. I do see that the wall one of PLANE - my model - only has 2 lights. Maybe that's standard for wall ones?
Lisa

On the question of vent hoods, exactly where do you go to see/hear these beasts? We need to get a 36" SS wall mount, but I have to find something to fit a budget. So where do you find something reasonable? Online and pray? I went to the big box down the street, and they don't even have one in their showroom. Any help would be appreciated! Thankyou!

I couldn't find a place to view vent hoods - except the Miele showroom if you wanted a Miele. When I called Futuro to see where I could view them, the gentleman said only in NY where they are located. So, I will be ordering blind from Futuro based on their statistics and what people have said about them here.

I have a Kobe with 2 halogens, and they're fine: bright, clean. It's worked well for me. I have a 30" cooktop.

I have a Bosch 36" Chimney wall hood and while it only has 2 lights it seems very bright to me. In fact many nights we just use the hood light in the hood as mood lighting vs turning on the undercab lights. We looked at a Zephr hood and almost went for it for the 4 lights, but it was quite a bit more $$. Glad we saved the cash as 2 lights really are enough for us.

Just adding to what theanimala and others have said, we have a 36" Best hood (over a 30" range) with two 20 watt halogens: the lighting is great. Being able to see what one is cooking, really does help!

I have heard a couple of good things on GW about Ancona. In our market (Canada) they are pretty affordable and can be ordered on-line from Costco.

fyi: I just reread the specs sheet on the Broan Allure III I'm buying. If I am reading it correctly, there's a non-hallogen option. Maybe other mfgs also?

I have a Zephyr Savona Chimney Hood. It's 30" but also comes in 36". The halogen lights are very bright and it's fairly quiet.
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I have the 42" Kobe CH179 over a 36" rangetop, the three halogens are more than bright enough.

florantha,

As long as the voltage and wattage are compatible, you can substitute Xenon bulbs for the halogen. The base of the bulb needs to match. Xenon bulbs burn with less heat and you can handle them with your hands.

Here is a link that might be useful: Xenon Bulbs

Texas kitchen, thanks for that link - it's a great site. They have LED retrofit bulbs for mr-16 lights, which is what my hood uses.

Zephyr Milano for me. Its pretty quiet on the lower settings. The lower setting are adequate for mostly everything I do. I turn it up high on occasion it I'm making bacon or something really greasy. The high settings aren't bad either.

Zephyr Milano for me. Its pretty quiet on the lower settings. The lower setting are adequate for mostly everything I do. I turn it up high on occasion it I'm making bacon or something really greasy. The high settings aren't bad either.

Speaking about lights, I found something that surprised me VERY much.

Here is a link that might be useful: Futuro Luxor Range Hood