******************UPDATE 09/06/2018********************
I have owned this for a year and a half and wanted to share my experience. It has performed flawlessly thus far and has been a great addition to our kitchen . The self cleaning process works like a charm. We needed to replace one of the bulbs and the customer service was very responsive in that process. It is low profile and looks gorgeous. Highly recommend!
**************************************************************
Original review:
We are very pleased with the Tatsumaki TA-400 range hood. I am generally a conservative shopper and usually don't buy products with fewer reviews. However, we took a leap of faith with the TA-400 because: 1) we were looking for a powerful hood as we cook a lot of South Asians spicy/flavorful food (desirable) using a lot of frying and high heat cooking that make our entire home (and clothes) also smell flavorful (not desirable!) – especially in the winter; 2) we wanted ease of cleaning; 3) we preferred a low profile design; 4) we needed rear vent option as we were replacing an over the range microwave that was venting outside through the rear and all ductwork was already in place; and 5) we were on a budget! The TA-400 met all of those criteria. I am not an expert or super handy, but I will do my best to share my perspectives. I also don’t always take the time to review our Amazon purchases (mainly because we buy things that have already been extensively reviewed), but in this case, I decided to write in support of a less reviewed product.
Shipping and Installation:
• Shipping was fast, packaging was good, all accessories were in place.
• The venting options were nicely laid out (came with top round vent, top rectangular vent and rear rectangular vent. We use the latter.
• Installation was easy. We had a local electrician assist us. We took out the existing microwave, adjusted the rear opening of the wall to fit the Tatsumaki (simple expansion of the slot on the wall for the adapter to fit in). It mounted securely under the cabinet on top. We finished by adding backsplash to cover the exposed wall at the back (microwave was bigger!).
• Three things to note: 1) It comes with open electrical wires for direct connection, but our microwave was plugged in. Our electrician installed a plug to the wires; 2) We were unsure about what to do with an open water line (for self-cleaning). A quick call to customer service informed us about the little hole through which that should be channeled; and 3) Since our duct routes through the garage into the attic and then outside, we took the baffle out of the adapter. The CS person mentioned that most client complaints about rattle type noises resulted from the baffle hitting duct or something. With no baffle, the sound is uniform.
Performance:
The performance of this 750 cfm range hood is awesome! You can select six speeds. It starts at 3 by default and you can toggle to higher or lower speeds. We used 3 for simple frying: eggs, hot dogs and such. We used 4 or 5 when we reheating food on the stove and 5 or 6 when cooking curry type dishes or fried stuff. In all cases, the strong smell that used to linger in our home is gone. There is a faint smell of food in the living/dining room that you would normally get if you serve hot/steamy food. What amazed us is that even the clothes we were wearing while cooking didn’t catch much smell. The self-cleaning process is a nice additional feature that seemed to work well during the one time we have used it so far. The hood is not whisper quiet and we didn’t expect it to be while moving air at 750 cfm. It is, however, less noisy than our microwave vent at high speed and the sound of the fan is very even and not harsh. We couldn’t ask for more in terms of performance.
Critique:
The only critique I have is about documentation. It came with documentation for TA-195/TA-395. Hence, there were no instructions about the self-cleaning system and installation of the water line. The Tatsumaki CS told me that they were experiencing delays in the production of instruction manuals of TA-400.
Customer Service:
While installing, we had the question about the open water line. I called Tatsumaki CS and Calvin picked up right away (no recorded message, no wait and no international call center!). We exchanged pictures via iMessage and the problem was solved. I later spoke to Calvin a couple more times (regarding baffle, self-cleaning process, etc.). He either picked up right away or called/messaged back within a reasonable time frame. I am not sure if it is a one-person show for now and how this level of service will sustain in the long run, but for now this has been the most attentive customer service I have ever experienced.
Final words:
We were a bit skeptical about the absence of full size vents and came with the two fan-like vents. We think it looks pretty good after installation in our kitchen, but you can form your own opinion from the pictures we posted. We have been using it for two weeks and are very pleased with its performance. We look forward to smooth performance and high quality service going forward.
I would've given this 5 stars, but decided not to thanks to the some reasons that i will list.
I did a lot of research before buying a range hood. This is my first under the cabin hood, that I got as a replacement for a non functional microwave exhaust. It took me sometime and multiple attempts to get the ducting right for proper airflow. This is a powerful vent, and needs the right ducting to channel the air outside. If not, you will see problems with air flowing back, like i did initially. Once every thing was done right, this started to work like a breeze. The suction is very efficient. The cooking smell is out, almost all of it. I cook really spicy, flavorful Indian dishes, and I could see all the smoke and odor being sucked out by the vent. The cooking smell doesn't stay in the house like it used to. The sound levels are also very comfortable for cooking.
Some of the shortcomings that I noticed were.
1. The speed control is only in one direction. You have to go all the way through the cycle to go back one level.
2. There is no independent fan switch off. So, if I have both the lights and fan on, there is no way that I can just turn the fan off, keeping the lights on.
I have to turn the main power off and then turn the light back on.
For the above two reasons, I would take one star off. Other than that, so far I am happy with this range hood.Its worth the money and functional as promised.
If you want a clean cabinets and if you cook a lot of food like my family, Go and buy this range hood. I can see a lot of difference between earlier range hood and this one. stainless steel is added advantage. the fan has multiple speeds and at 3rd level itself it beats my older range hood. I tried the top speed and noise is still comparable to my older range hood which has only 2 speed levels for fan.The oil catchers and self clean operation means less hassle for us. The significant difference i saw is there is no oil stains near the control panel or around cabinets, which is a direct indication that the earlier range hood is not up to the task.the fan in Tatsumaki is so powerful, when it is turned on at 2nd level, i can see the flame on my gas burners flicker if no pots are on top. I explained my wife that means less fumes in kitchen which is more healthy for her.
very prompt and responsible seller!
contacted seller after following all the prechecks per instruction for noticing a strong down-draft blowing all cooking steams and smokes everywhere but the suction fans. Seller was very courteous, responsible and professional. Seller shared with me possibly there was something blocking the airflow. sure enough, after removing the duct converter he noticed the damper was slanted (not fully open). Seller made a few suggestion and was willing to ship a new damper assembly. Seller even answered my call after hours. now my range hood is running without the damper. all cooking smokes and steams are sucked up into both powerful fans. i did a test today to share with Amazon readers. it was a light cooking and i use 1 ply of tissue which i peeled carefully away from a sheet of 3-ply tissue. this is my way of keeping all of my vacuum free of yucky hairs and nasty dust build-ups, so the vacuum filter remains clean. Back to the range hood, you can see this was from a light cooking and already the tissue paper shows oil build up so visible. it's a very powerful hood. oops! i don't see the options to attach photos. :(
the damper assembly is arriving today. I will put it in in the next couple of days.
last photo shows the tissue paper laid flat.
One of the grease trap cap at the bottom came broken. Seller promptly replaced the part. If you want to find the seller, you may want to leave a message, which he quickly returns call. Apparently, no one answers phones directly.
After installation, I must admit that this is a beautiful and powered range hood.
The manual incorrectly describes the range hood. It's nearly impossible to install by the way described in the manual.
It took me two days to get it installed and made seven trips to home depot.
If you want to install it yourself instead of waiting for a contractor, I highly recommend a cabinet jack to hold the 45 pound range hood in place. Or you can ask your wife to hold it for 5 seconds at a time but cabinet jack is better. Bendable drill extension is also needed.
Feature Product
- POWERFUL 750 CFM EXTRACTOR: Sleek and contemporary, this slim stainless steel under cabinet range hood features 6 speeds to prevent cooking smells recirculating around the home.
- EASY AUTO CLEAN: The innovative kitchen exhaust fan is designed to clean the extractor motors with water to improve ventilator hygiene and prolong the motor life. No water line needed!
- BUTTONLESS DESIGN: The under cabinet ventilation appliance features a touch control panel making regular cleaning effortless. The extractor hood also comes with a digital screen with clock.
- WARM KITCHEN LIGHT: Our stainless steel stove fan comes with two halogen lights in a warming color that integrates well with any kitchen, creating a calm and cozy atmosphere for cooking.
- THREE-WAY VENT OPTION: The ventilation tool comes with all adapters for professional or DIY installation in most kitchens. Top and rear vent options - 6" round or 10" x 3-1/4" rectangular adapter.
Description
This Tastemaker range hood delivers the ultimate combination of modern styling with improved features like water self-clean operation, touch control panel, and white lighting. The water self-clean operation will effectively remove grease and oil from your range hood.
The product is working as described. I give 5 stars for a nice design and the quality of materials, but it is pricy. I can't commet on any long term aspects at this moment, but it is promising so far based on how it looks, sounds, and what have been rated by others. (Since the rating could be grossly manipulated, I wouldn't rely much on too positive comments.) The installation is a big issue, as in any other range hood. As a DIY person, it took me a few days to execute while finding a few free hous each day. I was replacing my 25-year-old hood and had a benefit of vertical 6-inch dia duct already in place. The electical connection was also conveniently in place. Even with these, it was a big deal to accurately design the mouting wood and put the range hood in place with duct and electrical connections by one person. I used a stand to hold the hood to do the connections just 4 inches below the mounting height, then raised it within 1/4 inch to mount to pre aligned 6 screws using various wood to support. I believe the product is designed well for installation, but no matter it is not easy. The manual is not helpful in terms of explaining how the parts included are intended for the use.
We bought this vent hood as part of a kitchen remodel. The old kitchen had a recirculating vent, which was largely ineffective. This hood operates as advertised, and seems to be able to handle whatever I throw at it, including smoky wok meals. It runs surprisingly quietly, and all the fumes go up the chimney without any spill-over. The controls work well and have a nice feel. We put an LED bulb in the light socket, so the lighting is very adequate. Note: a standard-sized light bulb won't fit inside the fixture--we used a GE Refresh 530 lumen bulb. I haven't tried the self-cleaning feature yet, as we have only had the hood in place for a few weeks. I will update this review when we do.
Ok. First of all, the instructions are ok, not great. Overall the hood is very well made and they do provide a lot of attachments for all your needs.
The ventilation is strong and not too loud. Installation takes a little doing, if you are a DYI. Only one light bulb. I did replace it with a LED bulb.
I only had it for a few days, so far my wife is happy with it. Only time will tell how long the hood will last. There weren't many instructions on the self-cleaning feature... It is nice that I am able to take out the fan blade to clean it once every 6 months or so.
We have been using the Tatsumaki range hood for about 7 months. We find it very chic in appearance and a valuable asset in our kitchen for clearing the air of the aromas of our cooking. It is easy to maintain and it has received compliments from several people who visit our home. Previously we had an OTR microwave which did not get rid of the heavy odor of the cooking. The range hood’s exhaust can be noisy at higher speeds but we are happy that it is doing its job way much better than the OTR microwave which was noisy too. The self-cleaning instructions say that the fluid mixture which we have to pour in to the top of the range hood can be used up to 6 times but we are finding that it is used up in 4 runs of the self-cleaning cycle. Yet we don’t mind that as the self-cleaning process seems to be pretty effective. This is a very useful and effective range hood for its reasonable price. Tatsumaki customer support has been helpful when we have needed to contact them.
I really like the look of this product. It is well made and reasonably quiet. The installation was a bit tricky in my house mostly due to the age of the home. For example, we had to cut some additional venting space in the upper cabinet to get the ductwork to align with the product. Luckily, the item comes with several options for venting, so we were able to pick the best method for our set-up. I found the placement of the buttons to be a bit odd. The self-clean feature and the light would be better placed further to the sides so the fan on/off and speed buttons stood separately, but that's my only complaint. Overall, very happy with the purchase and the price.
0 comments:
Post a Comment