5 stars for the initial review. Longevity is important for appliances...so we'll see how she does over the next months/years. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this hood. For $300, it is what it is. It's eye-candy. Looks incredible and makes a huge statement. But everything else about it is just kind of "chincy." Not disappointed, as you have to expect that at this price point. The buttons don't push down very easily/evenly, the wires are dangling loose in the inner fan (some of their 3M tape came loose), some of the baffles fit loosely thus creating a lopsided effect (a gentle bending corrected the situation) the supplied screws/anchors are a joke. But hey, it looks incredible, and it does it's job...suck's the hot air. And for that, I'm stoked to spend only $300 on this! I've posted pictures for you to see....again, it looks awesome. The packaging job was incredible. And it comes coated with a protective film that protects the stainless finish until the final reveal. It is a little hard to peel off the film on the chimney extension unit. The other reviews said it scratches very easily...so I installed the chimney unit first, then peeled off the coating. I had to use a razor blade to score it just below the sight-line on one of the chimney extensions for a "clean break." Was a little nervous removing it from the box because some of the protective film had its own scratches. I was worried those would transfer to the stainless steel. Thankfully, they did not. The noise is a non-issue. It's a fan people...it's going to make noise. On the highest setting, you need to raise your voice if you're standing directly by the hood trying to have a conversation. But the other settings did not require my wife and I to "raise our voices." It's fine. Yes, all of the other reviewers are correct: buy new ductwork. The supplied plastic ductwork is a joke. It really is "easy" to install in that all you have to do is hang the thing. Everything else is literally plug and play!
One more thought. We have a 30" stove and I naturally was going to buy the 30" hood. But right before my purchase, I started doing a little more research and many suggested to purchase a hood larger than your stove, to ensure it covers all of your burners. So at the last second, I opted for the 36" hood. SOOOOO glad I did. Not only does it look better on the wall, it efficiently "sucks" regardless of what is cooking on any of the 4 burners.
Buy it. It's worth it. Let's just see how long it lasts......I'm cautiously optimistic.
UPDATE 4/25/2013: After only our second time cleaning the stainless steel baffle filters, the screw/nut that holds the baffle together stripped, thus rendering it useless. Obviously, we were pretty disappointed. I sent an email to customer service asking what the next step of action should be. They responded that same day with a tracking number and I had a new baffle in 2 days with no cost. I've never experienced customer service like that. Really, just outstanding. I'm still worried that issues like this may arise again, but for the price-point, I have to expect that (one of the same screws on another baffle sits crooked in the baffle, causing it to align poorly). My wife and I still love this hood...and after this customer service interaction, we're only more pleased with the purchase!
Overall it's does take more time than expected to install (does take two people), and the directions leave a little more to be desired. But this is probably the case with all range hoods.
This is a single fan, 760 CFM unit that offers 4 fan speeds, two halogen lights in back, and a timer feature to turn off the fans. A few nice points are that the look is very "gourmet" with the vents and handles for the grease traps, the lights tip so that they can be adjusted to point at the food or reflect off the back splash, and the buttons are very simple. It also comes with two nice long, nested pieces of vent shaft for high ceilings.
Here's some tips:
1) you'll need duct tape, and possibly more ducting depending on your application. It comes with a fairly long duct already though.
2) really measure out how tall you're going to position the range hood, keeping in consideration not just the height above the cooktop, but also the vent shaft too. Too low, and there may not be enough shaft. Too tall, and you may not be able to mount the shaft using the predrilled holes.
3) plan out where your outlet will be... the duct and mount on the fan are very close to the back wall, so make sure the outlet / power cord can clear it.
I did find the ceiling mount for the vent shaft to be too short for easy assembly. Unless you're trimming around the shaft, you'll need that bracket all the way up where the wall meets the ceiling, leaving very little room for you to screw in the shaft to the mount.
Finally, the fan speeds are great - lowest setting is still strong, yet quiet; and the max setting is powerful. Fan is mounted in the range well because I didn't experience any vibration.
I did have to re-connect the button controls to the main power connector before operation. It didn't turn on, so I had to troubleshoot the issue - luckily wiring is exposed and not hard to figure out.
I used this to replace an over-range microwave that didn't work properly and had a fan that produced more noise than airflow. I shopped all over, and this was half the price or less of competitive products. I just finished installing it today, used it while cooking dinner this evening, and thus far I'm pretty happy with it. I'd say it looks comparable to some of the $1000 range hoods I looked at. I have a few minor nits, but nothing that would make me want to spend twice as much.
The good:
- Nice overall look and material quality. Looks excellent installed.
- The unit itself is easy to install.
- Buttons operate well. LED indicator on the front is nice.
- Lights work well and can be rotated to focus on the cooking surface.
- good fan suction even at low speed.
- Well packaged. The finished surfaces are covered with a cling plastic to protect them from damage. This is nice on the primary unit, more annoying to peal off of the baffles.
Things to be aware of:
- The baffles fit very loosely into the housing and sit a little lop-sided. I'm sure this can be rectified with a little creativity.
- A little louder than I expected, but still ok for having a conversation at the low speed without having to speak up.
- The unit tended to vibrate when hanging on two bolts. I had to put a couple additional screws through the back corners to hold it firmly against the wall to address that.
- Don't bother with the included wall screws and anchors, or the plastic duct. Do yourself a favor and get the right parts for your installation from a hardware store.
These hoods look as good as the ones from the high end brands and you would have to pay double the price to buy one from an appliance store. The first one I received was dented in shipment. unfortunately this just happens with things like this so be sure to carefully check your unit over QUICK so you can send it back if it arrives damaged. The reason I gave it four stars is because the electronics in my unit were defective. The digital display which shows the speed of the fan has been wonky since day 1 but we've lived with it. After a few months the lights failed and don't shine....they just sort of flicker or pulsate if turned on. The Zline website indicates a 3 years warranty which ain't bad. I called their service department and they are shipping me replacement parts at no cost. I have no problem installing them.
This is actually not a bad product, especially for the price. It looks good and it seems to suck a lot of air in. The trouble with it is that it seems to allow a lot of air under it to escape.
The guideline for range hoods is that your CFM rating should be at least 1/100 your BTU rating. So, I assumed that a range with a maximum output of 60,000 BTU would be fine with this 720 CFM hood. It might be fine if the intake itself were larger or better distributed along the hood, but it seems like the burners near the front and sides have as much vapor escape from the intake as go in. I'm having this one uninstalled and replacing it with another Z Line hood, this time one of the box-shaped ones with a larger intake.
Feature Product
- Vent out or recirculating with optional charcoal filters (configured for both options)
- Up to 760 CFM (cubic feet per minute) with 4 speed fan
- 21-Gauge 430 Brushed Stainless Steel
- Unique design blends in with most workshop or garage settings
- Fits ceiling heights 7 ft. to 12 ft. with optional chimney short kit or extension kit(s)
Description
Vent out or recirculating with optional charcoal filters (configured for both options). Up to 760 CFM (cubic feet per minute) with 4 speed fan. 21-Gauge 430 Brushed Stainless Steel. Unique design blends in with most workshop or garage settings. Fits ceiling heights 7 ft. to 14 ft. with optional chimney short kit or extension kit(s).
We spent a lot of money on appliances during our renovation and needed to save some money on the vent hood while still keeping that expensive look. We turned to Amazon for a solution and landed on this Zline. We couldn't be happier. I can buy but 3 of these for less than the cost of 1 at the appliance store. It has great air movement was a top criteria for us when picking a vent hood and is quiet, and has washable filters. So far, it has been our top kitchen buy.
Have had the vent hood 9 months and can report it is an excellent product at a great price!!! Very quiet and looks beautiful. Could easily pass for a product twice it's price. Very sturdy and easy to install. One of the light bulbs (LED) burned out recently and when I called (2 separate calls) customer service, each time a very friendly human being answered immediately, pulled up my order from my name and sent out replacement parts for free the same day. 3 year warranty on parts is awesome!! Best customer service I've come across in years!! Wish I needed another hood!
It was extremely difficult to find the right size and look of range hood to go in our new kitchen. I was a bit leery about ordering something like this online sight unseen. What a pleasant surprise! Not only is it gorgeous, but it was easy to install and it works great. The only slightly negative thing I could say is that the fan at the highest speed is a bit noisy.
We bought this range hood for our newly remodeled kitchen last year. After using it a full year, I am very pleased with it. It has held up very well and we haven't had one problem with this unit yet. The light bulb has lasted the entire time without a replacement and we even leave it on at night often. The fan is VERY powerful when on high and has four speeds. It sucks up any odors and moisture pronto (vented outside). The only negative thing I can comment on is that the timer feature is a little difficult to understand. If I would have read the owners manual a little closer, it would have made it easier. Installation was very easy although I made two holes inside if the hood to attach it to the wall to make sure it was fully secure (a little peace of mind goes a long way for me!). You cannot beat the price of this when compared to other models!
The LED lights stopped working after about 6 months. I contacted customer service and they promptly mailed me free replacement parts that fixed the issue. I was not expecting Z Line customer service to be of much help after reading several reviews here; however, my experience with them was very positive.
0 comments:
Post a Comment