Comparison Luxor Laura 1450 Ultra LED BK black vs Luxor Elite F60 WH white

— Traditional (wall). Free-standing (non-embedded) wall-mounted units. The most common type of modern hoods: hobs are often placed near the walls, and it also makes sense to install the hood there.

— Wall/built-in. This type includes exclusively visor hoods(see below), which can be installed both as wall-mounted and built-in.

— Built-in (in cabinet). Hoods mounted in a kitchen cabinet; only the duct panel remains outside. It can be fully built-in or have a sliding panel; see "Design" for details. Nevertheless, the built-in hood is almost entirely hidden inside the cabinet, making it easier to fit into the overall kitchen design than a stand-alone one.

— Island (ceiling). Hoods mounted on the ceiling. The advantage of such devices is that they can be installed anywhere in the kitchen, not necessarily against the wall. If the hob is placed not against the wall but in the middle of the kitchen, such a hood can be indispensable.

— Suspended (ceiling). Hood models that are as similar as possible to island hoods differ in the type of installation — they use special cables that hold the device under the ceiling (something similar to hanging chandeliers). And, due to the distance from the wall (ceiling), such hoods work on the principle of recirculation, air extraction is not typical for them.

...— Built-in (ceiling). A type of built-in hood mounted on the ceiling — usually between the suspended and the main ceiling. Such models are distinguished by their large size and high performance; they are intended not so much for the "maintenance" of individual cooking hobs but for general ventilation of the premises. Also, note that the installation of such hoods has to be planned already at the stage of the initial design of the premises.

— Corner (wall). Hoods designed for installation in a corner. In some cases, it is this installation of the cooker (and hood) that is the best option. In general, such devices are similar to the wall-mounted ones described above.

— Downdraft (built into tabletop). A variety of built-in hoods designed to be built into the countertop. Usually, they are equipped with a retractable air intake, which, when opened, moves upwards, and when not in use, it is hidden inside the countertop and does not interfere with its use.

— Dome. Hood with a round or rectangular air duct; in the lower part turning into a conical or trapezoidal body. Usually, it has a discreet design with a minimum number of decorative elements. Exceptions to this rule apply to country style, shown separately.

— T-shaped. Outwardly, it resembles a dome hood, but instead of a conical or trapezoidal body, the air duct ends with a flat rectangular air intake. In cross-section, the system resembles the letter "T" for which it got its name.

— Angled. In such hoods, the air intake panel is installed at an angle to the duct. This design is purely aesthetic and does not affect functionality.

— Vertical panel. A special type of wall-mounted hood that is as close as possible to angled models, except that when not in use, the front panel is parallel to the wall and not at an angle.

— Cylindrical. Classic cylindrical hoods.

— Rectangular. Hoods of an even geometric shape of a solid design and do not have a division into a duct and a body (as is done in T-shaped models).

— With glass. The main distinguishing feature of all such hoods is the presence of a glass plate in the design as an additional decorative...element. The very appearance of the hood can be anything: dome with glass, T-shaped with glass, angled with glass, cylindrical with glass.

— Visor. Extractor hood designed for installation under a kitchen cabinet. At the same time, the air duct is hidden inside, and outside there is only a flat air intake resembling a visor (hence the name). Glass is often used in the design of the visor.

— Sliding panel. As the name implies, these hoods are equipped with a retractable air intake panel. During operation, the panel opens — thus increasing the effective suction area. The hood itself is usually built into a cabinet or table (see "Product type"). But this type can be implemented in two ways. Sliding hoods with open panel when closed have a front panel that stands out and is visible under the cabinet. Sliding hoods with hidden panel are not visible when closed, and the opening mechanism is designed in such a way that the panel extends slightly at an angle.

— Fully built-in. Hoods that are built-in in the full sense of the word: the device is almost entirely hidden in a hanging cabinet or ceiling; only the air intake panel is outside. Such an installation is known by a minimum of visible details and allows you not to worry about how the hood will fit into the kitchen interior.

— Modern (unusual design). Hoods with a hi-tech look — using polished metal, glass and a minimum of decorative elements. Most modern style hoods have a specific design that does not fit into any of the options described above; Therefore, they are separated into a separate category. However, the design of such devices may vary; there are both absolutely minimalistic and rather pretentious, original design.

— Country. Country-style hoods usually have light, soft body colours (white, beige, light grey) and structural elements decorated in wood, bronze and other similar materials. By design, such devices are usually similar to domed ones. Note that with similar performance, country hoods are noticeably more expensive than conventional style models. In addition, they are quite demanding on the environment: the whole kitchen must be made in a similar style. otherwise, it is likely that the device simply does not fit into the interior.

The power of the hood at maximum speed.

The more powerful the device, the more performant it is, usually. However, there is no rigid dependence here, and hoods of the same power may differ in actual performance. So it is worth evaluating power consumption in terms of power first of all: the lower this indicator, the more economical the device. And when evaluating performance, you need to look not so much at power as at the directly claimed flow of the air (see below).

The maximum flow of air or motor flow of air indicates the theoretical capability of the device. This parameter of the hood (motor) is measured during idle operation. By connecting the duct and working in the appropriate mode of extraction, the flow of air will be lower. However, high-performance motors will also give a high flow of air in extraction mode.

The volume at which the device operates in the quietest mode. Usually (but not necessarily) it is the minimum power mode.

The decibels in which the noise level is measured are non-linear units, so it is easiest to use comparison tables to estimate a specific value. Here is the simplest table for minimum noise in modern hoods:

— 20 dB. Almost inaudible. The volume of a whisper at a distance of 1 m, the sound background in an open field on a calm day.
— 30 dB. The whisper, the ticking of the clock. The maximum noise level allowed for residential premises at night.
— 40 dB. The volume of normal human speech. The maximum permissible sound background (permanent) for living quarters during the day.
— 50 dB. Conversation of several people in medium tones.
— 60 dB. Loud talk.
— 65 – 68 dB — background noise on a city street, a vacuum cleaner engine at a distance of 2 – 3 m. The highest noise level among modern hoods is typical for powerful performant models.

When choosing according to this indicator, note that, other things being equal, a quieter device will, accordingly, cost more.

The type of grease filter normally used in the hood. Usually, it has the appearance of a fine mesh that traps drops of fat and kitchen fumes. The grease filter can be like this:

— Metal. In this case, different materials can be used; most often, the word "metal" means a filter made of a relatively inexpensive alloy, and aluminium and stainless steel are usually listed separately (see below for more details). Common features of metal mesh are strength, durability and reusability: it is enough to wash and dry a dirty filter, after which it is ready for use again.

— Aluminium. Filters made of aluminium alloys are considered to be very durable, because this material is highly resistant to corrosion. However, such filters are noticeably more expensive than ordinary metal ones (see above).

— Stainless steel. Mesh made of this material has all the advantages of the metal filters described above; they are very reliable and durable, but at the same time not cheap. As a result, the use of stainless steel is typical mainly for premium hoods.

— Acrylic. A polymeric material similar to plastic. The main and the only advantage of acrylic filters is their low cost. At the same time, their service life is much shorter than that of metal ones. And some of these filters are generally disposable and cannot be cleaned after clogging. As a result, such filters are used mainly in low...-cost models of hoods, and even then quite rarely.

A timer that automatically turns off the hood after a predetermined time. With such a system, you do not need to wait until the completion of ventilation and turn off the device manually — just set the timer, and you can safely leave the kitchen on your own business; the hood will turn itself off at the right time.

A suction system that draws air into the hood through a series of holes around the perimeter of the air intake. This design provides high suction efficiency and, at the same time, allows you to apply advanced design solutions to the device. However, due to the high cost, it is typical mainly for premium hoods.

The duct diameter characterizes the size of the hood outlet to which the ducts are connected. The standard is either 120 mm or 150 mm. In many cases, an adapter from one diameter to another can additionally be included with the device. However, when replacing the hood with a new one, it is still better to operate with the existing pipe diameter and not use adapters.