Why it is sometimes worth buying the cheapest kitchen hood for your home

When I first had to deal with buying a kitchen hood, it turned out to be a daunting task. After all, before I had to use either old ventilation systems (without forced air outflow), or I did not think about the parameters of these household appliances.

What to choose?

It turned out that there are several main types of kitchen hoods. Each of them had undeniable advantages.

The choice was further complicated by the different power of the hoods and additional functions.

What do I need? After all, the kitchen design has not yet been developed. My wife had to cook in conditions of renovation. And I decided on a temporary option. That is, to buy something the cheapest, see the performance, test the functionality, and then buy exactly that extractor hood that would fit perfectly into the kitchen design, would be able to provide a normal outflow of air, performed all the necessary tasks.

What turned out to be the cheapest?

The cheapest kitchen hood turned out to be a product from the Polish company VentoLux, model Adria 60WH.

After receiving by mail, I immediately had several unpleasant moments, which were aggravated during the installation and operation:

1. Misunderstanding why the model name has the designation "... 60W ...", and the technical specifications indicate the power of 75 W?

2. The design of the hood was a disappointment. It's just an enamelled steel box with a fan screwed on and two light bulbs inserted. As for me, it's somehow expensive for such a primitive design.

3. An unpleasant moment. Inside the hood, a small self-tapping screw was dangling, which, under certain circumstances, could get into the engine and short out something there. As it turned out later, this self-tapping screw was absolutely superfluous, it was not included in the package.

4. The shape of the body caused chagrin. The bottom (working) panel forms an angle of 70º with the rear wall. And this does not allow either to position the hood horizontally (the front edge will stick out upward), or to attach it close to the wall (there will be a gap).

5. In the first hour of operation, the propeller “tears down” from the fan. The problem was not solved by simply putting it on; he kept falling off the axis. I had to put the propeller on glue.

Weak technical characteristics were added to these disadvantages:

1. Exhaust power according to the passport is 75 W. But it includes two 25W lamps. That is, only 25 watts were allocated to the fan. In practice, the hood at the "second" (only two) speeds with great difficulty holds A4 sheet, with a density of 60 g / m². It blows two valves (one at the outlet of the hood, and the second at the outlet of the air duct), but all the same, it is felt that the power is not enough.

2. Weak light. Even 2 bulbs with a power of 25 W are not enough to properly illuminate the hob. I will not install more powerful ones so as not to melt anything inside the hood, but I will think about LED ones.

Despite one continuous drawback (I cannot call even the lowest price an advantage, all the same, it is expensive for such primitivism) I consider this purchase useful.

Now I know a little about kitchen hoods and, buying the next one, I can make an informed choice, focusing on technical characteristics, varieties, shapes and sizes.