Ready to choose a new hood? Our Hood Finder makes it easy. After answering a few questions about your kitchen space and personal tastes, we'll tell you which model ticks all the boxes.
7 questions to ask when buying a new rangehood.
- 1. Which type of rangehood fits my kitchen?
- 2. What size of rangehood do I need?
- 3. Would a venting cooktop work instead?
- 4. Rangehood noise levels: how quiet should my appliance be?
- 5. What benefits do smart rangehoods with Home Connect have?
- 6. Which additional features are useful?
- 7. Do I need to switch to a different rangehood filter?
Which rangehood is best?
Generally speaking, the best rangehood for you is the one that fits your kitchen layout, cooktop size and design preferences.
Depending on where your venting cooktop is located – on an island or against a wall – you have different rangehood designs to choose from. Some common options: canopy rangehoods, ceiling rangehoods, integrated rangehoods, glass rangehoods. The size is primarily dictated by the width of your cooktop Of course, small rangehoods are available to suit smaller spaces.
In addition to design and size, the noise level of a rangehood is crucial. While a completely silent rangehood has yet to be invented, there are many low-noise models to choose from.
This is just a small taste of what to consider. Browse our rangehood buying guide below for complete answers to your questions.
1. Which type of rangehood fits my kitchen?
Which rangehood to buy depends on its placement in your kitchen. More precisely, if your cooktop is on an island or peninsula, you have different options to choose from than if your cooktop is against a wall.
rangehoods for island cooktops.
rangehoods for cooktops against a wall.
2. What size of rangehood do I need?
To determine which width of rangehood to choose, look to your cooktop The rule of thumb: to properly remove cooking odours from the kitchen, a rangehood must be at least as wide as your cooktop.
60cm rangehoods: Available as wall-mounted models, integrated models, and venting cooktops.
75cm rangehoods: Available as wall-mounted models.
80cm rangehoods: Available as wall models, retractable downdraft models, and venting cooktops.
90cm rangehoods: Available as wall-mounted models, integrated models, retractable downdraft models, island chimney models, and ceiling models.
105cm rangehoods: Available as ceiling models.
120cm rangehoods: Available as ceiling models.
3. Would a venting cooktop work instead?
If you're also buying a new cooktop, redesigning your kitchen or simply yearning for a sleek aesthetic, a venting cooktop is worthy of a closer look, especially if your cooktop is on an island. A venting cooktop is an induction or ceramic cooktop with an integrated hood fan – essentially two appliances in one.
The advantages: No need to buy a separate rangehood, no obtrusive hood fan blocking your view.
4. rangehood noise levels: how quiet should my appliance be?
Because a rangehood typically runs while you cook next to it, a low-noise model is highly recommendable. Anything above 70 decibels is disturbing and can lead to buyer's regret.
A low-noise rangehood
Models that emit under 60 decibels are considered to be very quiet. Look to the energy label to see the decibel output of each model.
Pro tip: Even our most powerful rangehoods are designed to keep noise to a minimum thanks to their aerodynamic design, stable construction and high-quality motor.
Which is our quietest rangehood to buy? Find out now.
5. What benefits do smart rangehoods with Home Connect have?
Wi-Fi-ready smart rangehoods open up a world of new possibilities – for example when paired with the Home Connect app.
- More flexibility: Control the fan speed, light and ambient colour, sensitivity, and duration via the Home Connect app.
- Maintenance alerts: Know exactly when to clean or change the rangehood filter.
- Voice control: Turn on the hood hands-free, for example, with Google Home or Amazon Alexa.
6. Which additional features are useful?
Innovative features on some of our models help provide a more convenient and comfortable experience with your rangehood.
Self-regulating fan speed: PerfectAir.
A sensor constantly detects the level of odour in the air and adjusts the fan speed automatically. This ensures your kitchen air is always clean and fresh.
The hood-cooktop connection: AutoStart.
Turn on the cooktop, and your hood turns on automatically – brilliant! Even control the rangehood on the cooktop. When you’re done cooking, the hood runs a little longer before switching off.
7. Do I need to switch to a different rangehood filter?
rangehoods are fitted with two types of filters, a grease filter and an odour filter. A metal grease and particle filter comes standards on all our models. To reduce unpleasant cooking odours in ductless hoods, our rangehoods come fitted with an active charcoal filter, our CleanAir standard odour filter.
Does your kitchen often smell unpleasant after cooking strong-smelling foods? Our CleanAir Plus odour filter is especially effective at reducing odours. For greater convenience, our LongLife odour filter is especially long lasting. You can upgrade to either anytime.
CleanAir standard odour filter
- Reduces 60-80% of odours
- AntiFish treatment
- 6-12 month lifetime
- Reduces over 90% of odours
- AntiFish treatment
- AntiPollen feature
- 12-18 month lifetime
- Reduces over 80% of odours
- Up to 10 year lifetime
- Regenerate in the oven 3x/year
Pro tip: Using a CleanAir Plus odour filter also noticeably decreases the rangehood noise level compared to a standard filter.
Which rangehood should I buy?
What are the best rangehoods?
Which rangehood is best? The answer depends on your kitchen layout and personal preferences. The best rangehood brand is also a matter of personal choice. One thing we are certain of: our rangehoods are German-engineered to please the senses. They look good, effectively reduce odours and come in low-noise models to keep the peace.
How high should a rangehood be?
It depends on the type of cooktop you have. For electric cooktop, the rangehood should be installed around 45 to 64cm above the cooktop. A gas cooktop requires a slightly higher clearance of at least 65cm.
Ductless or extraction hood: what's the difference?
Ductless hoods, also known as recirculating hoods or non-vented hoods, draw in air and clean it using a grease filter and active carbon filter. The cleaned air is released back into the ambient air of the kitchen.
Similarly, extraction hoods draw in air and clean it via a grease filter. Then it's piped straight to an extraction point on the outside of your home.
Pro tip: Most of our rangehoods can be installed as a ductless hood or an extraction hood, though you might need an adaptation kit.