GE and Broan own the majority of the range hood market. In addition to our picks, we closely considered a handful of other options from both companies.
GE’s Profile line has modern, clean design with a selection of stainless hoods that would look good in most kitchens. We liked the PVW7301 but ultimately decided that the Broan Elite was a better glass canopy hood option, as it is higher-powered. We considered the higher-end professional-style JV966DSS and chimney-style PV970NSS, but decided not to recommend any upgrade hoods in this guide. They are both well-powered hoods that get excellent owner reviews, though.
Café is GE’s new line of hoods that look better than the basic GE models. Their designs are modern and minimal and should look good in most kitchens. We considered recommending a few older Café models as a potential upgrade pick because they looked good and had positive reviews, but they were discontinued while we were working on this guide. We don’t know yet what the response to the newer models will be, but we do think they look even sharper than the last generation.
We considered other hoods from Broan’s Elite line, but found some models (like the RME5030SS and RM503004) to be a bit underpowered at 290 CFM.
Both Broan and GE have even higher-end lines, called Best and Monogram, respectively. Both are well-respected and make HVI-certified hoods with great suction. You can’t go wrong with an option from either line, though you just don’t need to spend this much money on a hood if all you care about is functionality and good-enough looks.
NuTone is a subsidiary of Broan that makes a line of budget-minded range hoods, generally around $500 and under. We didn’t find anything to recommend the NuTone hoods over Broan. They tend to be relatively low-powered, and light on features.
Air King has a wide selection of HVI-certified hoods that all seem pretty solid. They also have many Energy Star-certified options as well. We ultimately dismissed them because Air King hoods are a bit difficult to find widely available for sale online.
Pacific makes high-powered range hoods that are excellent for high-smoke cooking like stir-frying or searing, or for high-odor foods like fish. They aren’t widely available online, but some models are HVI-certified.
We didn’t find anything in particular to recommend or dismiss Whirlpool’s range hoods. The options we considered were mostly lower-powered, with 300 CFM of suction or less, barely hitting our minimum criteria. And some, like the WVU37UC6F or the WVW75UC0DS receive poor owner reviews.
Bosch’s only HVI-certified hood is the 300 series (30-inch, 36-inch). It comes with most of the bells and whistles, including a three-speed fan, built-in timer, heat sensor, and Energy Star certification. If you’re looking for an upgrade hood, this model receives very few owner reviews, but they’re all positive. However, we felt that at $1,000 this upgrade hood is a bit underpowered for the price, with only 300 CFM suction. But that is generally the trade-off for an Energy Star-certified hood.
KitchenAid makes decently reviewed upgrade hoods. The models we considered ranged from $1,000 to $1,600, and are well-powered and quiet. We didn’t find anything in particular that set the KitchenAid hoods apart from their counterparts, but if your designer or contractor recommends one, this brand should do the job nicely.
IKEA makes attractive 30- and 36-inch hoods in the most popular styles, including wall-mounted and under-cabinet designs. Some of its wall-mounted hoods are good, with decent fans (400 CFM) that have three speeds. The $50 Luftig may catch your eye, but its fan is weak and has only two speeds. Most important, none of the IKEA hoods we looked at are HVI-certified—one of our top criteria for a quality fan.
Costco also carries some good hoods, including our pick, the GE JVW5301. We didn’t consider the store’s options from Ancona, Valore, or NXR because they lack HVI certification. Some of the hoods Costco carries are also probably too powerful for most home cooks, like the Valore Plateau, which has a 600 CFM fan. If you are committed to buying a hood at Costco and the GE isn’t available, you probably can’t go wrong with a Valore Cascade (under-cabinet) or Ancona (both under-cabinet), which have strong fans and tend to be very, very affordable.
We looked at two newer hood brands, Z-Line and Cavaliere, which are widely available, even on Amazon (which is uncommon for appliances). Their hoods are powerful and inexpensive. The options we considered were in the $400 to $500 range, boasting around 600 CFM. Though this is a lot of bang for your buck, it’s probably overkill, and neither brand has HVI certification on its fans.
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