Customer Reviews

Broan QS230SS Allure II 30-Inch Under-Cabinet Range Hood, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My handyman installed this without incident. The appearance is sleek and modern, complementing a stainless range. The fan is not tool loud and works well for the rear burners. One feature that is a bit disconcerting is that it exhausts some air from the top of the hood to cool the light bulbs. It makes me wonder if this is why it captures less fumes than I would like from the front of the stove.

UPDATE 12/05/09 FIVE stars!***** Based on advice in the first comment on my review, I had the installation checked, and in fact, the baffle was diverting part of the exhaust from the duct to the top front vents, as though it were a ductless installation. Now there is no more exhaust air at all coming out of the top front vents. I did a smoke test, and the hood now draws from the front burner area. This hood, properly installed, works as well as it looks--and that is saying a lot. Check R. Parkinson's comment for advice on correct installation of the baffle.

This is a great hood that looks sharp above my new gas stove -- much better than the old microwave with hood! I really like the fact you can use halogen bulbs, which make things really bright for cooking. There are 3 fan speeds and 3 light settings. I'm very happy, even though my setup is ventless, it still gets the job done -- quietly, too. The fact you can use this in any configuration is a wonderful feature. Thanks, Broan!

We've now had this range hood for about 6 months and yes it's pretty to look at, nice halogen lights and all, and it seems generally functional, but the most annoying thing I must say is that the exhaust fan will turn on by itself when the Advance Heat Sentry Technology detects heat and it cannot be turned off manually AT ALL! So this noisy fan must continually run in your kitchen until it decides it's safe to shut itself off, my god it's unbearable, my wife says it's like water torture. It stays on for hours, it grates on you, and we absolutely hate it. You can't even set it on a lower fan speed, nothing stops the incessant noise from the higher fan speed and you can't shut it off. If you buy this product beware- you have been forewarned.

A beautiful range hood unit once installed. But installation to a 7" round ducted vent turned into an all-day job. I would have given a rating of 5 stars but:

1. Damper was provided for a 3x10 vent, but NOT for a 7" round vent. This was a surprise "not included" part disclosure hidden within poorly written instructions. This part was not available at Home Depot or Lowe's, and can only be ordered online from various parts retailers. I needed one now so I had to creatively use the damper from the old unit I removed. Then, I had to made some modifications in the duct pipe to widen the mouth.

2. Instructions show unit being installed without range being pulled out since it calls for electrical being hooked up before mounting under cabinets, noting you should protect the range with cardboard. What a joke! This unit is heavy and takes two people to line up the mounting screws and insert into the duct pipe at the same time. Took several tries until all four screws and vent connected adequately. The vent pipe ended up at a slight angle since the hole in the new unit was not in the same location as the old unit. The two left mounting screws are hard to see and requires a long screwdriver due to fan housing.

3. Wiring connection is on right side - top or back. My old unit was on the left back, so I had to put another hole in the wall and pull the wire over to the new location. Oh, you'll also need to furnish your own wire connector clamp for the cutout in the new unit.

It was quite a day for me and my wife and was I sore allover the following day. But it was worth it since it looks good and performs well. But if I had to do it again, I certainly would hire a handyman to do the installation!

Exhaust fan looks great, but I'm a little disappointed that the fan motor is only on one side instead of in the middle. The exhaust pulls great on the left side of the stove, but not as good on the right and the detailed instructions with the exhuast fan even tell you that the right side will not exhaust as well as the left. I wish this fact was also included in the description of the product. If so, I may have bought another brand. If you are installing this fan, make sure you take off the section on the front where the lights are mounted which will gain you better access to installing the exhaust fan under the cabinet. The instructions do not tell you this and if you take that part off before you start installing, it's a lot easier. We found this out too late after my husband had screwed in the back part to the under cabinet. Make sure you order the halogen lights which add so much to the brightness of the cooking area. The product arrived so quickly we were pleasantly surprised when it arrived in only a couple of days. Item was well packed and arrived without any dings or dents. All in all, this is a good exhaust fan. When it is running on low or medium, there is very little noise. As expected it is a little more noisy on the high level. I wish there was a button to light up over the brightness level buttons on the lights, since you have to push that brightness level button you are using to cut off the light. I guess after some use I'll get acclimated to which level of brightness the lights are on and not have to stop and try to decide which button to push to get the light off. This is not a major problem however.

Status - awaiting for a ductless installation while my kitchen is being remodeled. BEWARE - I do not recommend this Brand/Model because: 1) Only the small print in the owner's manual discloses a separate purchase of a set of 2 non-ducted filters is required to attach them to the aluminum mesh filters that come with the unit. 2) Your local authorized retail dealers will probably not have the latter parts in stock. (3) Broan online customer service will advise the owner that another separate & related purchase of a set of clips will be required to install the non-ducted filters (3) The Broan website for these additional parts posts prices unnacceptably - too high, I think, for most consumers who can afford this particular range hood - the afore mentioned parts total will amount to well over $100 (4) I crushed one of the aluminum meshed filters when removing the unit from the shipping box & had to order a set of two to replace the damaged filter - again at an incredibly high price - please check it out. 5) I also discovered that Broan does not have an authorized service center for my metropolitan area - the closest service center being several 100's of miles distant. CONCLUSION: Anyone concerned with the total cost effectiveness of purchase, installation, maintenance, availability of parts & service - ought not to buy this range hood, regardless how well recommended it is by reviews and ratings of its performance.

I'm not totally displeased, mostly because it works a TON better than its predecessor. For the money, though, I expected quieter performance and better draw. This draws from the light fixtures in addition to the screens, which will consequently need regular wiping as well as their sockets, I expect, and motor (rpm) is not very smooth. On medium and high speeds, it's still very loud. Haven't cleaned it yet, but it should be a bit easier due to teflon coating and dishwasher-safe screens. And this may be goods news or not, but you do not have to use halogen bulbs (mine cost $11/ea. @ Bi-Mart w/2 yr. life and they create a LOT of ambient heat). You can also use regular-based bulbs (see owner's guide). It's a nice-looking unit. It installed easily. It IS fairly quiet on low speed.

This is my 1st review EVER! Hope it helps. Love Amazon, btw!

Stainless steel look is given by use of aluminium and in my particular case, on left front of the unit, the screw does not properly tighten. Screw goes all the way in, but the panel is 1/4 inch away from where its supposed to be. At high speed, there is a disturbing rattling noise. Fan itself, lights, overalls looks of this unit is quite nice. i generally use it at low/mid setting so don't mind the problematic screw, but I may have to disassemble figure out a proper way to tighten it and reassemble in the future... kind of annoying...

I like the overall product. Nice finish, easy install, easy to mod for different setups. The one and only thing I would reengineer would be the output at the top.
If this unit is used as a non-venting hood--meaning that the collected air does NOT get pumped outdoors, you will find yourself having to clean the cabinets above the hood more often.

The top vent blows the air toward the cabinets, instead of away from the cabinets. I have not bothered to pull it back down and see if I can fabricate a duct change to redirect the air away from the cabinets, but it probably can be done.

The dual lights are very nice and provide ample light. The 3 fan speeds are nice also but louder on speeds 2 and 3 than I expected. Unit looks much better overall than many that are out there.

Oh, the price could come down a bit I guess, but it does go well with a black stove and wall "plate".

The design of this hood is very eye pleasing with a slightly curved profile. Installation instructions are quite thorough. All in all, a good deal.