• Canopy hoods

  This type of rangehood is positioned against a wall over your cooktop. Air is usually ducted to the outside of your house through the wall or roof, although some models offer a recirculation option. Canopy hoods are known for their excellent performance.

  Extraction ability: ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

• Island hoods

  If your kitchen has an island cooking area, this type of hood is for you. As well as looking good, an island hood has excellent extraction abilities. Air is usually ducted to the outside of your house through the roof, although some models offer a recirculation option.

  Extraction ability: ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

• Compact hoods

  A compact hood would be positioned against the wall above your cooktop. It can be exposed, to be a design feature, or built into a cupboard. Some compact hoods offer a recirculation option, for kitchens where ducting to the exterior of the house isn’t possible.

  Extraction ability: ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

• Tilter hoods

  A tilter hood looks exactly like a cupboard, but it’s an extractor. It is built into the area above your cooktop; lights and motor operate automatically when the door is pulled open. Some tilter hoods offer a recirculation option, for kitchens where ducting to the exterior of the house isn’t possible.

  Extraction ability: ∗ ∗ ∗

• Slide-out hoods

  A slide out hood is also built into a cupboard above your cooktop, with just the front edge of the slider showing. Lights and motor operate automatically when the slider is pulled out. Some slideout hoods offer a recirculation option, for kitchens where ducting to the exterior of the house isn’t possible.

  Extraction ability: ∗ ∗ ∗

• Powerpack hoods

  Your kitchen designer says “hide it away”, so an integrated hood is the way to go. A powerpack hood is built into a cupboard above your cooktop. Some models offer a recirculation option, for kitchens where ducting to the exterior of the house isn’t possible.

  Extraction ability: ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

Where does the dirty air go?

Rangehoods are designed to remove steam, grease and odours from your kitchen to help keep your home healthy, hygienic and smelling sweet. Once this dirty air has entered the rangehood, it can do one of two things:

• Exit to the outside through ducting that connects your rangehood to the exterior of your house. This is the preferred method of air removal.
• Recirculate through charcoal filters, which clean the air before it’s returned to the kitchen. This type of air removal is only used when ducting isn’t possible because of how the kitchen is configured.

How does ducting work?

• Ducting is the preferred method of air removal. It is more efficient and quieter.
• Ducted rangehoods use aluminium filters to catch large particles of fat and grease before expelling steam and odours to the exterior of the house - either through the wall or roof.
• The filters are washable in the dishwasher and regular washing is important to ensure that they don’t inhibit air movement.
• The shortest and most direct route to the air exit point will be the most efficient.

How does recirculation work?

• Recirculation should only be used when ducting is not possible.
• With recirculating rangehoods the air is cleaned before it’s recirculated into the kitchen. The air travels through charcoal filters which absorb odours, grease and steam.
• Charcoal filters need to be replaced regularly (every two to four months) or extraction performance is impaired. The filters cannot be washed and re-used.

How is rangehood extraction power measured?

• Extraction power is measured in cubic metres per hour (m³/hr) or litres per minute (litres/min).
• In the Robinhood range, extraction power starts at 346 m³/hr and goes right up to 1034 m³/hr, so it’s a good idea to check specifications before you make a purchase decision.

Why are some rangehoods noisier than others?

• Rangehood noise output is measured in decibels (dB). A higher number indicates more noise.
• Flexible ducting can make rangehoods noisier to operate. Whenever possible, choose semi-rigid or rigid ducting.
• If flexible ducting can’t be avoided, it should be stretched as tightly as possible.
• When air moves, it makes noise. Logically, a higher extraction power will mean more decibels.

How can kitchen size or house layout affect rangehood choice?

• Large, open-plan kitchens needs maximum extraction power - or the whole house will know what you’re cooking.
• Small, closed-in kitchens can get away with a lower level of extraction power.
• If the position of your rangehood will require a long run of ducting, or ducting with more than two bends, choose the highest extraction level you can afford.

See what you’re doing

Air extraction is the primary reason to get a rangehood, but lighting comes a close second. Being able to see what you’re doing is important. Is it simmering? Are those onions brown enough yet? Do I need to flip that steak? With effective lighting, the answers are obvious.

Which type of light?

Our rangehood lineup incudes three types of lighting - halogen, fluorescent and incandescent. All are effective, but each type of light has different qualities - colour, intensity and bulb lifespan. While you’re looking through the rangehood product range, you’ll notice that our more expensive models have either dimmable fluorescent or halogen lighting.

• Fluorescent - cool, white and dimmable

  New generation fluorescent lighting provides outstanding illumination of the cooking area and generates very little heat. And Robinhood fluorescent light has a special benefit - it’s dimmable! You can select a level of light that works for you, then dim it further for mood lighting when you’ve finished cooking. Don’t feel bad about leaving the lights on, even all night, because they’re very cost effective to run. The u-shaped bulbs are easy to replace and can be purchased from any good lighting store.

• Halogen - bright, white and focused

  Halogen light is bright, white and focused - very good for reading the fine print on ingredient packages! This lighting style is slightly more energy efficient than standard incandescent light, but not as energy efficient as fluorescent light. The bulbs get quite hot, because they generate heat as well as light. Most rangehood models with halogen lighting have two bulbs, but some have four. Replacement bulbs can be purchased from any good lighting store.

• Incandescent - soft and golden

  Incandescent light is generated by what you probably call a ‘normal light bulb’. It has a softer, more golden light. The bulbs get quite hot, because they generate heat as well as light. While incandescent is the least energy-efficient type of light, the bulbs are relatively cheap. You’ll find this type of lighting at the lower end of our range. Replacement bulbs can be purchased from any good lighting store.