General Electric Profileā„¢ JVB98SHSS Kitchen Hood

Pros: Slim profile; out of site when not in use.
Cons: Inefficient; loud; tempermental; difficult to clean.

In 1996, our new house was built with an island cooktop in the center of the kitchen. It was a nice design touch, but the island was very small and would accomodate only a 30-inch 4-burner cooktop. That presented a venting challenge, because the design ...

Pros: none
Cons: bad product, bad support

Summary: this range hood has very limited ability to provide adequate venting, especially when used in combination with gas ranges having high power front burners.

I am an engineer and I find it difficult to believe that anyone could design/sell a product like this. Along with this vent unit, I bought a GE gas cooktop for an island installation. The combination is recommended by GE for this scenario. Experience has shown that essentially none of the fumes from pans on the front burners are collected by the vent, even at maximum 500 CFM setting. The problem stems from the fact that the convective updraft caused by the gas burner far exceeds the backdraft of the vent. I took photos and sent them to GE appliance headquarters in Louisville. They suggested a faulty installation and essentially denied that a design problem exists. To my knowledge, they continue to recommend this product combination.