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B&Q Cooke and Lewis CLVH60SS-C
by lak11
CLVH60SS-C COOKER HOOD (For Dooyoo)
NEW COOKER, NEW HOOD
I bought a new gas cooker last year in a graphite finish. This shade matched most of my newer kitchen appliances. The cooker it replaced had been won in a competition by my younger son many years ago and it was a brown colour. The cooker hood ... above it was also brown and so, with a new cooker it had to be changed. However, we didn't change the cooker hood immediately on buying our new cooker because although it didn't match, as it was slim line, and a telescopic model, it didn't show too much, especially when closed. In fact, I didn't use it very often and so it was usually closed. But recently we had a kitchen re-fit and the old cooker hood was disposed of along with all the old kitchen units.
We weren't really sure which type of cooker hood to go for but, as it had to fit onto an internal wall with no external outlet, we were told by our kitchen suppliers that we were rather limited. I think the best types of cooker hoods are vented so that the heat is extracted outside but for us this wasn't possible. We did look at some telescopic re-circulating models but anything we saw which fitted in the available space seemed tricky to fit. The new cooker hood would have to fit exactly into a space between two units (either side) and a bridging unit (above) and be relatively easy to fix onto an internal wall. We didn't want anything expensive, and by this I suppose we considered anything over about eighty pounds to be more than we wished to pay for a recirculating type of hood.
We chose the Cooke and Lewis CLVH60SS-C COOKER HOOD. This is a visor type hood in a stainless steel finish.
APPEARANCE
The cooker hood is a silver stainless steel design. It has a glass visor which pulls out. I wasn't sure if it would look ungainly once up as it seemed large after the slim line telescopic model we had used prior to it but, next to the units and once fitted I think it looks okay. I think a telescopic hood might have looked better but those we looked at were more expensive and seemed much trickier to fit. All things considered, this cooker hood seems a good choice for my kitchen.
WHAT IT DOES
The cooker hood, when switched on, will extract the air from the kitchen around the cooker and remove cooking odours and steam. It does this by drawing hot air and unwanted cooking odours into the unit and into the carbon filter and these are re-circulated back out as cleaner air. Because the air is re-circulated I don't think this type of hood can perform as well as a true extractor fan but it is proving to be much better than having no cooker hood.
There is a light on the front of the hood along with the controls. The light shows when the extractor is on. There are also five push in switches, one to switch on the light at the rear of the hood, closest to the wall, an extractor off switch and settings for extractor modes:- one, two and three. One is the minimum power and three the highest/most powerful.
FIXING
The CLVH60SS-C is relatively easy to fit. It had to be screwed to the bridging unit above it but in the case of there not being a unit above it then it would have to be screwed into the wall behind it. It took about half an hour to put in place. All fixings were supplied.
The small energy saving light bulb was supplied with this appliance. It had to be fitted inside and then the hood was plugged in and ready to go.
FILTER
We purchased a carbon filter to fit inside the hood and this should be replaced approximately every three months although really this depends on usage. Infrequent use will mean it should last longer and with very frequent use it will need to be changed more often.
*From manufacturer: Important: increase the filter cleaning/replacement frequency if the hood is used for more than 2 hours a day.
An aluminium filter can also be used with this hood and this is re-usable. It can be washed with washing up liquid or, alternatively, in a dishwasher.
NOISE
I don't find it too noisy although it certainly can be heard. I suppose my kitchen at cooking times is usually fairly noisy anyway and so this appliance doesn't make too much difference. I mostly use it on the lowest mode which is the least noisy but this is because I find the lowest power is usually adequate.
AVAILABILITY/PRICE
I purchased from a B&Q superstore when I ordered my kitchen but I have seen it on the shelf at B&Q stores so it doesn't have to be ordered in.
I paid £49.00 for this cooker hood.
MAINTENANCE
The cooker hood is easy to keep clean with a quick wipe over with a soft cloth or sponge and detergent. The manufacturer warns not to use harsh, abrasive or corrosive cleaners on the hood.
As mentioned previously the carbon filter needs to be replaced every so often and if an aluminium filter is used this must be cleaned regularly by hand or in a dishwasher.
It is stated that you should always use the
recommended filter.
MY THOUGHTS OVERALL
We did wonder if a cooker hood was really essential in our kitchen because we didn't use the last one very often and, when the kitchen gets too steamed up a window or French doors can be opened but the windows are a bit awkward to get to and open quickly and it isn't always practical to open the French doors (especially with a dog ready to run out and bark at any opportunity). I have found several times that when I notice the kitchen becoming steamy and it's necessary to switch the hood on, condensation from around the cooker is extracted very quickly, even if I only choose the lowest level.
As for smells, it doesn't work quite so quickly but it certainly does seem to reduce odours. If I am cooking with garlic, onions or anything spicy and strong, I find that turning the fan on at mode two for ten minutes or so will lessen the cooking smells. The manufacturer recommends that to obtain the best results the hood should be left on for about fifteen minutes after cooking.
I don't think, in all honesty, it looks as good as some of the high tech looking hoods that are around but as I have explained we didn't have many options available.
I turn this extractor hood on much more than the last one and now realise that the old model really wasn't up to much. This, on the other hand doesn't work miracles but, in my opinion, it certainly makes a difference in the kitchen and quickly. For the price paid I think it is a good purchase.
SPECIFICATIONS
Power supply: 220-240V~ 50Hz
Power consumption - Fan: 95 W
Power consumption - Luminary: 1 x 9W Max
Power consumption - Total: 104 W
Protection class: II
Light bulb: Max. 9 W (E-14)
This appliance is covered by a full manufacturer's 24 month parts and
labour guarantee.
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Rangemaster Classic
by ELDG77
This is a review of the 90cm wide Rangemaster Classic Cooker Hood, which we bought soon after we bought our Rangemaster 90 Electric Range Cooker. I have also reviewed that item, if you want to take a look.
The cooker hood is 90cm wide, 49cm deep and is height adjustable (between 70cm and 100cm). I am sure these are fairly ... standard measurements for a 90cm wide cooker hood, and clearly a cooker hood for a single-oven cooker would look rather odd over a double-oven cooker, but my first thought on seeing this product after it arrived was that it was huge! However, once in place above our cooker, it does actually look quite wonderful.
The hood is the same matt black with silver trimmings as our Rangemaster cooker, and is designed (I think) to match the style of the Rangemaster cooker. I do wonder whether any other make/style of cooker hood would have looked as good, to be honest. It arrives in quite a few pieces that need assembly, which I was a little surprised about, but the instructions are fairly good provided you work through them methodically! Once constructed, the main part of the hood (with the lights and fan elements in it) is quite sturdy. The chimney part is surprisingly flimsy, although is metal like the main part of the hood. However, as this part is really only there to cover the vent pipe (if you are venting externally), it probably does not need to be very strong, and once it is in place on the wall, it does not look bad at all. The hood can be set up to either vent externally or recirculate air with no need for an external vent. This was an essential factor for us as venting externally was not an option (drilling a big hole in our foot thick stone walls was not considered for even a second)!
Once constructed, the next challenge is getting it on the wall. This is a two-person job as the hood is quite big, but apart from that, it was surprisingly easy to fit. It comes with two small wall brackets that you secure to the wall using appropriate screws/plugs, and then you basically just hang the hood from the brackets. I was amazed, actually, that the brackets could secure it so well, but they do. After the main part of the hood is secured, you clip in the chimney, adjusting the height as needed by raising or lowering a second chimney piece that sits inside the first. For us, we have quite low ceilings, so our chimney actually only uses the one piece of the chimney, and we had to hang it slightly lower than the recommended height above the hob. If you have standard-height rooms, I think it will fit fine.
In use, the hood performs averagely. It is quite noisy at even the lowest setting, and at the highest setting (there are three settings in total), you do have to talk quite loudly to be heard over it. The light is very handy and perhaps even essential depending on where your overhead kitchen lights are located. This is because the hood sticks out so much so blocks any light coming from the ceiling. I do not think it is that effective a drawing in odours or steam, but I am uncertain whether this is because we are operating it in the 'recirculating' mode rather than the 'external venting' mode.
In summary, I would say that this cooker hood looks better than it performs. It matches the Rangemaster 90 cooker that we have, and if we ever had another cooker style in the future, I probably would not buy this cooker hood.
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Smeg K90X
by SB0148
Brushed metal in colour/style, this extractor looks very smart. It has 4 buttons on the front - one for the light, one to turn the fan on low, and then another two to turn the extractor fan up to a higher setting. These are nice push-in buttons which are fairly chunky. You then push them in again and they pop back out to turn off. The ... lights are brilliant - it takes 2 bulbs (one on each side) and they are very bright. If I am just boiling something on the hob I use the lowest fan setting; if I am frying I tend to use the 2nd extractor fan setting. I've not yet needed to use the most powerful setting. It is easy to keep clean using a normal steel cleaner. The two underneath panels come off really easily - in fact too easily for me! You press the clip and they fall straight out, so remember to be ready to catch them. There is also an indicator light to let you know it is switched on. In style it is simple, but in my opinion very smart and stylish.
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