We originally bought the 750 CFM/RH-01, but realized it was too high (7.5” tall) and the top surface stuck out a lot farther than we liked. The 750 CFM/RH-801 is only 6” tall, and I like the lines a lot more. (I do prefer the light/fan buttons more on the RH-01, but it’s not any kind of deal breaker – just personal preference)
INSTALLATION:
We did this ourselves. If you have DIY experience, it's not too bad, but you will need multiple people (I moved the oven out of the way & used a wood brace to help hold it in place during the install).
I had to make a couple of modifications during the installation:
1) I cut the plug off the power cord, pulled the cord off the top, and pushed it out the back end, so I could pull the wires inside the back wall & wire them into a junction box inside the cabinet above the hood. I appreciate that it comes with a plug - that way, you can check to make sure it's working correctly before installing it.
2) I used my own bolts and sets of large washers to attach the hood to the cabinet above (the supplied hardware was too small. No biggie).
3) Most importantly: I noticed that when the fans were on at the higher speeds, one of the vent flaps (damper) at the top of the unit went past vertical and could not close when the fan was turned off. Instead, it ended up lying on top of the other damper/flap. This would allow cold air to come in from outside.
To prevent this from happening, I added a piece of coat hanger wire inside the vent pipe (see photos: I drilled 2 holes & bent it down on each end & caulked the holes). The wire sits parallel to the hinge of the dampers, and is located about 2 inches above the hinge. This wire prevents the flaps from going past vertical, so they always come back to their original positions.
OPERATION:
1 button (leftmost) turns the lights on/off
You have to press 2 buttons to turn the fans on (only real knock on this design: The taller RH-01 unit is simpler): First, press the rightmost button, then press whatever speed you want: Q, or 3 faster speeds - marked with larger and larger capital I's (again, I think they could have picked better labels, but not a dealbreaker). If you hit the power button again, the fan will turn itself off after a few minutes (or you hit the fan speed button again (to stop the fan), and then the power button (to turn off the light on the power button)
I like the feel of the actual buttons. Our last range hood had labels on the actual buttons, which wore off over time. This should not be a problem with the BV hoods, since the labels are below each button.
The dual fans are really powerful and work smoothly. I did not have to balance (or rebalance) them. They worked well right out of the box.
SOUND LEVELS:
The dual fans are very quiet (see video). Compared to our old hood, even the highest speed allows us to talk without shouting.
LIGHTS:
The 2 lights only have one brightness setting. I was fine with this - our old range hood had 4 different brightness settings, and we only used the brightest setting, so it's nice to be able to hit a single button once to turn lights on, and once to turn them off.
I would prefer a slightly warmer color, but the lights are very bright & cooking on the stove top is very well lit, so no real problems.
PROS:
Powerful fans remove steam/odors efficiently
Very quiet fans
Bright lights
Sleek dishwasher-safe stainless steel filters.
CONS:
You have to press 2 buttons to turn the fans on
Vent flaps may get stuck in the open position
The pros far outweigh the cons, and my vent pipe modification took care of the main drawback.
I highly recommend this range hood.
UPDATE 2/13/24: 2 years of daily use & no problems! Range hood is easy to use & clean, & everything still works without any issues. Still highly recommended!