Slide-Out Hood
Pulls a shallow visor forward over the front burners and starts the fan as it moves.
Also called: telescopic hood, pull-out under-cabinet hood, visor hood
The basics
What to know about Slide-Out Hood
A Slide-Out Hood keeps a shallow body under the cabinet and moves a visor or drawer forward 5 to 9 inches when you cook, carrying the intake out over the front burners where the smoke actually is. Pulling the visor normally switches the fan on, and pushing it back shuts everything off. Bodies are 12 to 14 inches deep, so they fit inside a shallow cabinet run, and airflow usually sits between 200 and 400 CFM.
A fixed Under-Cabinet Range Hood is deeper, simpler and has nothing to jam, but its canopy stops where the cabinet does. A Wall-Mount Chimney Hood beats both on capture and takes the cabinet away to do it. A Microwave Hood Combination occupies the same slot and ventilates less while cooking more.
Pick this where cabinets are only 12 or 13 inches deep, where a full canopy would meet your forehead at the front of the range, or where a hood should disappear when the kitchen is not in use. Small apartment kitchens are its natural home. Turn away if you sear or deep fry several nights a week, since 300 CFM through a slim visor is not that machine, and remember that the slide is a moving part in a greasy place. It will need cleaning to keep working smoothly.
Measure how far the visor really travels, because 5 inches and 9 inches are different appliances in practice. Confirm the pull starts the fan rather than leaving you two controls. Check that the filters come out with the visor extended, that the duct exit matches your route, and that the sone rating at top speed is one you can live with. Ask whether slide rails and the visor front are stocked as spares, since that is what wears out.
Clean the track and the visor edges monthly along with the filters, using a degreaser rather than a dry cloth, because grease in the track is what makes a slide stiff. Never force a sticking visor; clean it and try again. Wash the metal filters in hot soapy water, replace charcoal every 3 to 6 months if you recirculate, and degrease the blower wheel twice a year. Extend the visor fully every time you cook, since a hood used half out is a hood working at half its reach.
Best for
When to choose this style
- Cabinets above the range are only 12 or 13 inches deep and a full canopy will not fit.
- A fixed hood at 24 to 30 inches would sit in your line of sight or in your way.
- Cooking is light to moderate, so 200 to 400 CFM over the front burners is enough.
- You will keep the slide track clean and pull the visor all the way out every time.
Style comparison
Slide-Out Hood vs similar range hoods
Microwave Hood Combination
Puts a microwave cavity where the hood goes and ventilates from underneath it.
Hood Insert
Supplies the blower, filters and lights to be built inside a custom hood surround.
Downdraft Vent
Rises behind the burners and pulls the plume sideways instead of catching it above.
Shared guidance
Buying, fit and care for range hoods
Everything below applies to range hoods of any style, so it lives on the main guide rather than being repeated here.
Keep comparing
Other styles of range hoods
- Under-Cabinet Range Hood
- Wall-Mount Chimney Hood
- Island Hood
- Downdraft Vent
- Hood Insert
- Microwave Hood Combination
The full range hoods guide compares every style beside the product details and buying checks that help distinguish them.Read the range hoods guideor check the universal buying checklist before you decide.
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