The ZLINE BSKBN-36 is a 36-inch wall-mount chimney hood in black stainless steel with a four-speed, 400 CFM motor and push-button controls. In a video review, Joe's Phenomenal mounted one over an induction cooktop and smoke-tested each speed: speed one let smoke slip out the sides, speed two became his everyday setting, and speed four cleared everything but was loud and made his studio vibrate. He judged it a happy medium between price and performance and found the light a little dim.
Full review
Smoke test, speed by speed
In a video review, Joe's Phenomenal loaded a pan with meat and a low-smoke-point oil and let it smoke under the hood at each of the four speeds. All four worked, but on the lowest (120 CFM) a fair amount of smoke escaped off the sides. Speed two (240 CFM) was noticeably better and is the one he uses day to day as the balance of noise and performance. Speed three worked great and speed four, the full 400 CFM, was in his word fantastic.
Noise and vibration at full power
The catch at speed four is noise. Joe's Phenomenal said the top setting can be pretty loud and that it vibrated his studio slightly, which he thought could be fan balance; he noted the hood is mounted in a shed-built studio whose walls are not quite straight. He has rarely needed more than speed two. ZLINE's listing gives 51, 55, 58 and 61 decibels for the four speeds.
Controls, light and filters
The controls are a power button, a light button and fan speed buttons. Pressing power once while the fan runs starts a timer that keeps it going for about five minutes and then shuts off. The two LED lights have a high and a low level; Joe's Phenomenal found high a little dim for a primary cooking light.
Three stainless steel filters come out by pushing back one lever, and he said they are dishwasher safe. Behind them is a removable grease strap.
Finish, size and venting
The black stainless finish is a PVD coating over stainless steel. He measured the canopy at 35 inches wide and about 19-3/4 inches deep, with a two-piece telescoping chimney. The hood can be ducted outside or set to recirculate with charcoal filters; his advice is to duct it. His overall view was that ZLINE hits a happy medium on price with pretty good performance.
Strengths
- +Speeds three and four cleared heavy pan smoke in Joe's Phenomenal's test
- +Three stainless steel filters release with one lever and are dishwasher safe, per Joe's Phenomenal
- +Five-minute timer keeps the fan running after cooking, then shuts it off, per Joe's Phenomenal
- +Convertible: ducted or recirculating with charcoal filters
Watch-outs
- −On the lowest speed quite a bit of smoke escaped off the sides, per Joe's Phenomenal
- −Speed four is loud and vibrated the reviewer's studio, per Joe's Phenomenal
- −Light has high and low only, and the high setting is on the dim side, per Joe's Phenomenal
How it compares
The ZLINE BSKBN-36 is the widest hood here at 36 inches; the Hauslane UC-PS18, FOTILE Pixie Air UQS3001 and IKTCH IKP02-30 are 30-inch models. It and the IKTCH are wall-mount chimney hoods, while the Hauslane and FOTILE fit under a cabinet. ZLINE lists 400 CFM, less than half the 900 CFM IKTCH lists for the IKP02-30. Its controls are push buttons, where the IKTCH adds gesture sensing.
Rating sources
Our 4.0 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
