Joe Masters > wrote:

> So many companies sell downdrafts -- they must have some level of
> usability, right? I mean, is there any mass-produced kitchen item by
> many different companies that costs $500-$1000 and simple does not do
> what it claims to do?

I view the continued availability of downdraft systems the same
way I view second and third marriages. It's the triumph of hope
over experience.

Everything I've read says that downdraft vents are not really
very good, even the pop-up models are marginal, but people keep
*hoping*. Yes, you can find a few individuals here and there
that seem to like theirs, but they are far outweighed by the
number who say they would not have another one.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.