Proline PLFW 520.30 vs. 30” Whirlpool WVW53UC0FS Under Cabinet Range H

The Proline PLFW 520.30 is one of Proline’s most popular wall mounted range hoods. We’ve decided to take a closer look at this model and the comparable Whirlpool WVW53UC0FS so you can decide for yourself what range hood you want in your kitchen.

Who should buy these hoods?

These 30” wall range hoods are the perfect fit for your 24” or 30” wide range. They are a great choice for those with small kitchens or if you live in an apartment or condo.

Whirlpool and Proline Compared

Essential Features - Proline vs. Whirlpool

CFM

600 CFM vs. 400 CFM

200 CFM may not seem like a big difference, but it can have a big impact on your cooking experience and the quality of the air in your home. We recommend that you purchase a range hood 600 CFM or higher to really capitalize on its many benefits and ensure that you enjoy clean and fresh kitchen air.

With the Whirlpool’s max capacity of 400 CFM, you’ll find that this is not enough power for you in most cooking situations. You will have to run this hood on max speed more than you would like, which can shorten the life of the hood.

The lower speeds will improve your kitchen ventilation, but they won’t pack enough power to keep your kitchen air clean, especially if you frequently cook foods that produce a lot of smoke or strong odors.

Whereas the 600 CFM of Proline’s 520.30 gives you the freedom to cook a wider variety of food. It will exhaust cooking fumes better than hoods with a lesser capacity.

If needed, it allows you to move more air running the hood at lower quieter speeds as well. In fact, the extra 200 CFM of Proline’s model gives you two more blower speeds than the Whirlpool to cycle through, offering you more flexibility in the kitchen.

CFM Winner - Proline’s 520.30

Filters

Stainless Steel Mesh vs. Aluminum Mesh

Stainless steel mesh filters are more durable than aluminum mesh filters; they will endure a heavy amount of cooking over a long period of time, as long as you clean them regularly.

Whirlpool’s wall range hood is 400 CFM, which means it doesn’t necessarily require the ultra-durable stainless steel filters. But, in the long run, if you want your range hood filters to last you several years, the stainless steel ones on Proline’s 520.30 are the way to go.

Filter Winner - Proline’s 520.30

Colors

Stainless Steel and Black Matte vs. Stainless Steel

The Proline 520.30 wall range hood comes in both stainless steel and matte black finishes, which gives you more options when shopping for a hood. You can choose the style that best fits your preferences.

The 30” Whirlpool hood comes only in stainless steel, which is why we give Proline the edge in this category.

Color Winner - Proline’s 520.30

Recirculating Kit

Both of these models can be converted to recirculating.

For the Proline 520.30 range hood, you can purchase charcoal filters with your order. These filters clip onto the end of your range hood fan. As your kitchen air passes through the filters, it becomes cleaner and unwanted contaminants and odors are neutralized, trapped inside the filter. Then, the air travels up your chimney and through the divets or small holes at the top of the chimney and back into your kitchen.

According to Whirlpool’s installation manual, they require both charcoal filters and a recirculating kit. This kit includes an air deflector at the top of your chimney that helps direct the filtered air back into your home.

Overall, since both of these hoods can recirculate air to the outside efficiency, we called this a tie.

Recirculating Kit Winner - It’s a tie

Lighting

2 LED vs. 2 LED Lights

There’s not much to say here, as both models include 2 bright LED lights to give optimal coverage of your range while cooking.

Lighting Winner - It’s a tie!

Control Panel

LED Backlit Push Buttons with Digital Display vs. Stainless Steel Push Buttons

The Whirlpool range hood features stainless steel push buttons that are easily accessible in front of the range hood. They are a little big compared to the Proline 520.30’s buttons, but deciding on a control panel is really up to your personal style preferences.

The Proline 520.30 buttons are quite small and they are also conveniently backlit which is a nice modern touch. Not only that, but the Proline model also features a sleek digital display that shows your blower speed and the time of day.

The design features of the panels are more subjective, but there’s one last feature that brings this category home for the Proline model.

The last thing to consider about the control panels is the blower speeds. On Proline’s control panel, you can cycle between six different blower speeds, from 100 to 600 CFM. Whirlpool’s control panel features three different blower speeds up to 400 CFM. So, you’ll have much more flexibility while cooking with the Proline 520.30 model.

Control Panel Design Winner - Proline’s 520.30

Great Perks

Sones

4.5 vs. 5.6 Sones At Max Power

A sone level of 4.5 at max speed is unprecedented for a hood that runs as powerful as 600 CFM.

Whirlpool’s wall range hood, even though it is 200 CFM less powerful, is actually 1.1 sones louder at max speed, which is why Proline is our pick here.

But this was not an easy decision. The position of the blower also impacts sone levels and the Whirlpool has an advantage there. Keep reading to find out more about this in the next section!

Noise or Sones Winner - Proline’s 520.30

Blower Type

Single Inline Blower vs. Dual Local Blowers

There’s a couple of features to unpack here. The first is single vs. dual blowers. Dual blowers provide a clear advantage because they allow the hood to run more efficiently and quietly. Rather than putting the strain on a single motor while your hood is running in the kitchen, you can split the power between the two blowers, increasing the longevity of your range hood.

Just think of doing a push up with two arms versus just one. Which would be easier for you?

Also, it’s worth mentioning that dual blowers can offer twice the power of single blowers. This is not as important when you’re shopping for a range hood that is 600 CFM or lower, but it can have a huge impact on the output of your hood if you’re in the market for a high-CFM one.

You may be thinking: if there are two blowers, wouldn’t that mean there is twice the noise? That’s not necessarily true. With efficient dual blowers, you can run each individual blower at a lower quieter speed to move the same amount of air as a single blower at a higher louder speed. Often, instead of twice the noise level, dual blowers means twice the efficiency.

Again, think of the different noise output as if you were doing a one armed push up and one using both your arms.

Because of the efficient dual blowers, we give Proline the edge here. But not so fast…

The second important aspect to consider is local vs. inline blowers. Local blowers sit inside the range hood, while inline blowers sit inside your range hood ductwork.

The clear advantage to inline blowers is that they are much quieter than local blowers. Since the blower is further away from your kitchen, it is not as loud as a local blower which is right inside the range hood.

This is why the sones battle was closer than you might expect. Even though the Whirlpool runs at 5.6 sones, because it comes with an inline blower, the user of this hood is probably only hearing about four sones, or even less than that. But, we still felt that the quiet noise level given the greater power of Proline’s wall hood was too much to overcome.

Yet inline blowers are not very common to find with today’s range hoods. Most are simply built with local blowers, but an inline blower offers you so much more flexibility than a local blower. It’s a great advantage to enjoy a quiet kitchen and it’s not difficult to install.

Click on the link to watch a video that will show you how to install one of Proline’s inline blowers.

Because an inline blower is a rare feature and you have the option of either inline or local with the Whirlpool, it wins this category.

Blower Winner - Whirlpool WVW53UC0FS

Control Panel Features

One unique feature of Proline’s 520.30 control panel that the Whirlpool doesn’t have is the automatic fan shutoff. Simply push and hold the minus button for three seconds, then use the + and - buttons to toggle your number of minutes, up to 15 minutes. When you set this on your hood, it will remain running and automatically turn off once the time is up! This ensures your cooking area stays clean and fresh.

Control Panel Features Winner - Proline PLFW 520.30

And the winner is…