Miele DA 6700 D Aura island rangehood

The new Miele DA 6700 D Aura cooker hood brings together form and function in a most harmonious manner, reflecting the design of Miele's latest Generation 6000 range of built-in appliances. The island canopy appears to float as a slim silhouette above the hob unit. As this model was designed as a dedicated recirculation unit, it provides outstanding performance in low-energy housing developments, or other situations where ducting to the open atmosphere may not be possible or advisable. Thanks to its availability in a choice of CleanSteel, brilliant white, obsidian black or Mink, consumers will be able to achieve the perfect match with their other Miele kitchen appliances.

As a dedicated recirculation model, the DA 6700 D does not require a chimney and therefore is suspended from the ceiling on four virtually invisible steel wires. The 100 cm wide canopy is extremely slim, adding a touch of elegance and levity to the design. The control panel with electronic touch-on-glass controls shows great affinity to Miele's other major built-in kitchen appliances, is self-explanatory and very intuitive to use. To illuminate the cooking area, Miele has equipped this island canopy with four 3 W high-power LED downlights. Compared with halogen spots, these are extremely energy-efficient, shed warm white light and are designed and tested to last 20 years.

Rising steam and vapours first hit the 10-ply metal grease filter. These layers hold back the greasy air-borne particles, and can conveniently be cleaned in a Miele dishwasher. Odour molecules are bound by the NoSmell active charcoal filters. As the rangehood features two such large-scale filters, cooking smells are effectively neutralised. The hood also features Miele's Con@ctivity function. Con@ctivity adjusts suction power automatically by pre-empting what is happening on the compatible Miele induction hob below, guaranteeing a pleasant room micro-climate. The hood can also be controlled via the touch controls on the glass screen or using a remote control handset available as an accessory.

The programmable filter saturation indicators are an important safety feature, since they are designed to remind the user to maintain the filters in a clean and properly functioning condition before there is an excessive build-up of grease, or the unit no longer achieves effective neutralization of odour molecules. The integrated CleanCover hood liner facilitates safe and convenient cleaning of the inside of the hood after removal of the filters, without the risk of inadvertently coming into contact with functional or electrical components. The unit also features an electronically controlled automatic safety switch-off, which is being activated after a maximum of 10 continuous operating hours

A close visual inspection of the DA 6700 D Aura rangehood will provide a good indication as to how Miele defines their quality standards for rangehoods. Made by Miele in Germany, the hood is designed and tested for a useful product life of 20 years under normal household use. The fact that Miele products are used longer in the home than other brands before being resold or disposed of due to a defect was validated in a 2006 study performed by the German consumer research organization GfK: according to this study, new Miele appliances remained in use after their initial purchase for an average of 17.0 years, whilst the average useful life of other brands was only 13.7 years.

Given its superior technology and long life expectancy, the initial investment in this Miele rangehood does represent outstanding value for money in the long term. In view of the fact that the concept of dedicated Miele recirculating island rangehoods has already proven its commercial viability on international markets, as well as in Australia, for a number of years, Miele is confident of also achieving a positive return on the investment for this latest model.

Recirculation systems prevent heat dissipation: in winter, warm air remains in the building and is not - as is the case with vented installations - expelled to atmosphere. In summer, recirculation will also keep the room cooler, preventing the loss of air conditioned air to the outside environment. Miele's Con@ctivity feature, which automatically adjusts the required fan setting to ensure the optimum room climate, depending on the settings on the compatible Miele induction hob below, is a key USP which is not only convenient, but also prevents excessive energy use.