As technology in the kitchen is increasingly changing, so are the different options when buying new kitchen equipment. It may be a few years since you had to purchase a new piece of equipment, and you may be seeing new options available for metal type, duct shape, safety features, etc. Hood filter technology is ever-changing while trying to find the best solution to keep grease build up from occurring while also decreasing the need for constant cleaning and making cleaning the filters easier as well. 

There are 3 general metal types when it comes to exhaust hood filters - stainless steel, galvanized, and aluminum hood filters. 

Stainless Steel - stainless steels filters are not only cosmetically a great option for grease filters, but it also is a strong material and makes for easy cleaning. They typically tend to have a longer life span and clean grease more efficiently than other filter materials. 

Galvanized - galvanized grease filters work just as efficiently as a stainless steel grease filter, however it is prone to not only cosmetic but also life span shortfalls. The galvanized material has a tendency to turn black or even a dark green color when not constantly cleaned. Galvanized grease filters also corrode rather quickly, making it significantly hard to clean the grease off and needing to be replaced more often than other materials.

Aluminum - aluminum grease filters are another cosmetically pleasing option, and are extremely lightweight. Due to the lightweight material it is prone to dents and other cosmetic markings, and does not stand up well to cleaning chemicals as well as other filter materials. Like galvanized filters the aluminum filters tend to corrode quickly and need to be replaced frequently. 

If you are looking for a new hood filter we will always recommend to go with the Stainless Steel option. These filters are strong, are much more efficient at trapping grease, and have a much longer life space than the galvanized and aluminum options. Stainless steel filers are going to be more expensive up front when compared to other hood filters, but when you factor in all of the benefits to the stainless steel filters over galvanized and aluminum you can see that in the long run the stainless steel filters can actually be a better investment. 

HoodMart provides our customers with a wide range of exhaust hood systems - from Compensating (Short Cycle) to Perforated Supply Plenum PSP - as well as all exhaust hood accessories such as no weld Grease Duct, hood filters, canopy hood lights, and curbs. We also offer a wide range of walk-in refrigeration systems to meet your needs.   If you still have questions regarding the purchase of your hood system, please feel free to contact one of our experts today by calling us at 1.866.692.5872 or by contacting us through our live chat system.