Hi PPC -
Interesting you should ask --- I am getting one installed today to cover my microwave, which resides in an upper cabinet. It will have a flip up or flip down door (I told the installer to do whatever worked best).

I'm at work (uhh....reading Garden Web, of course) but I'll post pics and share details later tonight.

I have some of the Ikea Varde ones for laundry. They're great except that the stupid Blum hardware has failed and I end up holding them open with my head. (I'm sure the warranty would cover this though, but I won't be one of the Blum worshipers ever!)

If they'd open too high for you you could attach a little chain or something to pull them down, but they SHOULD stay where you opened them to.

(I have 4 stacked 2 and 2 and my much taller spouse uses the top ones so I have no experience with high doors.)

I have some, only for a few weeks though. They stay open to the position they are opened to just fine. I think the tension can be adjusted to suit different doors so that they stay open properly and are not too hard to close. I really like them so far.

I have both lift-up and lift-up and slide-back-into the cabinet types.

I've had them 6 or 7 years (?) and both kinds work great.
They stay up fine by themselves. The kids love the soft-close on the snack cabinet door because you can start closing the door and by the time you hear it finish closing, they can be in another room.

I have no idea of the name on them; we bought them at a cabinet hardware store (pre-internet buying of everything!)

Seems like something else I would bang my head upon...

Perhaps that is a good thing...

I have the bi fold.

Key words for image / web searches: "Aventos HF"

This company makes two other kinds of Aventos also.
There are several competitors too, so you will have lots to choose from.

They work as expected. They hold the panels in mid air without moving. You can raise or lower them as easily as you can imagine. Since the panels themselves are not light as a feather, it does take a bit more effort than if you moved a feather, but you get the idea. You are in control and the hardware is the enabler making the built environment obedient to your wishes.

Hth

They're great except that the stupid Blum hardware has failed and I end up holding them open with my head.

sorry but that mental picture made me laugh. ;)

fori, look closely - are the lift up hinges Blum or "Ferrari"? I'm not familiar with the Varde but my lift-up hinges plonked also but they were the ferrarris and I've replaced just about all of them with the BLUM Aventos and those have been stellar.

I have 4 of them, and I find them very useful. I like the way they look, and the way they open means I can leave them open while cooking certain dishes and just take items from the cabinet as I work (pantry items). They're a great functional choice over a work surface.

Two downsides--the hinges take up room inside the cabs and leave certain areas that can't be stuffed with stuff, and

I have the Ferrari hinges (plus lots of extras that Ikea gave me when I complained). They do need adjustment and possibly replacement. I, too, have been caught holding a cabinet open with my own little head.

mindstorm--is it a straight swap for the Blum Aventos? If you read this, can you provide more detailed information?

Thank you all very much for the opinions and experiences. I'll need to measure and look at the different cabinet lines that offer them, but it sounds like overall this type of cabinet would work well for me. I hadn't even thought of the doors sliding inside the cabinet as well, but I'll have to look into that too.

So prickly I'm going to restart your thread (thanks for letting me know where it was).

I called IKEA and asked about their hinges. They explained that 1 1/2 years ago IKEA changed from the Ferrari to another Blum hinge because of the failure of the Ferrari hinge.

How has your less then 1 1/2 year old IKEA purchased horizontal cabinets working for everyone?

Well I don't know what my hinges are, but it wouldn't be a horrible hassle to replace them every few years. Much simpler than other hinges. And you can hold them up with your head while you work.