easy close means there is some sort of damping system to prevent the doors from being slammed shut.

self close means there is usually a spring mech. that captures the slide in the last few inches for a positive closure.

The two are not compatible , though one may argue that the soft close drawers are kinda "self closing" anyway.

One is not better than the other, it's just personal taste. The soft closing ones are great for parlour tricks as they are relatively new and people still marvel over the slow motion.

If budget is an issue you may look at Hettich's Quadro runner. It's a nice undermount with soft close and is usually just under $20 a pair US - real close to Accuride's side mounts of the same rating. Salice make a similar version and they seem to be playing the price war game to gain market share since they were late to the party. So that might be an option if there is a distributor in you area.

So is "soft close" like "easy close" or like "self close"?

Soft close and easy close are usually the same thing. They will stop the drawer just before it hits the frame and let it close slowly so it won't slam. I had soft-close drawers and didn't like them. I pretty much had to close the drawer within an inch of the frame for the slide to 'click-in' and work. Now, on my new cabinets, I have the blum self-close and it actually pulls the drawer closed (without slamming it). I like the self-close much, much better. All I have to do is push my drawer lightly and the slides pull it closed. My husband really loves them as I was notorious for never completely closing a drawer-lol!

Bump

I have soft-close and I really like them. Unlike nkkp's experience, I just have to give my drawers a nudge and walk away...the soft-close mechanism grabs them, slows them down, and closes them softly...a "soft" self-close...that's what soft-close really is. I don't have to do anything more than you have to do for self-close. I have Blumotion glides in my drawers (Blum's soft-close).

Nkkp...did you have Blumotion or some other brand? There have been posts here from GWers who have had less-than-stellar experiences w/soft-close when their cabinetmakers purchased less-expensive brands/versions of the soft-close. Issues ranged from drawers being hard to open to drawers not closing completely...neither of which are an issue for us.

I have the Blum Blumotion and love them. Like others, my original cabinet guy used a cheaper version..."It'll work just like them, blah, blah, blah" Not even close - note I said original cabinet guy...long story short: get the Blums.

Once you go blum you never turn back :)
get the blum undermount, self-close, soft-close, full extension.

If you are trying to save a few bucks the Hettichs are almost as good for less money. Not cheap and not as good, but they are still quality made German slides. Cheap hardware is cheap, plain and simple.