Liriodendron...just trying to understand why they're "creepy". I wonder if it's b/c you don't have control over them...the glides are "in control"?

It's probably like scratches on a chalkboard or knife scrapes on plates...the former bugs me, the latter bugs my DD. It's probably just one of those things that we don't know why they bother some people or why it's only some but not others!

i think of the creepy part posted here as in - WHO is closing that drawer? door? if it ain't a human, it's weird...

it doesn't creep me out but i probably won't get them either. I guess i should try opening and closing my upper doors a few times and see what i think about them...

the drawers (as is) would be a total waste of money - I'm not even sure they're on any kind of a 'glide' - other than the frame! I tried some in the store and got impatient with them - too slow! i'm sure i'd turn around and bang into the still not closed drawer sticking out.

I think wide pulls with a deep projection are easier to use with arthritic fingers/hands than a knob. I've been warned not to put in knobs because of having to grip them - my fingers don't 'grip' well - lol!

Since there are more than a handful of manufacturers of soft-close mechanisms, we cannot rely on verbal or written explanations, here. Each system is different. They all take some getting used to. Once you are used to the system you have, you like it. This happens after a longer time than a one-week rental so vacations in one-week rentals don't count. .
:-)

I have the pocket-change Ikea version and love them, and I have the more costly Blum version and love them too. They are identical in almost every way. The damper mechanisms of the soft-close device IS slightly different in the two versions purchased in 2009 or 2010. Mechanically perhaps they are identical, but I wouldn't know because I can't tell, i.e. the difference is so slight I cannot tell. They are packaged differently so visually one can see it, but inside the packaging there may be no difference; I don't know.

Other than Blum, or Ikea-Blum, there are more than a handful of manufacturers of soft-close mechanisms. I remind you all that we cannot rely on verbal or written explanations, here. Each mechanism is different. They all take some getting used to. Once you are used to the system you have, you like it. If you rented a vacation home for a month you might come 'round.
:-)

We have the Ikea Blums and love them. We also got the soft close for the doors ($5 each) and love those as well. We don't have to hear any slamming and the kids like closing things for a change ;) I love how smoooooth is all is.

Buehl is right on about full extension being most important.

Did anyone ask you how many drawers you'll have? did I miss that? How much extra is it, per drawer?

It is a nice feature. I would pay $700 for my drawers to have full extension & soft close after using them.

(FYI -- the first week in our new kitchen was a bit odd. We had to get used to letting things self/soft-close. Now, I don't think about it at all.)

I have full extension & soft close & I love them both!!

Yes, really like them. First time with quality slides AND full extension, so that's probably skewing my response. Wish we had put them on the doors as well because there is too much "heavy closing" going on, esp. on my part! We elected not to put them in the new bath vanity - mistake!

you can add the soft close feature in after-market for a lot less than $700, maybe costs at most about $25 per drawer. I did this with my cabinet drawers which had the blum full extension glides. For blum, there is a plastic part that controls the soft-closing. Basically, you just buy that plastic part and click it onto the bottom of your drawer glides. Extremely easy. The only drawers that I was not able to add this feature on were the bottom-most ones because i would have had to take the glide apart to put the plastic thingy on the bottom. But truthfully, i don't miss not having the soft close feature on the bottom drawers, so it is definitely something you can live without.

I have the Blum ones on the new cabinets and I put in Ikea Blum soft close on my Ikea drawers in my breakfast nook. What I love about them is I can close the drawer with any body part - elbow, foot, hip - and it will close without slamming, without glass or ceramics rattling or breaking in the drawer from closing so hard. I have lived in my old house kitchen for the past 6 years developing all varieties of itis'es from pulling and pushing doors and drawers too hard to open and close- trust me, these are not tough to open, and can be adjusted easily. So, I would say yes, absolutely worth it, but I do think $700 is too much- I'd go aftermarket.

Our base cabinets were just installed today, and I was sort of surprised(happily)to see the drawers were soft close. I guess I missed that detail in the plan. They are Blum, and they are very nice. I think they add a really nice extra touch to our new kitchen.

As with a lot of things, the value is in the eye of the beholder.

I would ask which specific slides you're looking at. $700 is a lot for soft-close, as others have said---you can do that aftermarket for far less. But I'm guessing it's not actually the charge for the soft-close feature, but the charge to switch from one brand of slide to another. It isn't worth paying that much for soft-close, in my opinion (nice but not that nice!) but it is *absolutely* worth paying that much for Blum full-extension slides, which may well come with soft-close. If you aren't getting those with the cheaper package, that explains the cost difference. (They were an upgrade for some of the cabinetmakers we interviewed, and quite pricey; we went with one who used them unless we requested otherwise.) Full-extension is worth its weight in gold. We get so much more into the same sized drawers (though in fairness the old ones had no slides at all, so if you pulled them far enough out to reach the back, they fell out... :)

YES!!!!!

I agree with Buehl -- the soft close isn't "essential", but the full-extension glides are. Our cabinetmaker offered the Blum full extension/soft close glides or the standard glides, so we ended up with soft-close. I have arthritis in my hands, and it is not a problem to open the drawer (especially after they have been in use over a month). Of course, we too have pulls, not knobs, so that helps.

I would (and did) spend that much $$ if the upgrade is for full-extension drawers (with or without soft close) but I wouldn't have spent that much for soft-close alone.

As for "creepy"? I don't get that either. I hope I'm not creeping all my friends and family our when I demonstrate the soft-close feature during their kitchen tour. Should I give a warning or ask kids to leave the room?

Re the creepy description:

Yes, this is partly a highly idiosyncratic sensory quality like scratches on chalkboard.

But the other part is a functional quality: I like to feel things moving in a clear, well-honed, mechanical way. I don't like touching or handling things that are dampered, softened, modulated, attenuated and made, well, cushy.

I like hard, responsive suspensions on my cars; manual transmissions; crisply-turning door hardware; faucets with easy, but clearly "mechanical" action; refrigerator door handles with a firm pull; keyboard keys with clear snap back, etc.

I guess I just like being aware of the mechanical aspect to stuff. And I also associate the sensory quality of very well-fitted, well-adjusted, well-made items with higher quality that doesn't need any disguise.

I don't like mushy, soft, anything. Especially things that have that quality added on in an effort to make it appear more consumer-attractive. That just feels like second-rate, mutton dressed as lamb, flab to me.

Plus, I don't seem to have a problem with sliding my drawers shut w/o slamming them. Unless of course, I want to slap them in - which occasionally I do. With feeling!

L

When you go look at and touch the removable (clip-on) kind of softclose damper, you will see that

with it
or without it

the "FEEL" when one opens a drawer is the same.

In the store, you can remove the thingie from any drawer and try it out.
In the store, you can try opening two drawers that are side by side, one with and one without.
Do this blind, predicting which drawer has the clip-on, and you will fail.

It's worth paying attention to this, before we all propagate a misconception about the feel of soft-close mechanisms when one pulls the drawer open.

The store I have in mind is Ikea. The soft-close in their store is visibly clip-on. (So easy to remove, that many people steal them. )

I love the full extension soft close as well. I've never had them before but would never again choose without them again. Just a quick hip check and presto!

If I'm of the mind to slam something (which thankfully happens infrequently), it has to something with a much bigger impact than a little kitchen drawer :)

Too funny, Celt! I agree, if I'm in a bad mood or need to make a point, slamming drawers is way too simple (and passive aggressive) for me. (I'm sure my family would invest >$700 for a voicebox damper in such cases.) :)

Thanks everyone for your responses. I still haven't made a decision and will have to talk to my cabinetmaker to get more details on the brand he uses, etc. He figured we will have 20 drawers. So I guess $35.00 a piece isn't that much? But I will make sure to get the full extension glides for sure.

For 20 drawers, I would do it if they are full extension. $35 doesn't sound bad....... already installed for you without you having to worry about it every again :)

Hypothesis:
Are you the sort of person that likes auto-complete and spelling-correct on your computer editors? If so, you'll like the soft-close.

If not, you'll tear your hair out.

At least, such is the thesis I'm forming reading the above responses. The persons who've disliked soft-close tend to move like I do. I had my kitchen and bath remodeled 6 years ago (2005-ish). At the time, the blumotion soft-close was a very new entity and came as a separate add-on. My cabs - mostly drawers didn't come with it, and after the job was done, DH and I undid the drawer glides and added the self-close/soft-close blumotion modules to them.

Not one month later, I removed them all - that was how much they irked me. I'd turn around and bump into the blasted drawerfronts as they coasted slowly to their close; I'd jam my hand moving to the next drawer below or have to wait for the wretched things to shut so that I could get to the drawer below ... drove me bally nuts.

I do wish that I could ensure that I could close my now blumotion-less drawers completely but I didn't like the heavily dampened behaviour of the soft-close and I don't have the patience to hold my drawers to a full close - so I just give 'em a shove. If the shove isn't adequate, they sit open - that also drives me batty but not quite as much as the dampeners did on the soft-close.

For those reasons, the soft-close on the doors I find very appealing. On the drawers, not so. Although I'd really wanted to.

Oh, and I loathe auto-complete, the spelling-corrector, MS Word's grammar police.

Obviously, there is a divergence of opinion on this one, which is typical of most issues.

If it helps the OP, I just went down and closed my soft-close drawer, and the self-close "caught" at about 3 in from the drawer front (1 1/2" from the countertop overhang). Before the soft-close engaged, it was just a nice smooth motion like every other well-made drawer with good hardware. It's not like there would ever be a room full of opened drawers sllllooooowwwwlllyy returning to their place in the drawer base. It's a regular motion, just minus the slam at the end.

Brandy (the OP), I would suggest that you try these drawers out at kitchen showrooms and at a friend's or neighbor's house, so you can really judge for yourself. (Although I agree with davidro1 that it's hard to know what you'll really think after only a short tryout.)

Mindstorm, I find myself getting irritated with the soft close toilet seat and that's on the infrequent occasion when I want it to close so I can sit on it. I can imagine the frustration in a working kitchen. I'm happy my slides work the way they do. Quick and silent. No big deal that they may occasionally need an extra nudge to completely close.

When you've got 80 pounds of pots and pans in a drawer, you're going to want it to be soft-close.

I'm surprised your custom cabinet maker optioned this out for you. When I got my quote it was an all-in price with soft close drawers and doors.

On the doors, if you're getting soft close, make sure your BLUM hinges are the newer ones without the big add-on plunger. The new ones have a little on/off switch and a small hidden mechanism to close them slowly.

LOL!!! Tim, they don't make soft close on the extra heavy glides. :) Yes, I want it, but I'm glad to have the heavy duty ones for my pots. :)

Natal...I agree! So funny!

For the record...yes, I do like spellcheck & grammar check in MS Word! Granted, the grammar "corrections" aren't always correct, but they usually are! As to spelling, my goal is to get all my commonly-misspelled words added to "auto correct"! I'm actually a very good "speller" and my grammar is (usually) very good as well...but when I'm on a roll and typing quickly, my fingers sometimes "cross" each other and letters are typed in out of order or I skip letters altogether...sometimes whole words (grammar check gets those)!

So, your hypothesis, MindStorm, holds for me! :-)

Plllog...the Blomotion soft-close glides are supposed to hold up to 100 pounds, at least that's what my glides are supposed to be able to hold.

We just finished our remodel, without soft close, but with full extension. While I expected to like the soft close after reading about it, in real life while doing my research I find them annoying.

Granted, I haven't lived with them for a month to adjust. However, I have been closing my drawers for more years than I care to mention, without them hanging open, slamming, or bouncing back out.

I think if you're the type of person who always closes your cabinets with control, you might be annoyed by the gremlins taking over for you, in sloooooowwwww motion. If you're the nudge and turn away type, you'll probably love them because slow is better than never.

oh liriodendron, my soul sister (brother?) I knew there was someone else who didn't like them as much as me!

Incidentally, liriodendron was much more articulate than I could have been about explaining "creepy." (Though perhaps we don't have precisely the same issue as I love many mushy things...Dairy Queen blizzards, thick squishy socks etc. LOL)

I'll lend weight to someone's earlier hypothesis: I am a control freak. I want to close my own drawer. I think for me it is more primitive-I get impatient and infuriated. ;)

My next comment will make me sound like the grumpy/"get off my lawn!" type person I am... ;)

They're like cell phones. Years ago we never had cell phones and we were ok. Now if someone leaves home and forgets their cell phone, they'll rush back to get it thinking, "well what if there's an emergency?!" etc.

Similarly, all these years we've managed to close our drawers just fine. Now soft close has become a "must have" for many people.

Innovation is great, but does everything need to be innovated?

I'll be more provocative too--tongue in cheek--are we really so lazy we need our drawers closed for us? Please note! this is meant to be fun---I don't really think anyone who posted here saying they love the soft close drawers are lazy, ok? :)

Natal mentioned the soft close toilet seat---shudder---OMG don't get me started!!!

We even had the contractor remove the screw/break the soft close feature on our fridge drawers!

Yep, Buehl, the soft close are rated for 100 lbs. Mine are rated for 250. Again, it's just about the really big drawer that actually has that much weight in it. The extra heavy duty glides slide really easily with all that mass sitting on them. If I do push them hard, however, there is equal and opposite reaction and they do bounce open a little. That's from combining them with the soft close so that I sometimes give them the same little shove with my hip or knee, instead of closing them like non-soft close drawers.

One thing which I think may not be clear to some of the people who've never had this kind of glides before is that they roll very freely.

FWIW, Liriodendron is a she.

I think Mindstorm has nailed it. I hereby propose the Auto-Correct/Completion Preference Test be added to the Famous Sweeby Test on this forum to determine the likely preference for soft-close vs. not whenever this question comes up.

For the record, I loathe all versions of that (as you may discern from my sometimes careless keystrokes).

Going back to the OP's question: $35 bucks sounds like an upcharge for full extension hardware that comes with soft close, perhaps standard. Even if you decide against SC, you could (should, in my view) consider getting better-quality FE extension sliders without SC. That would be worth $700 to me if I could swing it.

L.

"Natal mentioned the soft close toilet seat---shudder---OMG don't get me started!!! "

OH NO! that IS something I was thinking would be worth the extra $s! rethinking...rethinking...

Desertsteph, if you have kids it definitely would be. No more slamming.

It isn't about being too lazy to close the drawers myself but to keep them from being slammed by anyone (namely, 2 boys in our house). I also am bothered by when people don't close doors and drawers completely, so this is one way that with minimal effort, our drawers are all closed evenly and we don't have several almost closed drawers. You'd think that that would not be an issue, but, then again, you have not met our younger ds. In his room, the dresser drawers are never all closed and it looks so sloppy. I am not an over the top neat freak, but this is a pet peeve of mine.

I loved the non-soft close full extension glides in the drawers at our last house. I have no trouble closing a drawer softly and completely by hand. I cannot stand auto format and other "helpful" features in Word. I fear I will dislike waiting for drawers to close themselves. If I still lived in an all-adult household, I would likely skip the soft close feature when we re-do the kitchen.

Alas, I live with a 2 year old and an infant. The 2 year old can't slam the drawers in our "new" 1960 house only because they are wood drawers without glides. She slams everything else though. I am ridiculously happy with the new Toto toilet with soft close seat we installed in the hall bathroom. (Quiet is good!)

I'm almost 50 years old and I don't think I've ever heard a cabinet door or drawer "slam." Do I live a sheltered life or what?

I'm the exception. I HATE auto-correct, grammar check and the rest. I do use the underline spell check because my brain gets ahead of my fingers and types the wrong thing, often, and there are some words--mostly easy ones--which I just can't spell. I don't mind manual spell check, but I've never met a spell check/autocorrect with sufficient vocabulary to accurately choose the word I'm looking for. I hate the Mac GUI for the same reason. I want the computer to do what I want, not make me do things the way it wants to.

Pretty much hate the soft close toilet seat too, but do appreciate the anti-bang factor and realize that that's practically a necessity in some places.

Contrary to the test, however, I generally like soft close drawers and cabinets. I don't feel like it is doing something for me. I feel like there's a spring and I'm engaging it at my own desire. Like using a retractable pen or winding a clock. It's mechanical. It's nice. It's not perfect, and I have to wait in the corners for one to close before I open the other since they really aren't fond of being hurried, and sometimes they don't engage and stay open a little, but I like them far more than I'm annoyed by them, and wouldn't remove them.

I have to add that I love love love my Toto soft close toilets with the dual button on top to flush. Flush and just a brush with my hand to close in one easy reach!

I did keep slamming the toilet in a hotel last week.
I don't think I'll make a good house guest anymore.

This thread is genius. These questions have to get into the Sweeby test.

I hate my soft-close toilet seat. I didn't even know I had one til the plumber showed me. First, I thought it was cool. Now, I spend every morning staring at it in pure hatred for a full minute. (I have a tiny bathroom, so I have to use the toilet lid for extra counter space.)

What I really loathe is my keyboard. I hate all keyboards, and have since IBM stopped making that wonderful clacky-clacky one back in the '80s. (I learned to type on a Gutenberg, btw.) I want tactile satisfaction. I want the feedback.

I also hate non-cooks in my kitchen, because I know exactly where my hand is going or what door I need to open when I finish stirring, and they don't.

I have this big, grand theory about how some people's brains are wired to plan trajectories of things in motion, and others are not. I developed this theory in trying to explain why Bostonians not onlly drive like angry blind drunks, but also walk straight into you at full clip while staring at you full on in the face. Some folks have a visual map in their heads of where things are in space, including their own bodies, and where they're going to be next. Some don't. Some can ignore the map, while a few of us can't move without it.

Hmmm. I'm certainly going to have to think about soft close now.

Oh my gosh, this thread is hilarious. I suspected I wouldn't like soft close, and here is the proof. I miss my manual transmission ('cause I drive a hybrid now, but I still wish I had manual); I cannot abide spell check; I have never even heard of an automatic grammar correction but the thought horrifies me. I like the interface of my iPod Touch (very intuitive) but having to go through iTunes makes me want to heave a rock through my monitor. Therefore I don't listen to music on my iPod, I only use it to read books and surf the Net (that is really what I got it for anyway). I much prefer my older cheapy drag-and-drop mp3 player for music and audiobooks. I wonder if there is an Apple vs Microsoft correlation with the soft close preference too. haha.

My kitchen drawers may be old but they glide very smoothly on their rollers, and none of us has ever slammed them as far as I remember. Soft close seems like a good idea, but (all joking aside) I really do wonder now if I would like it. Assuming I actually ever do anything with my kitchen, that is. I'll have to have a closer look at them next time I'm in a kitchen showroom.

p.s. Marcolo -- I learned to type on IBM Selectrics at school (and we had a manual typewriter at home) so I know how you feel about keyboards.

I am not THAT old, really...

Chicken nugget buttons on ovens. Hmm. No, not for me either. lol. I don't even use the programmed buttons on my microwave. Come to think of it, DH refuses to use the auto-dry settings on the clothes dryer; he sets the time himself. I bet he'd hate soft close. I'd ask him but he runs screaming (figuratively) whenever I say the word "kitchen."

Hmmm ... food for thought. Only knobs on my washing machine ... no circuit board. Don't use the dryer's auto-dry setting or the programmed buttons on the microwave. Love my Mac! Would never go back.

What in the world are chicken nugget buttons?

Brandy5 it's hard to believe that the cabinetmaker offered you a choice, without a demonstration. You've started a long discussion, about an unnamed brand, and this discussion has now spread its wings over all other unnamed brands.

I shall repeat that various brands of drawer sliders and glides exhibit various characteristics. This includes the resistance when the drawer is opened.

LOL! I use all the "shortcuts"...but I customize them for me!

E.g.,

* I set the "My Cycle" on both my clothes washer & dryer for my preferences (which don't seem to be "commonly" used since there's never an option that's "just right" for me!)

* I use the "sensor cook" and other options on the MW, but I often also include the "More" or "Less" options b/c the sensor cook settings aren't quite right for me.

* I use the "Speedcook", "Convection", and similar settings on my oven, but I "fudge" the times & temperatures to work for the way I want my food cooked (done more or less)!

* I customize all the toolbars & "ribbons" in the various software programs I use...

Keyboards? Other than I don't particularly like laptop keyboards b/c you can't adjust them, I don't have an issue with "today's" keyboards. (Actually, I never liked manual typewriter keys b/c you had to push too hard...yes, I remember them!)

Does that mesh with the other observations (liking soft-close, liking spell check & grammar check, etc.)?

I shall repeat that various brands of drawer sliders and glides exhibit various characteristics. This includes the resistance when the drawer is opened.

I think we just came up with another piece of excellent GW conventional wisdom:

Drawer glides are a machine. Don't rely only on recommendations. Test drive before purchasing.

I have both types in my kitchen and the soft close are BY FAR my favorite. I paid for all full extension glides. On my 36" wide drawers, the ones that the cabinent maker installed just didn't feel right. We replaced them a few times and finally upgraded them to a fancy Blum glide that self closes. So, I have 6 drawers that self close and the rest do not. I love the 6 self closers so so so much than the drawers that don't self close.

As someone who has been actively involved in the cabinet industry for more than 40 years, I find this discussion interesting.

Blum is certainly a well-known brand for good reasons - good quality, innovation and gererally a good competitor in the marketplace. But, Blum's product is nowhere so superior to several competitive brands to command the premium price they do. Don't be misled because of extensive trade advertising - someone has had to pay for each ad after all.
Yet there is one question I have yet to find well answered - WHY should a homeowner want to have soft-closing slides or hinges installed? Maybe that is a question for another forum.

There are some facts designers, cabinetmakers and consumers need to consider:

1. Soft-close and self-close action are two totally different mechanisms. Be sure you know the difference and are not confusing them.

2. There are major differences between under-mount and side-mount soft-close drawer slides in terms of weight capacity, installation and adjustability, and price. Some applications clearly call for one type of slide versus another - but one type of slide may not be well-suited for every application. Also, know the true difference between slides referred to as "full extension" and "full access" - big difference in function and price/value.

3. Realize there are major differences when evaluating the required pull-force, closing speed, dampener length (at what point does the closing mechanism take over), and dampener design. Look for hydraulic dampeners,they are superior to air-filled dampeners as they eliminate drawer bounceback much better.

4. Finally, acknowledge many cabinetmakers have been experiencing hardtimes for the past several years and have sought opportunities to get something that looks and works like the quality brands. Buyer beware still rules - slides may look alike but have vastly different quality aspects.

From a competitive point of view I'll give credit where credit is due, in my opinion the two soft-close slide programs that merit equal consideration are Blum and KV. They have many of the same design charactistics, both companies have drawer slides as a core competence, and both companies have reputations for superior quality and excellent service.

Hope this helps the discussion with specifics.

I know this thread was from 6 yrs ago but I am now in need of the soft close drawer slides. Excellent thread on pros and cons. I cannot seem to find the IKEA soft close slides online,,,,,anyone know specifically what they are called on their website? Thanks much.

Blum brand.

NO, infact, the cabinet company's should pay you extra to take them. We have 1 year old custom cabinets/new home with all self close guides and now I am constantly walking by and pushing the drawers shut. Lot's of threads on how to fix/adjust, so I suggest the companies that make these slides send a rep out to do it. I did not spend extra money so I can have someone come in and "adjust" these slides every year. Have bulit many homes in the past 40 years, always used a standard slide and NEVER had to adjust anything. Bad design, IMO, and the consumer has been sold on them by some well intended salesperson and hardware company. BTW: Mine are side mount, full extension (as I speced) but do not know if they are self close or self close action as the Hardware Guy (excellant post BTW) mentions.

JP - What? Really? What brand soft close are they?

We added Ikea pantry cabs into our way too small old kitchen and installed Ikea kitchen cabinets into our masterbath right after Ikea offered soft-close Blum slides, around 12 years ago or so. Never ever had to adjust any of them. We kept the pantry cabs when we remodelled the old kitchen and moved them into the mud-room to hold household tools and cleaning supplies etc. They still didn't need any adjusting. At all.

Our new kitchen, completed in Spring 2018, has 99% drawers and some pullouts, all soft close,and again no problems whatsoever.

Actually, come to think of it, I don't think that the Blum's soft close thingymajigs can or need to be adjusted, ever.

I would never go back to loud, harsh doors and drawers slamming. Soft close also extends the life of cabinetry, doors, hinges and drawer slides. Not to mention the benefit of drawer content not tumbling about, chipping or spilling.

Edited to add: Ikea Blum slides and hinges are very reasonably priced. Would I custom make cabinets, I'd buy my hardware at Ikea. Much less $$ than elsewhere.