Walked into a custom shop in Denver and changed my mind on soft-close hinges

I always thought soft-close hardware was overrated until I saw a set of walnut cabinets at Denver Cabinet Co. last week. The owner had a demo setup where he showed me the difference in wear after 10,000 cycles on standard hinges vs soft-close. How long do your soft-close hinges usually last before they start acting up?

2 comments

2 Comments

michael_wood324d ago

Had a set of Blum soft-closes last over 12 years in our kitchen with zero issues until the dampers finally gave out. What brand were you looking at in that walnut set?

christophermurray4d ago

That part about the dampers giving out after 12 years is pretty telling. You don't get that kind of lifespan from the budget hardware most people grab at the big box stores. Those usually start getting loose or failing within 2 or 3 years if you're opening and closing the doors a lot. It makes you wonder if the extra cost for something like Blum is really that bad when you spread it out over a decade or more. You basically paid maybe 50 cents a year for the dampers on each hinge, which is nothing compared to the headache of replacing them.