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We're redoing our kitchen and it seems that soft close drawers and cabinets are pretty much the standard nowadays. I've never had an issue with just regular closing stuff but my wife wants them so it's fine.
Anyway, we're looking at several bids that range quite a bit. On the low end, we have a guy that sources cabinets (and labor) made in China. In a conversation we had, I was surprised to hear him say that the soft close hardware should last 3-5 years before they stop working as designed. He's a really honest (which is great) but if that is true, that seems unacceptable to me.
Another cabinet guy had mentioned to us that he uses only very high quality hardware and I didn't really think much of it (as it did not dawn on me that they could wear out at all). So perhaps the truth is that the chinese cabinets do last 3-5 years and the quality ones last much longer?
So just looking for people's experience with soft close and whether anyone has had the ling enough for them to stop working.
I don't know how long soft close drawer hardware lasts, but I just moved into a house that has them and I really love the soft close. So, I am voting with your wife. She wants soft close, get her soft close and she will be really happly with them .
Spend some time researching drawer systems.
BLUM has two lines. The lower one is sold by IKEA at excellent prices. BLUM's top of the line LEGRABOX is awesome and it is what we chose for our recent renovation.
IKEA can provide better cabinets that Chinese junk.
A small, local cabinet builder can probably provide very good pricing.
I had to get up and go look at my cabinets. They look high end to me, all wood, no chipboard, perfectly fitted corners, dove cut corners. Handles are real wrought-iron, so I assume thar the soft close hardware is high quality. This is a 3rd owner house and the soft close is still tight and strong.
One of the things I love best about my kitchen cabinets is that the base cabinets have roll out shelves. I love that feature and highly recomended it. I assume it adds to the cost, but it is worth every penny of the extra cost.
I have a section of my cabinets that is a wine rack. Very stylish. I don't use it because we don't use wine, but here is the issue I mention: there is no easy way to clean it. The lattice is fixed so I can't reach in. I can get the hose of the vacuum cleaner in there, but that isn't the same as wiping it clean.
So if you do spring for a wine rack, make sure it is made with some way to access the inside of it.
I have a section of my cabinets that is a wine rack. Very stylish. I don't use it because we don't use wine, but here is the issue I mention: there is no easy way to clean it. The lattice is fixed so I can't reach in. I can get the hose of the vacuum cleaner in there, but that isn't the same as wiping it clean.
So if you do spring for a wine rack, make sure it is made with some way to access the inside of it.
If you can get a vacuum hose in there you can get a swifter wand in there. Look for the ones that the rod expands. You can lightly spray the swifter duster pads with a mix of water and vinegar and look for the pads that are 360.
May be that the Chinese crap doesn't last but the KV soft close we've used for the several decades is still working just fine. I would avoid the Chinese anything if you are going to spend any money. If the stuff is free, you might consider it. Otherwise, you'll be replacing all of it at about 5 years. Chinese made crap comes with a no cost option to you. It's called self destruct. I've even seen their supposed 7 ply plywood cabinets fall apart while still in the box. If you can't afford anything else, save up and get decent materials. China anything is junk waiting for the unknowing to purchase so it has a place to self destruct.
Thanks all. I guess this is partly the hidden question. The "Chinese" quote is significantly lower than the other one I mentioned (which is a local cabinet maker). I'm sure the age old saying (you get what you pay for) is probably true. I'm just trying to break it down into meaningful, tangible information.
In this case, perhaps the guy was being very honest. They will break down relatively quickly, which obviously is important.
I have no issue with regular closing drawers either. That's why there's a thing called silicone bumpers. Soft close is too dang slow for me. I'm not about to redo anything to have soft closing drawers.
A small, local cabinet builder can probably provide very good pricing.
A friend of mine builds custom kitchen cabinets. They are far far better than anything you can buy in a store, but he syas a typical kitchen re-do (sans appliances) runs around $50,000.
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Plan and plan some more
