So I am no expert, but I recently tried to adjust my hinges as my doors got out of alignment due to our crazy weather here. From what I could gather, we have 2 way adjustable hinges and it is better to have 3 way. Mine were ridiculously hard to get back into alignment (I'm sure user error was part of the problem) and it seemed that 3 way adjustment would have made it much easier.

But don't hesitate to get soft close. It is pretty much standard now and worth the extra cost. I'm sure others will chime in with the best brands.

Our kitchen has Blum soft close and for the most part they are great. I would suggest that you ask your cabinet maker to order extra hinges - you pay for them and keep them handy just in case. Once in a while you get one that just fails and trying to find the right replacement can be difficult as there are many different brands and sizes.

Hinges vs drawers?

Obviously Blum has the best reputation.

Hinges - not sure brand matters.

I believe I have non-Blum drawers right now and they are fine. I've had Blum before. Not sure this obsession with Blum is really worth it but I can't say that I really have that much experience. I have had 4 kitchens with soft close and none have been a problem (2 Blum I think - kitchencraft and some nice brand I can't remember). I have also had Ikea in bathes (those are for sure Blum).

Someone please point me to a non-Blum brand that is truly junk and explain why. Because I am just not so sure.....

I'd also recommend Blum hinges and drawer slides. There are certainly other decent brands, but Blum offers a wide range of consistently high quality hardware for lots of specific applications. In the rare event that a replacement part is needed, they're widely available.

I've replaced four sets of no-name glides and a half dozen broken hinges on our current kitchen cabinets. We bought the cabinets used and they are unmarked as to maker. The construction on them is decent and the materials (other than the hardware) good, the fronts are solid cherry. I suspect they were made in a local cabinet shop rather than a factory. The only marking on the hardware is "China" so I can't tell you where they came from or who made them. The hinges are bad pot metal and crack when you look at them crosseyed. The glides have plastic supports that break and rollers with bearings that fail. So yes, it is possible to get decidedly inferior hardware.

As a sometime builder of cabinets that use modern hardware (most of my stuff is more old-fashioned than that, with wooden runners) I can say that I've had frustration using cheap hardware with parts bending, twisting, or moving when they shouldn't, screw holes in the wrong places, and poor function from even very slight misalignment. The Blum installation jigs and absolute consistency of parts over decades make them a relative joy to use and easy to install correctly.

Blum, Grass, Salice...

We have Blum drawer glides (soft-close) and Salice door hinges. It's been over 11 years and no issues with any of them (unlike the cheap glides and hinges on our builder-grade cabinets which needed adjusting or replacing several times in 13 years).

Regarding soft-close drawers...they're a "nice to have", but not a "must have". If budget is a concern, skip the soft-close. What IS a "must have", IMHO, is full-extension. Some of the cheap drawer glides only open 3/4 of the way and you have to reach inside the cabinet box to get to the back of the drawer -- scraping your knuckles on the frame as you root around looking for your desired item.

Soft-close doors...again, a "nice to have", not a "must have". We did not get them with our cabinets because they wanted $50 per hinge per door. That seemed ridiculously expensive. Instead, we purchased soft-close dampers (or whatever they're called) for $2.99 per door and installed them ourselves. It's a 5-minute job, max, per door.

We did not pay for soft close on all cabinetry in our build but did as Buehl mentioned and added the dampers - they work fine but you have to have the proper one to fit your hinges.

There is Blum. And everything else.

Pay more attention to the construction materials and techniques. Like, do they buy doors, drawers, and everything else and only act as assemblers of parts. Construction details is the usual downfall of “local custom” Especially finishing. Most especially finishing. There, there is Milesi 2K, and everything else.

It's interesting how many people report that the soft-close/self-close features are up-charged. I make cabinets (for myself only) at a local coop shop, and the professionals there all say that they do not upcharge because the Blum hardware is so much easier to install (plus it's more adjustable than many others). Once they learned how to install it, they saved enough time that the additional hardware expense did not need to be passed on to their customers (or at least not much of it).

Am I the only one that prefers to close my own cabinet doors and drawers? Soft close had been a new thing when we built 14 years ago. We were not even asked what we wanted. We have Kraftmaid cabinets and they have held up really well.

I usually do not slam the cabinet doors, I close until they hit the small rubber stopper. My drawers work extremely well. I give then a push and they close relatively quietly.

My daughter just renovated and has the soft close. I have been to her house often and have used her cabinets/drawers. I have trouble remembering no to manually close them. I really don't think I want them in my new build. Especially hearing about the cost of the good hinges and possible problems.

Have Blum soft close doors & drawers because they were standard; I would not pay extra to have soft close.

Agree, happy with full extension drawers, would do that again.

Blum is only a small puzzle piece of what makes a quality custom cabinet. Broaden your scrutiny.

I have inset kitchen cabinets and I did not want concealed hinges. I wanted exposed hinges and the ability to open my doors as far as possible. I love the soft gentle click of the door hitting the stopper and the Magnets. Something satisfying about the sound, lol. They do not slam at all. My doors all open about 270 degrees which was a priority to me.

I love the soft close drawers...I think she (kd) used the Blum.

I consider getting soft close hinges to be a minor mistake in our otherwise almost-perfect kitchen renovation. We have limited cabinet space. The soft close hinges are big, ugly and take up a lot more space inside of the cabinets.. They also limit how far the cabinet can be opened. We are not a door slamming household. The only cabinet issue is that my husband is prone to opening a cabinet, taking something out, and leaving the door open. Soft close does nothing for that!

and yet another vote for Blum..

Ask your cabinetmaker what brand he prefers and why.

I don't give my customers an option here. I use the brand that i want seeing that I am the one building and guaranteeing the project.

Hello, I realize this is an old thread but could you please share as to what you did finally. We are doing a kitchen remodel and my GC said that he doesn’t recommend soft close drawers. We don’t slam doors but soft closing drawers would be nice. He also said that soft closing is extra $.

I wouldn't do a cabinet nowadays without soft close.

What reason does your GC give for not doing soft close?

In most cabinet lines, soft close is NOT extra $ anymore.

He says that they don’t last long and start having issues after an year or so...I found that very strange so wanted to understand more.

Only because he uses a junk brand. Red flag on your contractor! Not the hinges.

pr705 - The soft-close drawer slides used most commonly are durable and adjustable. Their functionality is pretty much flawless. There is a learning curve on installing the Blum Tandem-type glides - but it's not that steep a learning curve. I have numerous drawers in my kitchen, bathroom, and woodworking shop with soft-close, self-close slides and have had zero issues. I wouldn't use anything else.

Agree with LWO. My condo had soft close hinges. Going on 10 years now with no problems. My soft close hinges in my new house that we've been in almost two years have not had a single issue.

Find out exactly how much extra he would charge for the soft close per door and per drawer. You can get soft close door dampers for a couple bucks each that can easily be installed DIY. Drawers would take a little more work and would be worth doing at initial installation if not cost prohibitive. It's easy to find out the cost difference on the hardware by doing a quick google search.

Thanks! Will do

Keep in mind that there are two elements to the upcharge: The hardware cost difference and the labor cost difference. Most of the cabinetmakers I have talked with have said that they initially upcharged for the Tandem undermount soft-close slides. However, once they'd used them a few times, they realized they were saving a lot of time on installation because the slides are so forgiving and adjustable - so many cabinetmakers no longer upcharge for those slides.

IMO anyone who tries to talk you out of those slides just doesn't want to learn any new tricks.

And agreed with the comment above: Plan for those drawer slides now - the retrofit soft close bumpers don't compare at all.

Who wouldn't want soft-close hardware? The feel is so much nicer. And if you've ever used a soft-close toilet seat, you know there's no going back.

Salex, all cabinetmakers I know (including myself), up charge for tandem guides. If they don't, they are way overcharging for standard or wont be around long.

Tandem guides cost about 75% more than side mount soft close and 150% more than standard full extension ball bearing. Increased labor also, notching drawer box, installation etc.

Love the Blum soft close and full extension glides for drawers. On of my soft-close gizmos came off (not a big deal at all - first time in 10 years, and we clipped it right back on) but I realized the few times it wasn't there just how much I love that hardware. I can't imagine, now, not having it.

Thanks helou49 & all others !!!! for your generous and frank feedback. I spoke to my contractor asking for soft close & blum and mentioned that this feature is a must-have in my cabinets. Thanks to all here