All You Need To Know About Soft Closing Drawer Slides

Drawers are an essential piece to any home or office space. They can be found in any corner of a house, office, establishment, or commercial complex. And over the years, manufacturing companies have continued to search for better, more advanced hardware products in cabinetry. 

Enter the soft close cabinet drawer slides: one of the more recent technical marvels in furniture hardware production (Learn: Best Soft Close Cabinet Hinges in 2023). Addressing one of the industry’s everyday concerns, this drawer slide type (Learn: How to Easily Install Full-Extension Drawer Slides) is sought after by many furniture makers for its unique capabilities. 

But how soft close drawers work, and how does it differ from self-close drawer slides (Learn: Guide To Installing Drawer Slides)? This article will answer all that and more.

What Are Soft-Close Drawer Slides?

open drawer with side drawer slide
Source: istock

As a furniture manufacturer, it’s important to know what are soft close drawer slides (Learn: Installing Soft Close Drawer Slides Guide). Additionally, understanding what makes them a preferred option for modern and classic furniture helps cabinet makers appreciate the value of this technical masterpiece.  

Simply put, it’s a drawer slide with a built-in hydraulic setup that slowly closes the drawer. The hydraulic system automatically activates whenever the drawer is pushed to a certain degree, allowing the mechanism to take over and completely shut the drawer without a sound. 

The technology for dampening the noise by closing cabinets was initially developed in Austria in the early 2000s. Once the innovative system took off, it was later adapted from cabinet hinges to drawer slides, creating the first line of soft close drawer slides in the market. 

The hydraulic setup that makes the soft closing feature possible can be adapted into most drawer slides. From undermount to side mount drawer slide options, it’s easy to configure drawer slides to include soft closing.

Benefits of Soft Closing Drawer Slides for Furniture Projects

silver utensils in a drawer
Source: Unsplash

Opting for soft close drawer slides in a furniture project boosts their appeal to your target market and improves their overall performance. Here are some benefits of going with soft close drawer slides:

Added Durability Without The Extra Cost

The hydraulics mechanism found on the soft close drawer slides prolongs the life of the drawer due to the reduction of stress on the hinges, drawer rails, and drawer stops. Hence, eliminating the seasonal repairs caused by wear and tear to the components of a drawer.

Improved User Safety

Nothing is more important than the safety of the kids and adults around the cabinet doors and drawers. This type of drawer slides won’t slam shut and catch anyone’s finger (Learn: The Ultimate Guide: Different Types of Drawer Slides).

Neat and Organized Contents

Typically, the impact of a regular cabinet closing can disrupt the contents within. This can lead to the contents mixing up or fragile pieces getting damaged. As the drawer slowly closes with soft close drawer slides, it keeps the contents safe and stable. 

Minimized Kitchen Noise

There’s nothing more annoying for your end-users than the constant slamming of drawers, especially in the kitchen. That won’t be an issue with the soft-close kitchen drawer slides (Learn: The Best Soft-Close Drawer Slides in 2022). With these drawer slides installed on the cabinet (Knowledge: How to Install Blum Tandem Drawer Slides), your customers can expect a smooth and silent furniture experience, adoring your brand more to your market.

How Soft Close Drawer Slides Work

Coffee making equipment kept in a drawer
Source: Unsplash

The secret behind soft close drawer slides lies in the hydraulics setup found within its configuration. A recent innovation within the furniture hardware industry, this setup consists of a gas-activated piece and the dampening piece. 

The setup works as follows:

  • The gas setup activates once the inner part of the drawer slide is pushed to a certain depth, usually around two inches, before fully closing.
  • Once activated, the gas setup gradually pulls the slide in to close the drawer fully.
  • As the inner slide is about to hit the end of the outer slide, the dampening piece catches it and secures the slide into place. This eliminates the potential collision of the two pieces that causes the banging sound.


Soft Close vs Self Close Drawer Slides: Spot the Difference

Many furniture makers mix up soft close vs self close drawer slides (Learn: What’ s the Difference Between Soft Close and Self Close Drawer Slides), thinking that all self close slides are soft close ones. The rule of thumb is that all soft close drawer slides can self close, but not all self close slides soft close. 

How is this possible? Remember that soft close drawer slides have a hydraulics system that reels the slide in and cushions the inner slide upon closing. 

Self close drawer slides also have hydraulics that pulls the slide in. However, not all self close slides include the dampening piece that’s unique to soft close slides. 

Common Applications Of Soft Close Drawer Slides

Fully opened drawer filled with toiletries
Source: Unsplash

With the comfort and innovation that soft close drawer slides bring, it has become a popular drawer slide option for various furniture projects. Some typical applications of soft close drawer slides include:

For Modern Cabinets

Ease of use is a key feature most end-users look for in their cabinets. Modern cabinets that utilize soft close cabinet drawer slides are very efficient in frequently opening and closing cabinet doors. Plus, it makes the cabinet more marketable to any audience.

For Kitchens

It is common knowledge how busy a home or commercial kitchen can sometimes get. As such, finding ways to maintain the organization of drawer contents is a sellable feature for furniture makers.

Contemporary kitchen cabinets with soft close kitchen drawer slides are handy for users and offer a safe way to organize contents. The smooth closing feature of the soft close slides ensures that cutlery, kitchen tools, and even fragile glassware are protected from clashing or damage.

For Wardrobes

Moreover, soft-close wardrobe drawer slides are trending in the bedroom furniture space as it eliminates the annoying sound that users dislike in typical drawers and closes by themselves. A neat and tidy-looking closet with half-closed, partially open, or even unclosed is possible. End-users will worry no more about forgetting to close them, as the wardrobe drawer independently closes itself even with a slight push.

For Office Spaces

In addition, soft close file cabinet drawer slides are commonly used in office drawers today for stacking files, employee records, hardcopy files, and so much more. As office staffs are usually busy getting on with their daily tasks, their cabinet drawers must be as busy. The constant opening and closing of drawers causes wear and tear to the door and frame, thus, in the long run, leading to damage and would cost money for repairs.

By using this innovation of these drawer slides, doors and frames are well protected from wear and tear of constant opening and closing of drawers. Its hydraulic mechanism controls the movement of the drawer slides so as not to slam hard unto the frame. This is perfect for today’s lifestyle, where everyone is always rushing and sometimes forgets the small and menial tasks like closing drawers.

Conclusion

With the unique features that soft close drawer slides have, using them can add value to any furniture project. These drawer slides make modern drawers easier and more comfortable to use, but their versatility also lends well to any project.

Maxave is a leading manufacturer of soft closing drawer slides in the global market (Learn: 20 Best Drawer Slide Designs in the Market). They use only premium materials to ensure the quality and reliability of furniture hardware parts for home and office furniture. Contact Maxave today for a free quote for top-class soft close drawer slides.

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