I’m interested also. Have less than diligent kids so need an easy option.

That’s interesting about the budget difference, luckily I’m not a fan of the finger pulls so am aiming for the push to close option. My current doors and drawers are just stock standard with tiny little clear stick-on dots of cushioning that do a really good job of stopping banging. The push to open have been around a while now, so I’m confident that the mechanism is sound. I just need to know they are easy to use or the kids are going to leave them open all day, everyday.

We had push mechanism on our buffet. No issues for family but watching guests trying to work out how to open is fun. People just aren’t used to=o it anymore. I’m really surprised your builder doesn’t offer soft close.

I know , me too, I was told only finger pull could have soft close ;( I’m going to double check this once again .

Hi Renata, what your cabinetmaker may mean is that the the brand of runner they use does not have Push to open Soft close because it is possible to have Push to open Drawers with soft close. Blum have a Tip-on runner range that does this. https://www.blum.com/au/en/products/motion-technologies/tip-on-blumotion/overview/

Doors on the other hand that have push-to-open do have to be pushed closed to re-engage the catch.

Hope this helps, Malcolm.

Hi Renata, we have recently renovated the kitchen and have push to open on all drawers & cabinets . Thinking about how that works - overhead cupboards have a magnetic rather than soft close and this works fine. All lowers are drawers with soft close which feels much nicer than original kitchen, stops items rattling inside as you close them, kids can’t bang them shut - win win. It seems to me that the push to open is essentially the ‘handle’ and then you are just closing a regular drawer like any other older drawer. That said, soft close is used in most furniture & kitchens now, even budget diy ones from ikea & Bunnings so not sure why your builder can’t include these. They can also be retro-fitted so even if your cabinetry has been ordered this specification could still be included as a variation. I would push for a reason why the builder is saying they don’t offer them.

Why doesn’t your builder offer soft close? This is standard in all buildings now, no matter what budget.

Hi dreamer , I really don’t know , I am assuming is the brand of runner they use (like Malcom said), which is a shame :( but that’s ok , I’ll ask them on Tuesday, I think I may go with “push to open” regardless tho as it seems to look better in my opinion.
Malcom, May I ask , if drawers don’t have the soft to close option, is it still a good option or are they way too annoying to close? Thank you

Hi Renata, there are generally two types of Push-to-open drawer runners. There is a Push-to Open Ball Cage Runner (also calledBall Bearing Runners) and then there are Push to open Under-mount Drawer Runner. Answering your question of what is right for you is difficult as I don't know what your builder is offering and I do not know what you consider "way too annoying to close". So my suggestion at this time is that you Talk to your Builder, work out what type of runner they offer, test drive that runner on a drawer for yourself and then work out what type of drawer system you actually want.

What I can say from my experiance over the years from pulling out old and not so old kitchens is that the Ball Bearing Runners used in Kitchens are cheep to buy, cheep to install and are ok for light wheight applications but we never recommend them for deep pot drawers because 1) they just do not last 2) they do not slide as well as Undermount Runners and 3) they are visable when you open your drawer. These Ball Bearing type runners are also the type that generally don't have the Soft Close option with Push to Open.

The Undermount type runner on the other hand is the only type of kitchen drawer runner we recommend to our clients. These can reasonably be expected to last 25+ years, are a lot smoother running, easier to operate, available in Push-to-Open with Soft Close, and are invisable when the drawer opens. IMO for the relatively little extra in cost and the afore mentioned reasons they they are a far better choice for Kitchen Drawers.

Hope this helps, Malcolm.

Thanks Malcom, so kind of you to explain it all :) really appreciate it.