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Had a unique request today. A client complained about their existing drawer slides and is looking for a different feel. They have blum undermounts but they feel strongly against the tension that is required to open them. At the same time, they do appreciate the soft close. Does anyone know of slides like this? An absolute zero tension pull on opening matched with a soft close?
I think there needs to be something holding the drawer closed, otherwise when you close a drawer in the same cabinet, the increased air pressure in the back of the cabinet will push the other drawers open. Same thing with hinges.
I've used Fulterer, KV, Grass, Blum, Slideright, Salice, and they all have some resistance to open.
If the slide is fully mechanical, it has to behave like that. There's a spring which pulls the drawer closed. You have to tension that spring as you pull the drawer open.
Blum does make a system which does what you want. It is called Servo Drive. There's a motor which opens and closes the drawer, so your hand is not applying any force on the drawer.
Perhaps the Blum Movento slides would work. They are the slides that pair with Tip-on touch latches so I would think they would have to require very minimal effort to open. I haven't tried them yet, though.
Indeed, a push to open may be the trick, but they will be giving up the self-closing feature - I've used Salice's version in the past, but you must push it back shut until it catches with a click.
One direction or the other, they will be required to exert force.
As mentioned already, you can get powered drawer opening mechanisms. I've used the Grass brand, but they are around $400-$500 per drawer, so only in the highest end kitchens, and then, only one used for the trash can, which is well worth it for that application, if budget permits.
Old trick for tall doors with 3+ hinges would be to disengage soft-close piston and even free-swinging (no spring) on a couple to reduce the resistance, but I'm afraid with a drawer, one slide doing the closing could get wonky, especially for drawers who's width exceeds the slide's length.
Wish I could offer a better answer, but that is a very tricky request.
Jeff
The Blum Movento is a soft-close slide that can be used independently from the Tip-on device, as I understand it. I have several on order for a project but have yet to install them.
I installed the blum servo on our trash rollout and it's a wonderful thing, but they are in the $200-300 range and require power inside each bank of cabinets. But as Jamie points out, the energy to close the drawer and keep it closed has to come from somewhere, either from the initial pull of the drawer, closing the drawer, or from an electrical power supply. Haven't used the movento's, but maybe they have found a way to minimize the effort. Worth a try.
Thanks for the tips guys. I'll give these a crack and see what I can come up with!
Ever consider mounting the drawer slides at a slight angle on the sides of the drawer. The drawer will be level, but it will roll down hill as it closes. No special slides, tension, or retracting mechanism required. You don't need much angle, but some experimenting will be required, depending on the slides being used and the speed of closure desired. The drawer sides will need to be a little lower, to account for the rise when the drawer is fully open.
Charley
Right, the drawer has to have something that connects it to the soft close function. It could be gravity but who would want their drawers closing on their own while they are trying to pic out a shirt or a bit of cutlery? Therefor the mechanism grabs the free moving drawer for the last inch or so or has it under control for the whole travel. The result is that one must "uncork" the mechanism. Some mechanisms require more oomph than others. Testing them without being installed can give poor results. Maybe a push-to-open / soft close combo would meet their needs?