Note: This entry was originally posted in March of 2016
Blum, the Austrian based Kitchen & Bath hardware industry leader, has finally released their integrated “Tip-On” Blumotion drawer slide (well, almost).
What is “Tip-On” & Soft Close?
Tip-on is Blum’s name for the push to open technology in their doors and drawers. When you push on your door or drawer, it “pops” open.
Soft close is the speed dampening technology that has become wildly popular in the kitchen & bath industry, to the point that it is an expectedly included feature in modern kitchen & bath designs. It gives you the ability to push your drawers or doors closed with force, and they slow down and close at a reduced speed. No more slamming drawers!
A Little Bit of History
A few years ago the introduction of an integrated soft close track (the soft close feature being built right into the track) was a huge leap forward in drawer track technology. Everybody that made drawer tracks and door hinges jumped on board and came out with their version of it – including some very low quality knock-offs.
It then lead to the desire of having the ability to use Blum’s “Tip-On” feature with the soft close track. But for years, it wasn’t offered. Other, foreign companies tried to push their version onto the market, but the low quality didn’t resonate with the North American market and never really took off. Similar to Apple – who is sometimes critisized for not being the first on the scene with some features – behind the scenes Blum was working on their version, and waited so long so that when it hit the market, it was done at the highest level of function.
You can see it in action by watching this short video.
Availability
Right now this feature is only available on the undermount drawer track. There hasn’t been any talk as of yet about making this available on a door hinge, although it wouldn’t be surprising if Blum is already working on it.
Release Date
Though the announcement was made months ago, the official launch (in Canada) is April 1st through Canadian Blum distributors.
For more information on Blum, you can visit their website, or watch this video.