Review on LIBERTY 942205 Soft Close Bearing 22 Inch by Donnie Boss

I've been building my cabinets for years and have been using this type of slide (non-soft-close) for quite some time. This was the first time I bought this type of slide closure feature. Because I build drawer cabinets out of melamine-faced chipboard, questions about weak hardwood screws aren't an issue for me. The only thing I noticed is that they take more force to open than a slide without a soft close. Why is this? The answer is how they create a smooth finish. When you close the drawer, the guides stop your effort near the end and push the drawer in about the last inch on their own. How do you do that? The answer is that when you open the drawer, you tension the springs at the rear of the rails, giving them stored energy so they can close the drawers on their own for the final leg of the journey. It is this spring energy you provide that makes the drawer more difficult to open than a non-self-closing drawer. Once you load the springs, an initial movement of about an inch, the drawers are as smooth and light as any non-soft-closing slide. that seems to be the choice for more expensive custom kitchens. I'm still building cabinets so I can't yet comment on how these drawer slides will hold up over time. Once I've completed the project and had the opportunity to rate them in practice over time, I'll update my review.