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Poland, Warsaw
1 Level
737 Review
43 Karma

Review on πŸ’‘ Blum 38N355BE08x50S Compact Soft-Close Hinges, 1/2'' Overlay Blumotion, Pack of 50 - Nickel Finish by Devin Lee

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Perfect replacement for 30 year old Blum 1/2 " overlay hinges (not soft closing)

Our 30 year old cabinets were starting to open and close poorly and it was obvious that the old Blum -Hinges broke. Mostly nickel plated metal but there are plastic inserts for the pivot area. You have to be very careful choosing hinges that attach in the same way as your existing ones. Some screw into the front (outside) of the cabinet frame, while others like this one screw into the cabinet frame inside edge of the frame.I was a bit concerned whether the distances between the hinges and the edges were correct or not but they are fully compatible with the non-Blumotion version of Blum 1/2' Overlay (soft-close) I removed the old hinges, screwed them to the doors with the same two holes for screws.The al However, ten hinges had two screws that attached the hinge to the cabinet frame, and this model uses one large screw. So I carefully measured each set of two holes in the pa amu and drilled another 1/8 inch hole right between them. Oddly, some of the old hinges had two holes 1-1/2" apart while others had two holes 1-3/8" apart. But thanks to the centering of the new hole in the middle between the old holes, the hinges still stood up perfectly. Measure each loop and mark accordingly to be sure. It is best to use a ruler with a division of up to 1/16 inch. The easiest way to do this is to have an assistant hold the door while you screw the hinge screws into the cabinet frame (attaching the door to the frame). Work together to remove the doors (we did one or two at a time), then one person can remove the old hinges and attach new hinges to the door while the other person measures and drills new holes in the cabinet frame. Both can then work together to hold the door in place and attach the hinges to the cabinet frame. The hinges have small adjustments to move (A) the door away from the frame and also (B) away from the hinge. With the single doors, I didn't have to adjust any of the doors. Doors that close (double) I usually had to turn the screw all the way down to the middle of the hinge to get the doors to close without sticking. I suspect older doors are a bit swollen and may have loosened a bit so there is more room f Slotted frame with a screw for height and depth adjustment as well as to accommodate the height of double leaf doors. These loops work very well. You can give the door a good push to close it and it will slow down and then seep very gently to close. A warning though. When opened at 90* they seem to keep jumping to the full 105*. So when a door opens into a corner, it bangs loudly against the opposite door/wall. In this case, be sure to purchase Blum COMPACT hinge stops (about five dollars for about 20) for each hinge. The stops only allow the hinge to open 87* which still gives you full access to the cabinet but absolutely won't hit a corner cabinet or wall. These soft-closing hinges were very important to us. No more knocking on cupboard/closet doors! Withstands wear and tear on closet doors and so quiet. I suggest if you only need to replace a couple of worn door hinges, consider replacing ALL of your closet doors in that area with the same type of hinge. We only upgraded the broken hinges/doors, but then we got into the habit of squeezing them hard to close, and if it turns out to be one of the doors with the old hinges, they slam shut. I have now replaced all my door hinges with Blumotion Soft Closes and the kitchen is much quieter and I don't flinch when I hear the bang and think about the damage the door ends up doing.

Pros
  • This is great
Cons
  • Some bugs