Apexstone Soft Close Toy Box Hinges, Slow Closing Hinges for Toy Chest Toy Box Safety Hinge Soft Close Hinge, Set of 2

The media could not be loaded. Installed these on a vintage Lane cedar hope chest I refinished... I looked at several reviews before purchasing and almost did not choose these due to people saying the instructions were confusing and that installation was difficult, the durability, etc...(actually I purchased another popular kind that I had to return because they would not install according to the included instructions). I followed the enclosed instruction sheet - I've saw several complaints on this, however the instruction sheet has multiple instructions included on it for their other products which are labeled "lift support gas struts" but these are the "soft close" struts and are listed first on the installation sheet I received (see pic) ... I also noticed people had installed these upside down in some of their reviews which could indicate that the "lift support strut" instructions were followed instead, SO make sure you follow the "SOFT CLOSE" portion of the sheet. Now, millimeters is the standard measurement they used, but inches are also included. Reading the instruction steps were a tad confusing, but for me, the illustration clarified the proper method to use. While the scale is off a bit in their illustration, I was still able to easily understand what to do. Due to this chest having a shelf insert, I had to do a little less than the 5.5 inch measurement for the lid bracket and came just right under the shelf. It lists to measure 9.1 inches from the top/opening of the box down toward the bottom, and 2.8 inches from the back of the box for the bottom bracket attachment (so I measured as close to that as I could, probably not perfect) and just made sure that with the strut extended, it met the open lid in an ok spot for me to mount the top bracket. I used a small level to make sure I had the strut level vertically. I do not have a scale to measure the weight of the lid, but I'd say it's around 10 lbs. It soft closes perfectly.... it may have created a small amount of resistance when opening, but it's not that noticeable of a difference since it was "heavy" anyway...I'm just glad I don't have to worry about smashed fingers now! Hopefully they will hold up well and last!

Perfect. Exactly as described.

I got these to match a pair of 100N Apextone soft-close struts purchased in 2017. The originals are a bit too slow, but that's because our storage chests have light lids, not because of a shortcoming in the struts. Otherwise they work perfectly and installed easily. Unfortunately the new ones are 150N and are way too strong for our chest lids, so we can't use them. What we really need are 100N strength or lower soft-close struts, preferably 50N (lifting struts won't work four our application), and I can't find them anywhere.

The media could not be loaded. They are not the easiest to install. I can back up the reviews struggling on proper placement. My hinge position was outside the box. I ended up having to notch a channel for the strut body to clear in the open position. The brackets are definitely the weak point. If not aligned properly they will bend. There is some slack in the top 20% (80-100% open). No pressure until a slight drop. They do not hold in the open position, they are not a lifter, they are for slow closure. They have great pressure on the way down though. You can’t force them closed faster. This installation is a very heavy lid (roughly 60lbs) and they work great. I read the reviews and anticipated the drawbacks I mentioned. For the price they actually exceeded my expectations.

The media could not be loaded. A video is worth a 100 words on this product. I purchased these struts for an old wooden chest. The lid is nailed/ glued pieces of pine that broke apart partly because it slammed down. After repairing the lid, I thought these soft close struts would reduce wear and tear. It was a partial success, but as illustrated in the accompanying video, the lid slams down from about 30 degrees. This definitely would not be a good choice for a toy chest with a heavy lid. The directions are confusing, but by reviewing the diagrams in the instructions and experimenting before drilling it was not that difficult to figure out the right set up. However, I did end up drilling 2 sets of holes for the first strut because my chest had supports on the underside of the lid and with the suggested bracket placement the lid would not close all the way.In other reviews I was made aware of the cheap hardware issue so I drilled pilot holes and used a Phillips head screwdriver to set screws by hand; no issues with hardware. The connectors are plastic and rotate on a ball at each end. One of the 4 plastic teeth inside one of the connectors broke during installation. It still works, but I have contacted the company’s customer service for a replacement.Overall I feel that this was worth the money, but suspect these struts will not be that durable with heavy use.

I never used hydraulics with lids before making a couple of toy boxes. The directions leave a lot to be desired but it is easy to figure out. Basically, you want to mount this within the cabinet in a way that allows the lid to completely close and not interfere with the hydraulic. As these are slow close, having the mount near the rear of the cabinet is important. Once the side or cabinet mounts are determined you have some adjustment with the lid mount placement. I built a test box to be sure of measurements and not drilling several holes in my heirloom projects. I set things up for a 91-92 degree offset from the top of the toy-box. I think these would hold a lid open with something less that a 90 degree opening, but at that point other hydraulics would be better.

The thing is stuck open, the mechanism will not budge on first attempt at install, my chest will not close. Past the return window of 1 month.