Once you get full extension on your drawers, you'll never want anything else. I wish I had it on my dishwasher!. I'm not sure soft close is as important, some like it some don't; but spend the extra money for full extension. You'll never regret it.

A good compromise might be to forgo soft close on all your drawers but upgrade to full extension if your dealer offers that (they are seperate features - there is hardware that will do FE but not SC but not all fabricators offer them). Full extension is definetely worth it for all drawers, as it really makes all the space more useable.

I love the full extension on my drawers - esp. the deep pot drawers. We didn't get Soft Close (Merillat) b/c the builder told me I had to get all or nothing. Haven't missed it, except lone cabinet on right side of range shakes when you close the drawer (slam) so maybe it's worth it on that. Though I still think it's not properly secured to the wall. I think you can buy the "shock absorbers" for soft close afterwards for just the drawers you need, if your GC/KD tells you the same thing.

Im under the impression it's a package deal. You get all or nothing :(

Full extension is so worth it. Without it, you lose precious drawer space that you've already paid for.

Looks like Merillat sells soft close aftermarket, you can "add it to your cart" online.

http://shop.merillat.com/merillat/softaction.asp

I would give up a lot in my kitchen before I'd give up full extension on every single drawer. I could care less about soft-close.

The cabinet manufacturer is Bertch. I think you guys are right, I need full extension. Cha-ching :)

Interesting thread.

I was in the exact same position a few months ago when we were planning our kitchen. Of course I wanted full extension, soft close on every drawer... but the reality was that we splurged on the granite, and I had to scale back somewhere else. After giving it a LOT of thought, I decided this was a reasonable place to save some money. (Although, granted, it's never easy or fun to scale back, but it's the darn budget, you know!)

So, we got the FE, SC (in our cabinet line, those two features come together) for our two cutlery divider drawers only. My thinking was that it would be most important to be able to access the contents in the back part of the sections.

All the rest of the drawers are just "regular"... and while it isn't quite as *nice* -- it is still quite functional and I am able to utilize (and reach into) the drawers just fine.

In a perfect world, I would have had every gizmo and gadget and upgrade... but I live in A Real World ;o) And some compromises were inevitable!

I have full extension and soft close on all of my top drawers. (I have pull outs in my cabinets.) I LOVE full extension -- especially in the top drawers -- flat ware drawers, catch all drawer and another large top drawer next to my stove where I keep a ton of utensils.. LOVE, LOVE full extensions! I can see everything and I never "lose" things again! I never had soft close before and I really like it. Thye close without much of a push and it's quiet and slow enough where everything inside doesn't jump around. I recommend! :)

I think full extension is, if not a "must have", a "very close to must have"...especially for flatware & pots & pans drawers.

Soft-close is nice, but definitely a "nice to have" not a "must have"...not even a "close to must have"!

As to installing them after-market, I'm not sure if you can w/o replacing all your drawer glides...but it might still be cheaper to do that than order it w/your cabinets.

[BTW...Bertch was the line we were going to use if our 2nd KD had "won" our business.]

To install FE/SC after market, yes, you must replace the drawer glides, and the drawer "latches", too; I know this because our drawers mistakenly came without it, and we added it after the fact. DH did the work, said it was simple, just a few screws. I don't really know the cost, though, as the KD absorbed it, as it was their mistake.

Full extension - Must Have
Undermount - Good to have
Self close - Good to have
Soft Close - Once you have, cant live without

Get everything above in Blumotion. Do it at first, adding later is a hassle..

We got full extension on all and yes, that is necessary, but soft close - no - I got it on a few like you said and I personally, am one of the few who don't like it. I got it on the silverware drawer and a few of the heavily used ones only. It closes too slow for me.

Ours are custom and full extension, which I agree with most that
it should be done.
As far as soft close, we chose not to use them. My DH and
GC do not like the springs that are used and it really didn't matter
to me. Its a personal preference, I would rather just shut the drawer
and it does not slam.
vic

We have and love BOTH features. BUT, we waited for a "free upgrade" special. Got both of them on every single cabinet/drawer FREE. Many cabinet companies offer this, and often. Ask your cabinet maker if they know of any upcoming specials.

I started a thread awhile back that might be of interest to you. Search for the word "grabby" and you'll find it.

Have you actually tried the soft close drawers in the showroom? Not everyone likes them. I don't. You might find it's money easily not spent and make your choice easier.
If you like them, of course, it IS money well spent. Everyone is different. I think it is a better feature on large, heavy drawers.

And I don't believe it's a package deal, no matter how strongly the dealer hints it is. It's separate hardware. Just smile and say no thanks. Or, alternatively, when it comes down to the crunch phase, it may become a bargaining chip. Ask if they will throw them in free to seal the deal.

But from my thread, it was universally agreed, to a poster, that full extension was a good thing.

I now have full extension, no soft close and I'm very happy.