The most common enquiry we get sounds like one request but is actually three: "do you have the one that closes slowly, pops open when you press it, and also holds the door up?"
Those are three opposite motions. Settle the direction first — after that, force values are easy to tune. Get the direction wrong and no amount of tuning will save it.
1. Gas spring — pushes out, holds things up
A gas spring contains compressed gas and actively pushes outward. It belongs on lift-up doors, overhead cabinet doors and bed platforms — anywhere something has to be held open.
Its keyword is support: it lifts the door and, past a certain angle, holds it there on its own.
Three things decide the choice: the weight of the door, the angle it must hold, and where the mounting points sit. The same gas spring in a different mounting position feels completely different — this is the part most people miss.
2. Damper — resists, slows things down
A damper neither pushes nor pulls. It slows motion: a drawer, sliding door or cabinet door gets caught in its last stretch so it does not slam.
Its keyword is deceleration. The three damping characteristics belong to this category:
- Variable-force — firmer towards the end. This is the familiar soft-close feel.
- Constant-force — even resistance through the whole travel. Consistent and predictable.
- Energy-absorbing — takes the impact out first. For heavy parts and for preventing knocks.
Note what a damper cannot do: it will not push a door open. If the customer wants press-to-open, no damper setting will provide it.
3. Rebounder — pushes out, opens on a press
A rebounder (also called a push-to-open catch) exists for handleless design: press the cabinet door and it springs out far enough to get your fingers in.
Its keyword is trigger. It usually works together with a damper — the rebounder opens the door, the damper takes over the last part of the closing.
That is why a handleless cabinet door often carries two parts rather than one: they are not the same function.
4. The short version
- The door must hold itself up → gas spring
- The door must close slowly and quietly → damper
- The door must spring open when pressed → rebounder
- Both open-on-press and soft-close → rebounder + damper, a common pairing
5. How to brief a supplier on this
Instead of asking "what force do you offer", describe these four things:
- What the door or drawer currently does wrong — slams, rattles, will not stay up, will not open.
- Which direction it moves, and the stroke in mm.
- The weight, and whether that is loaded or empty.
- The feel you want — light, steady, or firm.
With those four we can tell you which category fits, and only then set pull-out force and return time. The order matters.