The essentials in 1 minute
- A fitting named by its type says more than the term branded hardware.
- At Kolev hinges and pull-outs are Hettich, flap lifts Blum, corner and tall unit Kesseböhmer.
- The AvanTech YOU pull-out is tested to EN 15338 Level 3, that is 80,000 cycles.
- Whether a kitchen runs 10 or 30 years is decided by the type with its test level, not the brand name.
- Check for a manufacturer and type per function, and that the same names appear in the order confirmation.
Rusi KolevArchitect & Founder
Real Estate Economist (ebs)
Questions in this guide 14
- Kitchen hardware compared: why the type decides 10 or 30 years
- Hinge and pull-out: Hettich Sensys and AvanTech YOU
- Flap lift: Blum AVENTOS HK top is calculated, not chosen
- Corner and tall unit: Kesseböhmer or the unbranded budget option
- The mistake almost everyone makes: branded hardware without a type
- What hardware costs
- How we do it at Kolev
- Frequently asked questions
- Next step: the first consultation
Kitchen hardware compared: why the type decides 10 or 30 years
A piece of kitchen hardware is every moving part of the kitchen, so the hinge, pull-out, flap lift, corner mechanism, plinth foot and waste system. It is moved more often per day than any other component. In our experience the carcass lasts 25 to 30 years, the fronts 15 to 20; whether the kitchen runs smoothly or sticks in that time is decided by the hardware. No standard assigns years, but EN 15338 assigns cycles: Level 3 means 80,000 openings and closings on the test rig, which at ten openings a day works out at around 22 years. The difference between 10 and 30 years is therefore not a brand name but a type with a test level. And that is what most offers do not state.
| Function | Our standard | What you see elsewhere | How to recognise it | Spare parts (as stated in the workshop drawing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinge | Hettich Sensys 110°, obsidian black, integrated damping | Blum CLIP top ONYX, GRASS Tiomos, Salice | name on the arm cap; 35 mm cup | type; reorder through the trade |
| Pull-out | Hettich AvanTech YOU, 139/251 mm drawer sides, XL 70 kg, EN 15338 Level 3; ArciTech as a second platform | Blum LEGRABOX, TANDEMBOX, MERIVOBOX; GRASS Nova Pro | 13 mm visible drawer side, Silent System on closing | drawer-side height and 550 mm nominal length per pull-out |
| Flap lift | Blum AVENTOS HK top, light 22K2300 or strong 22K2700, calculated per flap | Kesseböhmer FREEslim; AVENTOS HK-S for small fronts | the flap stays in any position; power class as a code | power class per flap |
| Corner and tall unit | Kesseböhmer LeMans II (25 kg per shelf), DISPENSA (up to 100 kg), Comfort II (20 kg, on GRASS Nova Pro) | carousel rotating shelf; unbranded corner mechanism (5 kg per basket) as a transparent budget option | kidney-shaped LeMans shelves swing fully out in front of the carcass; load capacity stated per level | system and carcass width (800/900/1,000 mm) |
| Handleless recessed grip | Scilm Snap-On recessed grip profiles, without visible screws, on an 18/19 mm carcass | side-screwed profiles; push-to-open | no screw heads in the profile; 3 mm gap between fronts | profile type and length per front |
| Plinth foot | Hettich Korrekt, 450 kg per foot, plinth height 10 cm | plastic feet without a stated load rating; Scilm adjustable foot 300 kg | load capacity per foot stated in the data sheet | foot type and height |
| Waste | Blanco FLEXON II Low 80/3, 90/4; in the 60 cm SELECT II 60/4 Orga | bucket sets without a system name or litre figure | litres per bucket stated in the data sheet | system and carcass width (600/800/900 mm) |
Hinge and pull-out: Hettich Sensys and AvanTech YOU
Hettich Sensys and Hettich AvanTech YOU are the pair that sit in about 15 out of 20 of our kitchens, and both are Hettich, not Blum. The Sensys opens 110 degrees, self-closes from 35 degrees, has integrated damping and suits fronts of 15 to 24 mm. We fit it in obsidian black. The AvanTech YOU pull-out is double-walled, a slim 13 mm at the visible drawer side, with Silent System and, in the XL runner, for 70 kg; tested to EN 15338 Level 3, in a 550 mm nominal length for the 60 cm deep base unit. The drawer-side heights of 139 and 251 mm cover everything from cutlery to pots. Which layout belongs where is set out in drawers or an internal pull-out. ArciTech supplements AvanTech YOU in some kitchens as a second platform, always alongside, never in its place. You will not find Blum LEGRABOX, TANDEMBOX or MERIVOBOX in a Kolev offer, not because they are poor but because our system is matched to AvanTech YOU, the 16 mm drawer board and the 18/19 mm recessed grip profiles.
Flap lift: Blum AVENTOS HK top is calculated, not chosen
Blum AVENTOS HK top is the flap lift in 6 out of 12 of our kitchens, and its power class is a calculation, not a matter of taste. The formula: power factor LF = carcass height in mm × (weight of the front plus twice the handle weight in kg). Example: 500 mm carcass height, a 6 kg front, LF 3,000, so class strong (22K2700, LF 1,730 to 5,200). A light flap below LF 1,610 gets light (22K2300). In between and above there are medium (22K2500) and strongest (22K2900). The carcass may be 205 to 600 mm tall and up to 1,800 mm wide. If the class does not match the front, the lift will not hold it in position. For handleless kitchens the HK top is also available as a TIP-ON version that opens at a fingertip. With us Blum is exactly that: AVENTOS HK top, TIP-ON and, for pocket doors, REVEGO as a premium option. Hinges and pull-outs stay Hettich.
Corner and tall unit: Kesseböhmer or the unbranded budget option
With us Kesseböhmer is set for the corner and the tall unit: LeMans II with 25 kg per shelf in the corner, DISPENSA with up to 100 kg as a larder pull-out, Comfort II with 20 kg on a GRASS Nova Pro full-extension runner in the narrow tall unit, ARENA trays in 6 out of 12 kitchens. Kesseböhmer is missing from almost every hardware comparison online, although it holds this niche. MagicCorner too (14 kg front pull-out, 18 kg corner element, 4 trays) is Kesseböhmer. And then there is the unbranded corner mechanism: a 900 mm carcass, soft-close, 5 kg per basket. It appears in a Kolev offer only if you have deliberately chosen it as a cheaper alternative, with the word “unbranded” and the load capacity next to it, never as “equivalent” behind the word branded hardware. 25 kg against 5 kg per level is not a matter of taste, but it is your decision.
The mistake almost everyone makes: branded hardware without a type
“High-quality branded hardware” in the offer is part of mistake number 9 in the 12 Kitchen-Buying Mistakes guide: the word commits to nothing, and between the offer and the order confirmation a Sensys can become a different hinge without a single line being wrong. The test takes a minute: is there a manufacturer and a type per function (Sensys 110°, AvanTech YOU 139 mm, AVENTOS HK top strong, LeMans II 900), and do the same names appear in the order confirmation? If either detail is missing, ask; how to read the whole offer is shown by reading the offer: the installation flat rate, the order confirmation, special items. Most pull-outs we come across are house brands rated at 40 kg. The AvanTech YOU we fit carries 70 kg in the XL load class according to Hettich, almost double, and in our experience lasts considerably longer. Hettich has basic ranges too, and according to Hettich even AvanTech YOU comes in a 40 kg class: what decides is the type with its load class, not the name.
What hardware costs
With us hardware is part of the fixed price, and we do not quote single prices per hinge or pull-out: a kitchen at Kolev starts from €14,999 incl. VAT, including planning, delivery and installation, and in it Sensys and AvanTech YOU are the norm, AVENTOS HK top the frequent flap solution, no surcharge. Anyone searching for “Hettich prices” or “Blum prices” is comparing the wrong thing: relative to the kitchen the hardware is a small item, but the only one that is moved every day. The hardware that gets expensive is the one that has to be replaced after 10 years and whose type nobody wrote down.
How we do it at Kolev
In the offer there is a manufacturer and a type per function, the order confirmation is a copy of the offer, and the workshop drawing with the hardware list is archived permanently. Specifically: Sensys 110° obsidian black, AvanTech YOU 139/251 mm at 70 kg, AVENTOS HK top calculated per flap, Kesseböhmer in the corner and the tall unit, Hettich Korrekt at 450 kg per foot in 8 out of 12 kitchens, the flexible Blanco FLEXON II in the sink cabinet, Scilm Snap-On as the recessed grip profile on the 18/19 mm carcass. A pull-out that fails in 15 years can then be identified and reordered by type, drawer-side height and nominal length, without anyone having to open up the kitchen and guess. We would rather pay a little more for the better fitting and earn less on it. We do not want to be repairing sticking pull-outs in five years, even if that repair were then paid for.
Frequently asked questions
Hettich or Blum: which kitchen hardware is better?
The question is put wrongly: Hettich and Blum should be compared by function, not as brands. With us hinges and pull-outs are Hettich (Sensys, AvanTech YOU, ArciTech), flap lifts Blum (AVENTOS HK top), corner and tall unit Kesseböhmer. An offer that names only one brand has usually named only one fitting.
How do I tell which fitting is installed?
On the hinge the name is on the arm cap (Sensys, CLIP top, Tiomos). You recognise AvanTech YOU by the slim 13 mm visible drawer side. The flap lift appears as a power class in the plan. In the offer there must be a manufacturer and a type per function. If the type is missing, “branded hardware” is just a word.
What does EN 15338 Level 3 mean?
EN 15338 is the European test standard for pull-out runners. Level 3 means 80,000 opening and closing cycles on the test rig, Level 1 is 20,000. At ten openings a day, 80,000 cycles work out at around 22 years. The standard does not assign years, but it does assign cycles.
Which power class does my flap need?
Power factor = carcass height in mm × (front weight plus twice the handle weight in kg). At 500 mm and 6 kg that gives 3,000, so AVENTOS HK top strong (22K2700, LF 1,730 to 5,200). Light fronts below LF 1,610 run on light (22K2300). The lift is calculated separately for each flap.
Is an unbranded corner mechanism bad?
It carries 5 kg per basket, LeMans II carries 25 kg per shelf. That is the difference, not “bad”. With us it appears only if you deliberately choose it as a cheaper alternative, and then it is stated as such in the offer. What does not happen: Kesseböhmer in the offer, unbranded in the kitchen.
Will I still get spare parts in 10 years?
For a named type, as a rule, yes: Sensys, AvanTech YOU and AVENTOS HK top are standard-range hardware ordered through the trade, and our workshop drawing with the type, drawer-side height and nominal length is archived permanently. And if a manufacturer changes its system one day, we replace the whole drawer if need be; that is not rocket science. Without a type in the plan, the search after 10 years starts with removing the fitting.
Next step: the first consultation
If you want to know whether the “branded hardware” in your offer means Hettich, Blum, Kesseböhmer or an unbranded budget option, then let’s talk. In the first consultation we look at your floor plan, your wishes and your budget, directly with the architect, 45 to 60 minutes, for Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region.
And a piece of advice no kitchen studio likes to give: get three offers and compare them. We are one of them.