It’s never easy saying goodbye to an old friend. As far as concealed hinges are concerned, the 100 series was where it all began for Sugatsune. It was part of the first generation of concealed hinges available on the market. And it has been a mainstay of our cabinet and furniture hardware range ever since.
But times change and component designs move on. Sugatsune has been a driving force in concealed hinge innovation over the years. From our Olympia 360 hinges with their adjustable Lapcon dampers to the way we radically reimagined the entire concealed hinge concept with our HES range, opening the door for use on interior doors and slim frames, we have always taken pride in listening to the market. Building solutions that answer real-life needs is what we specialise in, even if it means breaking new ground.
And that’s what we have done again. The 100 series has been a mainstay for so long because it is reliable, simple, and solid. It does everything you need from a standard concealed hinge. But what interior designers and cabinet makers expect from ‘standard’ has moved on. It was time for us to make a change.
So goodbye, 100 series. Hello, 180SUS. Recognising the time has come for us to update our standards, we are retiring our original concealed hinge model. And replacing it with a modern reboot that ticks more boxes with regards to what customers are looking for these days.
So, what can you expect from our brand new 180SUS concealed hinge? The redesign has focused on four areas.
Clip-mounted convenience
The 100 series pre-dated the development of clip-on mountings for cabinet hinges. Back when the 100 series came out, all cabinet hinges were screw-mounted. This means mounting plates have to be screwed onto both the door and the inside of the frame, making final positioning tricky. Whether you screw the hinges to the frame or the door first, you have to then support the weight of the door while you finish the second lot of screws, making precise alignment difficult.
The 180SUS series adopts the now-standard clip mounting system we use with our other concealed hinges. Each hinge separates into two parts. One half is screwed on the frame, the other on the door. Then they simply clip back together to hang the door. Once done, you can adjust vertically, horizontally and by depth for precise final alignment.
Soft-close control
In keeping with the success of our other concealed hinges and our reputation as a world leader in soft-close technology, the 180SUS series is also available with a built-in damper. More than avoiding doors being slammed, our patented rotary damper technology provides a premium experience, with a smooth, controlled closing motion every time.
Stainless steel everything
Many components on the market are advertised as being manufactured from stainless steel, with accompanying claims about their tensile strength and anti-corrosion properties. But certainly as far as concealed hinges go, what you find is that only the main visible plates are made from stainless steel. The interior components like the springs and pins are not.
The 180SUS breaks with this trend. Every last part is made from 304 stainless steel, striking a great balance between tensile strength and corrosion resistance. As a result, it has passed stress testing up to 30,000 use cycles, and also came through salt spray corrosion testing up to 72 hours. Not only is it the only all-stainless steel concealed hinge available on the market, it is also a big step forward for outdoor and marine environments.
Flexible options
Finally, the 100 series was only suitable for overlay installations where the edge of the door sits over the cabinet body where the hinges are attached. These days, we know a lot of cabinet makers prefer inset doors as it reduces the profile of the cabinet and, for some, provides a more pleasing finish aesthetically.
Concealed hinges for inset doors require a different shape to overlay hinges. The pivot arm has to work at different angles. But in the interests of giving customers flexible options to suit all requirements, we’ve added an inset model to the 180SUS range.
The 180SUS hits the shelves in August. There’s no concealing our excitement – get in touch with the Sugatsune UK team to join in.
