The leader of the global hinge market is currently only disputed between Hettich and Blum. Founded in 1888, Hettich is a family business of more than 100 years, and has been focusing on the research and production of furniture hardware for four generations, covering hinge systems, drawer systems, slide systems, sliding doors and folding doors The entire furniture system, with more than 10,000 kinds of products and strong development capabilities. Hinges are Hettich's most important product line, with the largest market share of hinges in industry reports on many research websites such as Market Watch and Beatnick Report, and the group's global revenue in 2018 exceeded 1 billion euros.
Hettich has 38 subsidiaries and production sites worldwide, but the hinge system, which is at the heart of the brand, is still produced in Germany and stands for the highest quality of the brand. Hettich was one of the earliest entrants to the hidden hinge, and in 1962 developed and patented a block connector close to the modern hinge form, which quickly sparked strong growth for the company, and in 2009 launched the integrated damping hinge, which was also one of the earliest in the industry.
Hettich's 100-year-old hardware technology is the magic weapon of Hettich's longevity, and all Hettich's hardware products are corrosion tested, surface tested, transport tested, ergonomic tested and weather-resistant tested to meet the highest EU standards. Under the premise of a load of 10 kg, the hinge can be continuously closed and opened 100,000 times without deformation, and is divided into three series: Sensys smart damping hinge, SlideOn hidden plug-in hinge and Intermat quick-release hinge. The Smart Damping Hinge is not only a high-end flagship, but also the king of Hettich's sales, and has won many design awards such as Red Dot, iF, and Good Design.
Hinges are also known as hinges, but in order to facilitate distinction, folk customs call the page-shaped connecting components used for the main door hinges, and the pipe-shaped connecting components used for wardrobes and cabinets as hinges, the latter of which has a relatively complex structure. Among them, the damping hinge has almost lost its foothold in the short period of more than ten years after its introduction because it improves the defects of the spring hinge that needs to be manual and the closing noise is large.
The body of Hettich's smart damping hinge is made of 1.2mm thick high-strength carbon steel, and even the lightest straight arm model weighs 113g, while the large curved version weighs 126g. The smart series is a two-stage force hinge, and the damper adopts nylon hydraulic damping, which is rare in the industry, with strong thermal stability, when the door is closed to less than 35°, the stable hydraulic pressure can make the door close slowly without noise; Between 35° and the maximum opening angle, the hinge can hover in any position, and the Chinese hinge faucet Dongtai also uses a similar material damper.
Hettich has been awarded numerous hinge patents, the most noteworthy of which is the Direkt patent: the screw holes on both sides of the hinge arm are misaligned, so that when two doors share a side panel, the screws on both sides of the side panel will not be on the same horizontal plane, which will not increase the load-bearing pressure of the side panel. This design is almost the only solution in modular cabinets with shared side panels. Because of this, the hole position of the Hettich hinge and the default hole position of the cabinet door are not suitable, and Hettich comes with the hinge with the expansion bolt and opening template, which is not difficult for DIY users to operate.
In recent years, Hettich has gradually set its sights on the DIY market while maintaining close contact with its furniture business customers. In addition to auxiliary tools, Hettich also offers services such as drawing downloads, CAD simulation crash tests, online installation tutorial videos and app downloads (ios only), making it easy for both furniture manufacturers and individuals to find solutions. Hettich entered the Chinese market in 1999, and when the southern hardware brand was still struggling to get started, it has gained a firm foothold in China's furniture manufacturing enterprises and hinge retail market, and the current Chinese service is also very perfect.
The product catalog is the most intuitive manifestation of the R&D strength of hardware manufacturers, compared with the barren hinge models of China's basic hardware factories, the European old hinge catalog represented by Hettich is more than 100 pages. The contents of Hettich's product catalog cover detailed legends and data of 165° large-angle hinges, thick door hinges, -30°~30° angle cabinet hinges and related accessories, etc., worthy of a century-old brand.
Heatis's conventional smart damping hinge has a maximum opening angle of 110°, which meets the needs of most cabinet installations, and the retail price ranges from 27-45 yuan depending on the applicable door thickness. If the budget is insufficient, it is not recommended to buy a second-level quick-release hinge and a plug-in tail hinge, without a damping system, weighing about 90g and 60g respectively, and selling for 7-16 yuan. If you attach great importance to the quality of the home, the carpenter generally recommends the purchase of more than 100g hinges, and the budget within the unit price of 20 yuan can be changed to the damping hinge of the Chinese brand.
Hettich also offers door hinges, the 5-inch model weighs 640g, is up to 3mm thick, made of brushed 304 stainless steel, and sells for about 100 yuan, which greatly exceeds the market average in weight and price. It should be reminded that there is a flood of counterfeit products in the market, so it is recommended to look for the flagship store or buy in bulk through the official website.
