What's the Difference between Self-Close and Soft-Close Hinges?
Self-Close Hinges
Self-close hinges are a type of hinge that has a spring built into it so when you start to close a cabinet door, the spring, at some point, takes over and pulls the cabinet door closed with a tap.
Soft-close hinges, on the other hand, have hydraulics built into them so when you close the cabinet door, the hydraulics take over and ease the door closed silently. The cabinet door appears to glide closed.
Most hinges that are soft-closing are also self-closing, but not all self-closing hinges are soft-closing as the "thump" sound demonstrates.