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Hydraulic door closer vs spring

Updated: October 2026

The amazon.co.uk list puts a spring beside an overhead body and calls both a closer. Hydraulic door closer vs spring is a checked shut against a tug. Use a spring or a cable for a light internal door that is not a fire door. Use an overhead hydraulic closer for separate sweep and latch control, or for a fire door. Prices are the 19 October 2026 figures in our [door closer comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/door-closer). Peter F. used those listings and public notes on BS EN 1154, not a lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The amazon.co.uk list puts a spring beside an overhead body and calls both a closer. Hydraulic door closer vs spring is a checked shut against a tug.

Our top picks

Onarway Onarway hydraulic door closer

Best overall

Onarway Onarway hydraulic door closer
7.4/10about £23.19
View offer
Offfay Offfay roller-arm door closer

Best value

Offfay Offfay roller-arm door closer
6.4/10about £8.50
View offer
Carlisle Brass Carlisle Brass CDG003 overhead door closer

Rank 3

Carlisle Brass Carlisle Brass CDG003 overhead door closer
8.5/10about £15.12
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two different machines
  2. 2.What EN 1154 actually covers
  3. 3.Where a spring is enough
  4. 4.Where you need the hydraulic
  5. 5.Which to buy in this set

Two different machines

Oil in an overhead body checks the speed. Two valves, where the listing has them, split sweep and latch. The Carlisle, the comparison’s top pick at about £15.12, is fixed size 3 with two screws and a template. The Onarway at about £23.19 and the Napoleon at about £49.90 are the same class. A surface spring only has coil tension. Burg-Wächter sits about £11.52 to about £12.99. The Offfay at about £8.50 is the best value for a light non-fire door. The DODUOS pair at about £7.99 is a cable, and the GINTON is a side pneumatic arm, not this choice.

What EN 1154 actually covers

BS EN 1154 is for closers that check the close. The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers puts unchecked spring hinges outside it, and a chain spring sits outside too. A six-digit code carries power size and fire behaviour, grade 0 or 1. Sizes 1 and 2 are not for fire or smoke doors. Size 3 is about 950 mm and a 60 kg test door. If width and mass disagree, take the higher size. No surface spring here shows that code. A BS EN 1634-1 field does not create the checking action. The leaf evidence is on the fire door closer page.
Onarway Onarway hydraulic door closer

Testsieger

Onarway Onarway hydraulic door closer
7.4/10about £23.19
View offer

Where a spring is enough

A spring is enough on a light internal door that is not a fire door and only needs to reach the latch, in the about £8 to £13 band. The Offfay states about 20–25 kg and shows 4.4 from 532 reviews, with no fire-door claim. The PCKOBEVER fire-door bullet is one to ignore. Burg-Wächter’s 4.0 from 4,760 is one parent set across the colours. Screws shear, coils weaken, and you cannot oil a tired spring back. A slamming kitchen door is already past a spring.

Where you need the hydraulic

Use the hydraulic closer when the door slams, when the latch must click without a bang, or when the door is a fire door. You can slow the sweep, then add a little latch speed. You cannot do that with a spring. Unscrewing an Onarway valve until oil sprays ruins the unit, and a refill did not restore it. A fire door still needs at least size 3 and no mechanical hold-open. About £15.12 or about £49.90 does not prove the closer suits your leaf.

Which to buy in this set

Buy the Offfay when the door is a light non-fire leaf inside about 20–25 kg. Buy the Carlisle or another overhead body when the door slams or is a fire door, and do not treat hydraulic oil as fire evidence by itself. The Onarway suits a non-fire internal door if you never remove the valve. Named models are on the best overhead door closer page.

Common questions

What is the difference between a hydraulic door closer and a spring closer?
A hydraulic closer uses oil to check the speed, and a second valve, when it exists, sets the latch apart from the sweep. A surface spring stores tension in a coil. You can tighten the coil. You cannot set two speeds. A stick-on cable pulls as well, and the reviews of the about £7.99 pair do not describe a tension adjuster. On a slamming door, more spring tension makes the bang worse, while a sweep valve can slow the leaf.
Is a surface spring a controlled closer under EN 1154?
Not on the terms of that standard. EN 1154 is for closers that check the close. The GAI guide puts unchecked spring hinges outside it, and a chain spring with only tension is the same gap. A six-digit classification is how a controlled closer is identified. None of the Burg-Wächter, Offfay or PCKOBEVER springs here shows that code. A BS EN 1634-1 field on a spring listing does not create the checking action.
Can I use a spring closer on a fire door?
No. A fire door has to shut from any angle, under control, at least to size 3, and without a mechanical hold-open. A surface spring does not give sweep and latch control, and these listings do not show a six-digit EN 1154 code. Pages that still mention fire doors are claims to refuse. Use a controlled closer with evidence for the leaf, and use the fire-door page for the shut test.
Is a stick-on cable closer the same as a spring?
Both pull a door without oil valves, and they are different objects. The cable pair avoids drilling, and the pads are the part that lets go. It is not a coil spring and it is not an overhead closer. Use it on a very light internal door you must not screw into, where a failed pad is only an annoyance. It will not stop a slam in a controlled way, and it is not a fire-door closer.
When is a £10 spring the sensible buy?
When the door is a light internal leaf, not a fire door, inside the printed weight, and you only need it to reach the latch. The Offfay at about £8.50, about 20–25 kg, is that buy, with 4.4 from 532 reviews and no fire-door claim. It is the best value for that job. Budget proper screws. It stops being sensible when the door slams, exceeds that weight, or is a fire door onto a stair.

Related pages

Door closer buying guide

Door closer

Best overhead door closer: the pick and who to skip

Fire door closer: the shut test, size and hold-open

How to adjust a door closer: sweep, latch and stop

Sources

Public UK guidance and trade sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures dated 19 October 2026. A listing claim of EN 1154 or Certifire is not treated as a certificate for your door.

  1. GOV.UK: Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, fire door guidance (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Approved Document M, volume 2 (2024 amendments) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Code of Practice: hardware for fire and escape doors (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Hoppe: BS EN 1154 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GAI door closer safety checklist (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Fire Protection Association: do fire doors need to be self-closing? (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Intertek: EN 1154 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. MB Direct: how to adjust the speed of a door closer (retrieved 19 October 2026)