Good soft closing gas spring for the heavy lid 

I used these for an upholstered bench seat with storage underneath for toys and whatnot. I did the lid frame out of 2x4s, about 4 feet long, with a plywood base and the upholstered seat above it. So it was not very light, and I was worried about kids' fingers getting smashed. But it holds the weight well and catches and slows the closing speed so I don't worry about crushed fingers. These are of great value and seem sturdy.
You can find the soft close gas springs here: apexstone.co/p...