As a manufacturer and wholesaler of drawer slides for over 20 years, I can easily tell apart a pair of good sliders from the not-so-good ones. However, for many customers, except for paying premium to buy well-known brand, it is usually difficult for them to differentiate the quality. They all claim certain features; they all claim good durability; they look the same; work the same way. Everything is the same but the price can be $1.99 to $99.99. Have you ever wondered where the price differences come from?
First, Price
There truly is a price for the quality, and the rest remains to the brand. To produce consistent quality products, one of the keys is to have happy workers. Factories that squeeze workers’ salary in order to cut cost usually have high employee turnover rate and therefore can easily have quality issues. So never compromise quality for prices as future replacement will be an enormous hassle.
Second, Solidity
Look for a construction that seems to be made of one solid and fairly thick piece of metal. The greater thickness will help prevent bending. If you have access to a spare slider, try to bend it with your own strength. Keep in mind how much weight it needs to hold. Does it feel solid? Is the rolling mechanism securely attached? Do the drawers glide easily, or is there resistance? Good cabinet drawer slides will be almost effortless to open and close, and have a fair amount of strength.
Third, Anti-freeze Mechanism
Consider the weather of where you are living in that might affect the movement of your drawer slides. Some slides rely on lubricant to maintain smoothness, which will be frozen during low temperature environment.
Written by Frank C.
FineSlide.com