We love good drawers – they make life so much more tidy and complete! If you share the same love for them like us, you will be equally frustrated at drawers that don’t work smoothly.
Honestly, there’s nothing more annoying than a drawer that needs constant tug and pull to be opened successfully. And do you know why that happens? That happens because of poor drawer slides.
We have, therefore, vowed to help you prevent this annoying displeasure of having drawers ruined by bad quality apparatus. What you need are the best soft close drawer slides in the market – they will make sure that your drawers never give you any trouble.
Let’s dive into a list of some good drawer slides now.
Top 7 Best Soft Closing Drawer Slides Reviews
If you are looking for drawer slides, then you should definitely have a look at the ones listed below. They are the best in the market, and they are all quite worth your money.
1. LIBERTY 941605 Soft-Close Ball Bearing Drawer Slides, 16-Inch
Every drawer slide has a load rating, and this one can bear a maximum load of up to 50 pounds. So, if you have normal duty drawers, then these are the slides that are recommended for you.
These slides will give your drawers a soft-close, meaning that with these installed, you will be able to open and close your drawers soundlessly.
They will also give you full access to the drawer. This is borne upon them due to their full extension feature, which allows the drawers to come off its box entirely when needed.
- Closes silently and effortlessly
- Made with stamped steel that doesn’t rust
- Suitable for normal duty drawers that take loads of up to 50 lbs
- Has full extension opening that allows you access to the whole drawer
- Zinc plating on the surface prevents even the slight chances of corrosion
So, as you can tell, you do have to be careful not to pull the drawer out with a sudden long force if you don’t want to take it out completely.
There are many issues with the rusting on drawer slides, but you won’t be facing any of them with these slides, fortunately. That is because these slides are made with stamped steel, which by its very composition, forms a rich layer of chromium oxide that essentially makes the steel resistant to corrosion.
Additionally, the stamped steel that is used here has been finished off with a coating of zinc on top to further protect it from getting rusty.
As per all the details that have gone into the construction of these slides, you can expect these to go a long way. The drawers won’t get stiff, and you won’t have to struggle with opening or closing at all.
2. Friho 5 Pair of 18-Inch Hardware Ball Bearing Side Mount Drawer Slides
The first thing you have to know about these slides is that they are not going to break. In a world where the drawer slides often get chipped off, these ones are made with high-quality cold-rolled steel.
This means that they have been molded at low temperatures, which made them much stronger and harder than regular steel.
This steel will even resist deformation, and will, of course, doubly resist corrosion because of the electro-galvanized coating of zinc on its surface.
- Five pairs in a kit
- Each slide is 18 inches long
- Coated with zinc on top to prevent corrosion
- Constructed with high-quality cold-rolled steel
- A disconnected lever allows the drawers to be taken out of the box
- Made for side mounting, but they do not come with mounting brackets
But there is one thing you need to know here – these slides are for side mounting, but unfortunately, the mounting brackets are not included in the package. When you buy these slides, you are paying for them alone, and for the long-term use, you’ll get out of them. You will, however, get mounting screws in the kit.
The kit includes 5 pairs of slides that are each 18 inches in length.
The comfort of using these slides is that your drawers will become soundless. These slides have ball-bearing type rolling, which reduces friction among the moving parts and slides in and out very smoothly and effortlessly.
The lever has been disconnected from the slides so that you can pull the drawers completely out of the box when you need to get clean access all the way to the end.
3. Promark 100LB Capacity 20-Inch Full Extension Soft/Self Closing Side Mount Drawer Slides
If you want flawless side mounting drawer slides, then these will be amazing for the job. The best part about them is that they can bear the load of a 100-pound drawer effortlessly.
These are strong slides made with high-quality steel that has been rolled out in low temperatures. The resilience they have is beyond that of regular steel used in most drawer slides.
These slides need a clearance of ½ inch for operation. Installing is very easy, but we still recommend that you get a professional to do it. When installed seamlessly into the drawers, they will give a full extension to them. This means that you’ll be able to take the drawer out of its opening in the cabinet.
- Can take loads of 100 pounds
- Each pack contains 20 inch x 10 pairs of slides
- Require a clearance of ½ inches for installation
- Made with specially constructed cold rolled steel
- Has a self-closing feature that allows a lower chance of being damaged by accidental forceful closing
They are soft-closing slides that work soundlessly, and they are particularly designed for frameless or face-framing drawers. Oh, and they are self-closing as well.
So, you won’t have to close them all the way. They will silently get back right into their frame when they are released. This self-closing feature is not only for your convenience, but it also reduces the chances of damage to the frame.
One pack of these slides will contain 10 pairs of slides that are 20 inches in length each. These slides won’t corrode or get damaged by friction because of their ball bearing. So, you will be able to get a long use out of them without any further hassle.
4. LONTAN Ball Bearing 22-Inch Heavy Duty Full Extension Drawer Slides
Lontan drawers are amazing because they are the smoothest of the lot.
They can take a heavy load and still not become weighed down because of their amazing construction and their particularly well-calibrated positioning holes.
There is a restoration spring installed inside the slide, and this will help to pull in the drawers once they have been released.
The soft-closing style of these slides will make sure that the frame is never damaged due to rough placing.
- Suitable for heavy-duty drawers because of 100 lbs load capacity
- Restoration springs pull in the drawers automatically and noiselessly
- Multiple installation holes in the slides make the installation easy and robust
- The ball bearings are fixed in two solid rows to ensure maximum stabilization
These slides have two layers of small balls as their bearing – the effect is that they are much more smoother in their operation. There will practically be no friction between the slides to make them lose their shape and form.
Each set will have 10 pairs of slides, and each of the slides is the standard length of 22 inches. These are heavy duty drawer slides that can take loads of up to 100 pounds. On top of that, their trisectional design maximizes drawer space to ensure great comfort in use.
5. BLUM TANDEM Drawer Slides with BLUMOTION – Best Cabinet Drawer Slides
If you are looking for high-quality drawer slides that can be used for both panel cabinets and for face frame cabinets, then these slides will be a perfect fit.
These slides will stay completely concealed due to their bottom mount holes that are 15 inches, 18 inches, and 21 inches in size.
These can be mounted without the need for any tools. You can reach out from the side of the rear of the drawers with your hands to align them perfectly in position. True side-to-side adjustments help to give them a clean-running action without binding into the wood panels.
- Only a pair required for each drawer
- Made with zinc-coated steel that is rust and corrosion resistant
- Built for heavy-duty drawers that take loads of up to 100 pounds
- Comes with the locking device, mounting brackets, screws, and instructions
- High-quality drawer slides made for panel cabinets and face-framing cabinets
They are made with zinc-coated steel, which doesn’t rust or corrode. You will only need one pair to set up each drawer. Everything you need for installation is included in the kit. They come whole with mounting brackets, an adjustable locking device, screws, and required instructions in easy steps.
Once installed properly, these drawers will be able to bear 100 pounds of weight without giving in to the load. These cabinet drawer slides have full extension, and they will come clean out of their boxes if you pull them out.
These BLUM slides are the smoothest and the quietest apparatus you could install your drawers with. They will go a long way without needing any effort to go behind maintenance.
6. Home Building Store Self Soft Close Under/Bottom Rear Mounting Drawer Slides
Whether you have cabinets with face frames or ones that are frameless, these drawer slides can give you support for both occasions. These are hard slides, made to resist corrosion and breakage alike.
They are made with cold-rolled steel, and then there’s a coat of zinc on top to make sure that they are extra resilient.
These are bottom mount slides with pegs that latch into place perfectly, never bind with the wood, and as such, allow the drawers to be operated smoothly.
- For drawers that are 21 inches in length
- Have the right thickness and finish for smooth operations
- Made with cold-rolled steel that has been coated on top with zinc
- All the mounting apparatus and the locking device are included in the kit
In the kit, you will find the slides, adjustable locking device, screws for mounting it up, and all the instructions you require.
These drawers are soft-closing – they fall back on their frames when you release them without a sound. Also, these are heavy-duty drawer slides that are made to take loads of about 100 pounds.
In one set, you will get 6 pairs of them all ready to be mounted up with the whole set of apparatus that’s included in the kit.
7. Knobonly 21″ Full Extension Soft Close Undermount Drawer Slides
If you want drawer slides that are good quality, then these 21-inch slides could just be the right one for you.
These are made to support drawers that have a load capacity of 85 pounds. So, they are for drawers that are rated above normal-duty but lower than 100lbs heavy-duty ones.
They are soft-closing, and none of them will give you any sort of trouble when you are operating the drawers.
These are the best undermount soft close drawer slides, and they generally go with most sort of drawers, be it for cabinets, bathrooms, or for the kitchen.
- Closes softly and noiselessly
- Standard 21 inches in length
- Can bear a load capacity of 85 pounds
- Suitable for framed and frameless cabinets and drawers
- Made with steel that has been cold rolled and plated with zinc
They will fit both framed and frameless applications. These are quite versatile, and with their mounting hardware included in the kit, they will be quite easy to mount as well.
You will get a full extension with these drawers so that cleaning and getting access to the deeper parts of the drawers is no trouble at all.
These drawers are also quite resistant to moisture and air as they are made with high-quality steel that has undergone construction under low temperatures. With the zinc plating added to that, they become even more resilient.
So, if you want slides that won’t get chipped off or damaged by friction, then consider these a good match for you.
Buying Guide for Soft Closing Drawer Slides
Drawer slides aren’t tricky to buy. But there are some factors that contribute to their functionality and durability – check these out below to understand the soft close drawer slide reviews better.
Types of Mount
There are three types of mount: side mount, undermount, and center mount.
- Side Mounts:
These come in pairs, and each slide attaches to a side of the drawer. They often require a clearance of ½ inches for installation – you need to ensure that your drawer has enough clearance here. Otherwise, these slides won’t fit. They can be found with an either roller or with a ball-bearing mechanism.
- Undermount:
These are ball-bearing styled, and they are usually mounted to the sides of the drawer. The clearance required for them is about 3/16 inches to ¼ inches on each side. They are the most popular type of slides because they sit under the drawers and can’t be seen from the outside.
- Center Mounts:
These are solid as singles as they are installed right in the center of the drawers. The amount of clearance they require for installation depends on how thick the slides are. These are also soft close ball-bearing drawer slides, but they are not so popular because they get easily dislodged from their place and make it difficult to slide the drawers in and out.
Length of the Slides
The length of drawer slides usually varies from about 10 inches to 28 inches.
If you are getting center mounts or side mounts, the length of drawer slides you need is a measure of the distance between the front panel of the cabinet to the internal side of the back of the cabinet, and the result subtracted by 1 inch.
And if you are getting undermount slides, then just take the length of the whole drawer itself and get slides that match that length exactly.
Slide Extension
This is a measure of how far out the drawer will come out of the cabinet when you pull it out.
There are three types of extensions: ¾, full, and over travel.
- ¾ Extension-
These will give your drawers the shortest bit of extension. Get these if there isn’t much space in front of the cabinet for the drawer to be opened.
- Full Extension –
These will allow you to take the whole drawer out of its cabinet while still keeping it lodged inside the cabinet.
- Over Travel Extension –
These will let you get the whole drawer out of its cabinet without keeping it lodged inside. With these extensions, the drawers can be taken out completely to access the back of the cabinet behind the drawer.
Load Capacity
This is of crucial importance. If the slides are not strong enough to take the entire load when the drawers are full, then they will get stuck under the pressure of the load. So, make sure that the load rating of the drawer slides match the load capacity of the drawers themselves.
Usually, the load capacity for drawer slides will be 75, 100, or about 150 pounds.
Some FAQs about Soft Close Drawer Slides
1. Do I need to grease the slides?
If you are having trouble with the slides, first check if they are positioned properly on their grooves. If they are, and you’re still having trouble opening the drawers, then greasing the slides will be most likely to solve the problem.
2. Should drawer slides be the same length as the drawers?
Yes, the longest slides you can use for your drawers must never be longer than the depth of the drawer inside the cabinet.
3. Why are my self-closing drawers not working?
Probably because of misplaced guides or ball-bearing. If this happened, you need to reinstall the slides from scratch again.
4. Which slides are best for drawers in a small enclosed space?
Undermount slides require the least bit of clearance, so they are the best option for drawers that have very little space ahead of them.
5. How to make sure that the drawer slides won’t start binding to the wood?
Put tape on the inner side of the wood where the slides will touch after they have been installed.
Final Words
Drawers are the best parts of furniture. At least, that’s what we think.
We are keen on drawers that work smoothly and soundlessly. By now, you already know that the best way to achieve that is to get the best soft close drawer slides for your drawers, right?
So, don’t cheap out on this. We hope we could help you find some good drawer slides in this article. With that, we also hope that you never have to face a stubborn drawer that has to be fought with to be opened. Good luck.
This is Adam Sullivan, the author of tchardwaretools.com! I started my days as a mobile carpenter to become a full-time shop owner, and have been living my professional life for more than 8 years now.
Here I want to share my thoughts, experiences, and ideas through this platform. Stay Tuned!
