Heavy Duty VS Regular Drawer Slides

 Drawer slides use bearings, rollers, or guides to give adequate support to your drawers and facilitate motion. The slides assist in a smooth action and lateral stability for your drawers. However, deciding the proper drawer sidings for your drawer can be a daunting task.

Generally, there are two significant types of drawer slides available in the market; heavy-duty and regular drawer slides. But what is the best option to meet your needs?

Heavy Duty Drawer Slides

The industrial heavy-duty drawer slides are engineered with durable stainless steel. Its load-carrying capacity is an average of 500lbs; thus, it is ideal for drawers carrying heavy industrial tools. Some of the other intrinsic features of the heavy-duty drawer slides include:

•    Custom extensions are available and can allow an average of 60 inches.
•    Engineered with cold-rolled steel with a grade of 235
•    It contains ball bearing slidesmade of premium stainless steel
•    Allows for side mounting and bottom mounting
•    It is a non-releasing option
•    Its average height is 3 inches with a thickness of 0.75 inches

What makes the heavy-duty industrial slides outstanding is their durability and ability to handle heavy loads. Thus are a good addition to industrial environments and drawers with heavy tools.

Durability

Typically, durability is the ability of a product to withstand harsh conditions such as high moisture and extreme external weather conditions. The heavy-duty industrial slides are engineered with cold-rolled steel materials making them super strong and very durable. The material used to make the slides can resist corrosion and rust.

Also, the ball bearing slides are crafted with stainless steel, which is quite resistant to damage, corrosion, and rust. Another feature that makes the drawer slides durable is their increased thickness, allowing them to last longer and withstand harsh conditions.

Support Heavier Loads

The industrial heavy-duty drawer slides can withstand a load of upto 500lbs. You can consider installing these options for drawers that you intend to store in heavy toolboxes. Ideally, the drawer slides are effective for areas such as camper trailers, canopies, or caravans.

Since they are engineered with extra thickness and high-end materials, these drawer slides will effectively work in areas that require functional and premium materials. If you install the regular drawer slides in such areas, you will compromise the structural integrity of your drawer as the heavyweight can cause severe damage.

Regular Drawer Slides

The regular drawer slides are pretty prevalent in the market and are specifically designed for common home-usage. These drawer slides can effectively support an average weight of 100lbs-400lbs. Some of the outstanding features of the regular drawer slides include:

•    Side mounting option
•    Has a height of 2 inches and an average thickness of 0.5 inches
•    Engineered with cold-rolled steel material
•    The ball bearing slides are made of stainless steel
•    Extension lengths ranging from 10 inches-50 inches
•    It is a releasing option

The regular drawer slides are ideal for medium and home projects as they cannot support heavyweights. These slides are primarily available in locking and non-locking mechanisms. They are also durable as they are crafted with premium materials such as stainless steel and cold-rolled steel of grade 235.

How to Choose the Right Drawer Slides?

When selecting the best drawer slides, you can consider two primary factors, and these include:

•    Exposure to external weather elements- if you expose the slides to harsh weather conditions, it is essential to select the industrial heavy-duty drawer slides.
•    Storage of heavy equipment- if you want to store heavy equipment, ensure you select the industrial heavy-duty drawer slides.
•    For home use- if you are looking for the best drawer slides, the regular drawer slides are the best option.

Typically, you will require heavy-duty drawer slides for outdoor use or areas prone to harsh external elements. You can consider them in areas such as trailers, recreational vehicles, or industrial environments. On the other hand, the regular drawer slides are ideal in indoor applications with a clean environment and less frequency of use, such as in desk drawers and your kitchen cabinets.

Key Takeaway

The regular and heavy-duty drawer slides are made using the same material, but the thickness and size differ. Your project requirements will determine which is the best option to incorporate. It is almost important to note that the heavy duty drawer slides are more expensive.