Hey there. I need some undercount soft close slides for a built-in project I’m working on, trying to decide which brand to get. I hear a lot of good things about 563H (or F) slides here and on other forums, but I’m also looking at Accuride’s 3135EC slide. Can’t find any comparisons to push me one way or the other.
I’m leaning towards the 3135EC, largely because the project has an ultra wide drawer that will require Accuride’s 3160 EC (the only undercount slide that can handle 42″+. Basically I can buy the 3160s at the same time on Accuride’s site fairly reasonably and for a lower price than the 563H.
Does anyone have any experience with the Accuride undercount slides? Are Blum’s 563 just so much better than anyone else’s undercounts that I should go with those for my lower drawers regardless?
Thanks!
Rick
Replies
I haven't used the Accuride, but I've used the Blum 563 and 569 a lot, and they are just fantastic. I have nothing but great things to say about them.
I second the Blum slides, but I also haven't used the Accuride slides. I did want to point out the limitation on the width listed for Blum slides is because there is a rod that connects the left and right slide to force the slides to move together, reducing the risk of racking. Blum only makes a fairly short rod, but you could cut the rod and extend it fairly easily and use the Blum slides for any width.
I haven't used Blum slides that have a rod connecting the left and right units. All of the 563 and 569s I have used are separate units. They are rated by weight, and I see no reason they couldn't be spaced as far apart as you want. The only limitation is in having a drawer that won't sag on the bottom and drag.
Thanks for the follow-up. The big issue in wider drawers isn't weight, it's racking... the wider the drawers the greater the potential to rack, and once you go beyond 42" (mine will be about 53 1/4" outside) things get problematic.
The trend towards ultra wide drawers in kitchens is, I think, the reason that anti-racking systems have come around... Blums rod is one example, Accuride's system is another.
-rt
Yeah, I looked into the Blum anti-racking system. The issue is that my drawers exceed the max width of Blum's anti-racking system, which tops out at like 46". Meaning the rod is only that wide... to use them I'd have to hack it with an aftermarket rod fix, which seems ill advised (who knows if it'll even work with their system at 52"+) and a lot more effort.
-rt
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