A bad batch of drawer slides cost me a full day and about $300

I bought a box of 20 full extension drawer slides from a new supplier online because the price was good. They looked fine out of the box, but when I started installing them in a big kitchen job, the action was gritty and they wouldn't close all the way without a hard push. I thought it was my install at first and spent hours checking alignment and case squareness. After the third drawer, I realized every single slide in the batch had the same rough spot in the ball bearings. I had to pull them all out, drive an hour round trip to my regular supplier, and buy a whole new set at full price. The lost time meant I missed my deadline for that day and had to work late the next. I'm still stuck with the bad slides because the return shipping cost more than they're worth. Has anyone found a reliable way to test a few slides from a bulk order before committing to the whole install?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona1303d ago

My last kitchen reno had the same gritty slide problem, cost me half a Saturday. I test two from every box now by running them with a bit of weight, like a heavy book. It's annoying but saves way more time than fixing a whole install.

lucas_carr243d ago

My buddy got burned the same way on a cabinet job. He opens one box from the pallet now and runs a few slides all the way a dozen times. Catches bad bearings before they go in.