Telescopic rails with focus

Drawer slides & drawer guides

Drawer slides and drawer runners are slides that telescope from their closed position to a longer, open position. They are the invisible helpers that make our lives easier every day. Whether in the kitchen, bedroom or workshop, telescopic slides allow us to open and close drawers. They are most often used when access to the entire contents of a drawer is desired. The slides are not only used in the manufacture of new furniture, but are also ideal for retrofitting.
Drawer runners are offered in a wide variety of sizes and price ranges. But what is important to consider? What is the difference between cheap products and a professional drawer runner? Learn more here.

Which type for which application?
Depending on the application, HA-CO produces systems with different functions. It is worthwhile to take a look at the store and select the appropriate drawer slide for the particular application. As a rule, the following main types are used:

• Soft-close damping
  To ensure that drawers, furniture doors and flaps close gently and quietly, they are equipped with a soft-close system. This is a damping technology that first brakes doors and drawers and then pulls them shut automatically - preventing them from slamming shut. They are often used in noise-sensitive environments such as hospitals or libraries, or for applications where delicate objects are involved, such as in an archive.
  Soft-close damping not only finds its application in furniture construction, but is also used in the field of industry and apparatus engineering (products).
   
• Soft-Close - how does it work?
  The mechanism of the Soft-Close drawer slides consists of a spring and a damper. When the soft-close drawer or door is opened, the spring is tensioned and the damper is extended. When closing, the damping ensures that this process is slow and that the door or drawer does not close uncontrollably (HAZ3832EC / HAZ3832SC).

• Self-closing drawer slides
  In these rails, a spring ensures automatic retraction of the drawer on the last centimeters (HAZ5321EC / HAZ5321SC).

• Drawer full extension with push-to-open function:
  Drawers and fronts without a visible handle are beautiful to look at, practical to use and are becoming increasingly popular. A light tap is all that is needed and the furniture doors or drawers swing open a little bit, so that the handleless door can be easily grasped and conveniently opened further. Different drawer slides are used here, which can be opened by pressure (HAZ3832TR / HAZ3832HDTR).
   
• Push-To-Open - how does it work?
  Behind this mechanism is a sophisticated technology. The system does not require electricity, cables or other tools. The secret is based on the use of magnets in the hinge. A gentle pressure on the door or drawer is enough and the drawer or cabinet door opens as if by magic. When closing, a slight resistance can be felt (Matching product). The mode of operation at a glance:
  - When pressing against the closed door or drawer, the previously tensioned spring is released and a pin gently pushes the door open
  - When closing, the spring is tensioned
  - When closed, a magnet holds the door so that it does not open again on its own

Self-closing or soft-close - what's the difference?
Our drawer slides with damped retraction or self-closing have several features in common. The main features are e.g. quick release front, detent in closed position, full extension as well as high load capacities. However, there is an important main difference between rails with self-closing and drawer runners with damped closing. A self-closing slide uses a spring mechanism to close a drawer. After the spring is used, it is quickly pulled closed.
Damped drawer slides, on the other hand, have a spring and a damping mechanism that gently and quietly pulls the drawer closed.

Partial extension, full extension or over-extension?
Drawer slides are basically available as partial extension, full extension and over extension. Depending on the application or piece of furniture, should be carefully selected here, which type of drawer is best suited.
With a partial extension, the drawer cannot be pulled out completely. One-third of the drawer usually remains in the carcase, making it difficult to access the contents. These slides are usually less expensive and simpler in mechanical design. Often, these variants are also slightly smaller.With a full extension, the entire drawer can be pulled out. This gives easier access to the contents of the drawer. Full-extension slides are usually somewhat larger than partial-extension slides and more complex in terms of mechanics. A special variant of the full extension is the over extension. Over-extension makes sense when a piece of furniture has protruding parts, such as a large plate with a large overhang in a carcase or in a table. Thanks to the over-extension, the contents of the drawer is completely accessible despite protruding parts of the furniture. In most cases, an over-extension drawer is designed to be relatively heavy, as the long extension means that larger loads have to be accommodated.

- Partial extension - extension length approx. 75% of the rail length (z.B. HAZ2132)
- Full extension - extension length corresponds to 100% of the rail length (z.B. HAZ5321)
- Over-extension - extension length greater than rail length - 100%+.

Flat mount or side mount?
Drawer slides are available in different designs and for different types of installation and applications. The flat mounting, or underfloor guides are attached to the drawer on the lower side. They thus require only a few millimeters on both sides and are practically invisible. However, this variant adds to the bottom of the drawer, which means that usable drawer height can be lost.
The other variant is to attach the drawer slides to the side. A simple drawer slide with telescopic rails, can be easily attached to the side of the drawer. The rails are usually screwed into the side of the drawer. This approach not only saves space, but also facilitates assembly.

Safety and comfort thanks to quality
When using drawer slides, it is important to pay attention to requirements and appropriate quality. Cheap rails often have defects after a few months, start to jam or do not work at all.
We recommend using durable, robust drawer slides that have the highest quality and precision for the multifunctional system. The telescopic slides from HA-CO meet exactly this requirement. They are manufactured with the highest precision from high-quality materials and are available in different lengths and sizes. Thus, they can be used individually for diverse applications.

In our online store you will find numerous drawer slides and drawer runners for your individual application. Likewise, our experts are at your disposal for a free consultation.