YENUO Soft Close Drawer Slides Full Extension Side Mount 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 inch Ball Bearing Metal Rails Track Guide Glides Runners Heavy Duty 100 Pound

Overview

I installed the YENUO soft-close side-mount slides on a few projects to see how they’d handle real-world use: a shallow keyboard tray under a desk, a full-width kitchen drawer with pots and pans, and a pull-out shelf inside an entertainment cabinet. Across those scenarios, the slides delivered the smooth, damped action you expect from soft-close hardware, solid full-extension reach, and a reassuring back-lock that keeps drawers from drifting open. They’re built from 1.5 mm cold-rolled steel, rated to 100 lb, and use a three-piece ball-bearing design with a detachable inner member for easier installation.

They aren’t perfect. The slides reward careful, precise installation and don’t love misalignment; tolerance is not generous. I also wouldn’t choose them for the heaviest, highest-abuse pullouts (like a large trash/recycling bin that gets yanked dozens of times a day). But for typical drawer upgrades and pullout shelves, they offer good value and a very usable soft-close feel.

Installation experience

These are standard side-mount slides with a detachable third track. Press the small release lever to separate the inner member, attach that to the drawer, and mount the cabinet members inside the carcass. A few practical notes from the bench:

• Clearance matters: plan on 0.5 inch per side (1 inch total). The drawer must be built to suit; trying to “make it work” with an existing too-wide drawer will cause binding.
• Depth matching: the drawer’s interior depth should meet or exceed the slide length. Running slides shorter than the drawer is fine within reasonable tolerance, but avoid going longer than the box.
• Frameless vs face-frame: in frameless boxes, installation is straightforward. In face-frame cabinets, you’ll likely need spacers or rear mounting brackets (not included) to get the slides parallel.
• Screw choice: the included hardware is serviceable, but I prefer quality #8 flat-head wood screws of lengths suited to your material. Pre-drill to avoid splitting in hardwoods.
• Squareness and shimming: these slides demand parallelism. I set the first screws, test the action with the bare inner member, then shim as needed before adding the remaining fasteners. A 6–8 inch carpenter’s square and a good set of shims will save you time.

The detachable inner member simplifies the process, especially in tight cabinets. Once aligned, the drawer clicks into place and rides smoothly.

Performance and feel

The soft-close action is clean and controlled. The last inch or so is grabbed by a copper-core hydraulic damper and eased shut; there’s no slam, even with a loaded drawer. The automatic back-lock adds a light detent at full close—opening requires a deliberate pull. That’s good for preventing drift, especially on slightly out-of-level floors or in RVs and mobile setups. It’s not a child lock, but it does make curious toddler tugs less likely to open a drawer.

Under load, the slide action remains smooth and reasonably quiet. You’ll hear the faint click of the back-lock releasing at the start of travel and a soft engage at the end. The full-extension reach is genuinely useful; I could see and grab items at the very back of each drawer without fishing under the cabinet rail.

Load capacity and stability

The 100 lb rating is ambitious but not unrealistic for typical household use. On my pot-and-pan drawer (call it 45–55 lb), there was minimal deflection fully extended, and closing remained positive. As you approach heavier loads, you can feel a slight increase in rolling resistance and a touch of vertical flex at full extension—typical for slides in this class.

For extremely heavy or high-frequency pullouts (big trash bins, shop tool drawers packed with steel), I’d step up to a 150 lb or 200 lb heavy-duty slide. These YENUO slides will move the weight, but a beefier profile with reinforced carriages can better absorb daily abuse.

Build quality

The rails are rigid for their thickness, with a durable black coating that’s held up against incidental scuffs. The ball-bearing races run true when aligned properly. Edges are mostly clean, though there are a couple of spots where I’d keep gloves on during installation to avoid nicks.

The hydraulic damper does the job consistently. The back-lock detent is firm but not obnoxious. Over a few months of use, the motion has remained consistent with no noticeable play developing in the entertainment center pull-out or the keyboard tray.

A caution: like many budget-friendly slides, the bearings aren’t fully sealed. Keep dust and debris at bay, and avoid racking the drawer during first fitment—if you force a misaligned slide under load, you can deform a race or dislodge bearings. Handle-install, test, then commit to screws once you’re sure the travel is clean end-to-end.

Fit and compatibility

• Sizes: I used the 12-inch size for shallow applications; longer lengths are available, but the rules stay the same—match slide length to drawer depth.
• Drawer width: build your drawer 1 inch narrower than the opening to account for the 0.5 inch per side clearance.
• Face-frame cabinets: plan your spacers or brackets ahead of time so both slides sit at the same depth and height relative to the face frame. Non-parallel mounting is the fastest route to rough action.
• Finish concerns: the slide grease can transfer. If you’re finishing a light wood, seal before install, and wipe the slides after mounting.

Tips for best results

• Dry-fit first. Run the drawer member in and out of the cabinet track before committing screws, checking for binding at the ends of travel.
• Work off a reference line. A laser or long level makes it easy to keep both slides at the exact same height.
• Shim liberally. Drawer boxes and cabinet sides are rarely perfect; a thin shim to correct a 1 mm skew can make a big difference in feel.
• Tighten last. Set all screws lightly, verify smooth travel, then snug them down.
• Keep them clean. Blow out dust after install, especially in shop or garage environments.

Where these shine—and where they don’t

• Great for:

  • Kitchen and bath drawers with everyday loads
  • Pull-out shelves for laptops, keyboards, and printers
  • Media cabinets and office storage where soft-close and drift prevention are desirable

• Think twice for:

  • Oversized trash/recycling pullouts subjected to hard, frequent use
  • Ultra-heavy tool drawers or shop cabinets
  • Installations where cabinet or drawer geometry can’t be made square and parallel

What I like

• Smooth, predictable soft-close that doesn’t fight you mid-stroke
• Back-lock detent that keeps drawers shut without needing catches or magnets
• Full-extension access with a sturdy feel at reach
• Detachable inner member simplifies mounting in tight spaces
• Solid value for the feature set

What I’d change

• More forgiving tolerance would help DIY installs; these demand accurate alignment
• A sealed or better-shielded bearing design would improve resilience in dusty environments
• Rear mounting brackets in the box (or as an easy add-on) would make face-frame installs friendlier
• Slightly beefier plastic components at the rear of the slide would inspire more confidence on heavier drawers

Final recommendation

I recommend the YENUO soft-close slides for standard household drawers and pull-out shelves where you want quiet closing, full extension, and a bit of insurance against drawers creeping open. They feel good in use, support legitimate everyday loads, and—installed carefully—operate smoothly and quietly. If your project involves very heavy, high-frequency pullouts (think large trash bins or shop drawers laden with metal), I’d opt for a heavier-duty slide; otherwise, these hit a practical balance of performance and price.