Hettich Quadro vs Blum 563

[Ken Krawford]

Has anyone used both of these drawer slides? If so, do you have a preference. I've used the Blums and liked them but have heard good things about the Hettich as well.
Any input would be appreciated.

[Jamie Buxton]

The slides are pretty similar. Blum's fixing clips are nicer. They have a real positive clipping action. Hettich's are just flexible pieces of plastic. But more important, Blum has a variety of clips. For instance, they have clips designed for inset drawers. They let you adjust the position of the in-stop. Blum also has clips for very narrow drawers.

[David Zaret]

they are very similar and both high quality. the deciding factor for me is what are you comfortable with, and which jigs do you have lying around? i am "tied" to blum because i have spare parts, i have the drilling templates, drawers full of blum stuff, and i effectively memorized the catalogs. if i was to start from scratch at this point, i'd seriously consider hettich as the price point seems slightly lower. i think that ultimately you can't go wrong either way.

[Peter Kelly]

Hettich actually have two different front fixing clips for 1/2" & 5/8 thickness drawer material. Be sure to buy the correct ones, can be maddening otherwise.

The Blum clips are a lot nicer and the Quadros can be annoying to install but I don't think Blum are worth 2x the price.

[Jamie Buxton]

..but I don't think Blum are worth 2x the price...

The price difference is not that big. To pick one retailer, wwhardware.com, the prices for 21" full extension with softclose, including basic fixing clips... Quadro $26.36, Blum 536H $28.66.

[Peter Kelly]

21" Quadros are less than $17 / pr at CS Hardware. I think the clips are $1 or so per set.

http://www.cshardware.com/h-9134329.html

[David Zaret]

i'm paying about $18 a pair for the 563 series blums. the inset adjustable clips are a little more than the regulars, about ~$4 per set.

[Bob Michaels]

i'm paying about $18 a pair for the 563 series blums. the inset adjustable clips are a little more than the regulars, about ~$4 per set.
David, where are you sourcing the Blums.

[Peter Kelly]

$18 is a great price for Tandems.

[Fred Heenie]

Similar in function and quality BUT, one is a plastic roller slide and the other is a ball bearing slide. The Hettich has been around for decades longer. FWIW worth more than a cursory examination.

[Martin Wasner]

Blum sells well for me, I'm not overly concerned about finding a cheaper slide. It just gets passed onto the customer. I've also never had a failure with a 562/563 and like has been already mentioned, I've got all the jigs and half the catalog in the supply cabinet.

[Ken Krawford]

Thanks for all the feedback. I didn't see an option for 3/4" drawers for the Hettich so I may be limited to the Blums after all.

[David Zaret]

my pricing for the slides are a combination of a local guy i know who buys them in massive quantity and passes on his price to me, and from richelieu.

ken, just curious, why 3/4" drawers? this is purely personal opinion, but i've always found that 3/4" sides look really bulky to me, and aren't needed for strength, even on the heaviest drawers. what do others do for drawer side thickness?

[Jamie Buxton]

Thanks for all the feedback. I didn't see an option for 3/4" drawers for the Hettich so I may be limited to the Blums after all.

Hettich does have a 7/8 extension slide which will handle 3/4" drawers sides. http://www.wwhardware.com/hettich-quadro-faq-slide-for-3-4-material-hettich-quadro-faq-3-4-slides

[Ken Krawford]

These drawers are going to be for a kitchen island and will be approx. 30x21. I've always used 1/2" stock in the past but worry about strength on drawers this big. Maybe 5/8 would do.


my pricing for the slides are a combination of a local guy i know who buys them in massive quantity and passes on his price to me, and from richelieu.

ken, just curious, why 3/4" drawers? this is purely personal opinion, but i've always found that 3/4" sides look really bulky to me, and aren't needed for strength, even on the heaviest drawers. what do others do for drawer side thickness?