Drawer slides make it easy to access stored objects. They typically feature two rails, one of which is mounted to the inside of the furniture unit while the other is mounted to the outside drawer. When you pull open a drawer, the rails will allow it to glide smoothly with little or no resistance.
Drawer slides come in different styles, however. Some of them have one-way travel, whereas others have two-way travel. By familiarizing yourself with the difference between one-way and two-way travel, you can choose the right drawer slide for your next project.
What Is One-Way Travel?
One-way travel refers to a drawer slide’s ability to open in a single direction. They are commonly found in kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, toolboxes, desks, filing cabinets, dressers, chests of drawers and nightstands. With one-way travel, drawers used in these furniture units can only open in one direction. You can open the drawers while standing in front of the furniture unit, but you can’t open them while standing behind the unit.
What Is Two-Way Travel?
Two-way travel, as you may have guessed, means a drawer slide can open in both directions. Two-way travel drawer slides are commonly found in kitchen islands, workbenches, medical carts, retail display cases and premium toolboxes. Two-way travel allows the drawers to open from the front or back. You can open them while standing in front of the furniture unit, or you can open them while standing behind the unit.
Differences Between One-Way and Two-Way Travel
Drawer slides are often categorized according to the direction in which they open. One-way travel drawer slides open in a single direction, whereas two-way travel drawer slides open in two directions: the front and back.
With their simple design, one-way travel drawer slides often have a higher load capacity than their two-way counterparts. They can handle heavier loads, making them ideal for many commercial and industrial applications.
One-way travel drawer slides are easier to install. They feature a more complex railing system that requires precise alignment. If the rails aren’t perfectly aligned, the drawers may fail to open smoothly in both directions.
Two-way drawer slides offer a superior level of convenience — particularly for furniture units in a central location. Kitchen islands, for instance, often feature two-way drawer slides. This allows homeowners and occupants to access the drawers from the front or back of the kitchen island. Two-way drawer slides are also ideal for display cases in the retail industry. They allow store owners to access displayed products from the front or back.