Door Knobs or Levers?

[elgerber]

I want a lever sooooooooooo bad on the door to my garage, that is the door we are always opening with our hands full of stuff!

 

[NotUrsula]

I want a lever sooooooooooo bad on the door to my garage, that is the door we are always opening with our hands full of stuff!

It's not expensive or difficult to change out the lockset; you can do it very easily, and you can buy a steel lockset at someplace like Home Depot for less than $20 (brass would cost you more.)

The one tool you will need is a thin long-shaft phillips head screwdriver. It takes a bit of patience to get the pins lined up correctly, but it's really not difficult at all to change a lockset; I do it all the time.

 

[tvguy]

I DID take physics, and it still makes no sense. A lever is a type of fulcrum design, and thus multiplies the force that you apply to the long end of the handle in order to rotate the barrel to move the latch. A knob does not multiply the force as efficiently as a fulcrum does.

Well something with levers hurts my wrists that doesn't happen with knobs.

 

[KristaTX]

We built our house in 2007, and the builder tried to talk us into levers. But I wanted knobs. I wish we'd listened to him. I still think I may eventually change the knobs to the garage and pantry to levers. I want to be able to open them with my elbow if my hands are full or dirty.

I also wish we'd listened to him and put in taller toilets and also a shower with more gizmos.

 

[elgerber]

It's not expensive or difficult to change out the lockset; you can do it very easily, and you can buy a steel lockset at someplace like Home Depot for less than $20 (brass would cost you more.)

The one tool you will need is a thin long-shaft phillips head screwdriver. It takes a bit of patience to get the pins lined up correctly, but it's really not difficult at all to change a lockset; I do it all the time.

My dh does it all, so it's not the process it's just the pain of having it keyed to match the other deadbolts in the house.

 

[tvguy]

I DID take physics, and it still makes no sense. A lever is a type of fulcrum design, and thus multiplies the force that you apply to the long end of the handle in order to rotate the barrel to move the latch. A knob does not multiply the force as efficiently as a fulcrum does.

Yes, but what hurts my wrist is the additional distance that lever has to travel to accomplish the same thing a knob does. It isn't the force needed. That is pretty basic physics.

 

[mhsjax]

Well something with levers hurts my wrists that doesn't happen with knobs.

Maybe it is the pushing down on the lever?

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I think levers look better. I wish we had them in our house.

 

[tvguy]

Maybe it is the pushing down on the lever?

Could be.

Told my wife about this thread. Apparently they switched their lobby door handles from knobs to levers at her work, and they have had several people slam their faces into the door because of the extra turning the levers require to unlatch the door, so apparently I am not alone.

 

[Nohal]

A few years ago we changed all of our interior doors and went from knobs to levers. They look so much nicer and richer than the knobs. Much easier to open also. I'm so happy we went with levers. We don't have any kids at home nor do we have an animals, but I understand the concern with childproofing. I like the suggestion of turning the levers around so you have to push up to open.

 

[merryweather20]

Levers all the way. If you are ever stuck with an emergency situation, its one less thing you have to worry about, if you or your family is running around making the house accessible.

If anyone orth of the border is reading this thread we actuall have a tax credit available so that seniors will be encouraged to make their home more accessible, so they can live at home comfortably as long as they want. Lever door handles are specifically included. I'm not a senior, but as someone with severe crippling arthritis lever's make all the difference in the world.

Could be.

Told my wife about this thread. Apparently they switched their lobby door handles from knobs to levers at her work, and they have had several people slam their faces into the door because of the extra turning the levers require to unlatch the door, so apparently I am not alone.

You're the one that lives in the parallel dimension, where Canadians are all up in arms about their coins and their healthcare. This thing is also the opposite.

 

[tvguy]

You're the one that lives in the parallel dimension, where Canadians are all up in arms about their coins and their healthcare. This thing is also the opposite.

I just printed this to show my cousins in Canada and my coworkers.
You are the first person in my 55+ years to EVER accuse me of not being obsessed with the facts.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I love the look of the lever over the knobs but in our last house the kids figured out real quick that all it took was a coin to unlock the lever on our bedroom door. I never felt safe from being busted in on.

The door knobs that we have now require a "key" to get in, you know the stick kind. My kids know better now than to bust up in there though.

 

[arthuruscg]

The newer levers work both pulling up or pushing down. To keep our toddler out, we turn the lock around, so the "key" side would face him. We also turned the key side to face inside his room because at 2 he figured out how to lock the door.

I will never go back to knobs. They are a pain. Especially when you are trying to come back in the house covered in grease or going to the bathroom sink to to wash your hands after changing a diaper.

 

[Bob NC]

Levers all the way. If you are ever stuck with an emergency situation, its one less thing you have to worry about

If in an emergency I'm worrying about levers vs knobs, then it can't really be much of an emergency.

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, but what hurts my wrist is the additional distance that lever has to travel to accomplish the same thing a knob does. It isn't the force needed. That is pretty basic physics.

That's in the adjustment of the bolt length. All of the levers in my home EXCEPT the one on the exterior door open with only about a 30 degree motion. I could set them for a longer strike if I wanted, but that isn't necessary for an interior door. For an exterior door, the longer the strike, the more secure the bolt, so most exterior door bolts are set to rotate a full 45 degrees before they unlatch.
The lever set on my Anderson exterior French door set is double-deadbolted and requires a latching sequence before it can be locked or unlocked. You have to lift the lever until it clicks, then turn the bolt or turn your key -- if you don't pull it up first, it will not set.

 

[gwynne]

didn't realize this was an old thread till just now.

 

[dreiwhit]

I've had levers and door knobs, and I prefer the levers. I never had any issues with the levers we had.

FWIW, we only had interior levers, not exterior.