Neither lever handles nor round knobs are better for every home. A lever suits people with weak grip, arthritis, or full hands, because it opens with a push. A round knob suits closets and doors where you want small children or pets to have a harder time getting through. Handle shape does not set how secure a door is. The lock, latch, and deadbolt do that.
Round knobs: a grip and a twist
A round knob opens when you grip it and turn your wrist. Both have to happen at once. The grip keeps your hand from slipping, and the turn pulls back the latch, the angled bolt that holds the door shut.
On a closet, pantry, or guest room, that motion is rarely a problem. Knobs also suit people who like a traditional look, with hardware that sits close to the door.
Knobs frustrate when the hand can't grip. Wet or soapy hands slip on them, and full hands can't use them at all. With arthritis or reduced grip strength, the twist itself can hurt.
The same motion is harder for very young children and most pets. Small hands often can't turn a knob with enough force, and a dog usually can't paw one open, which is why knobs often go on doors to stairs or a utility room. That is a tendency, not a barrier. An older toddler will figure it out.
Lever handles: push down and walk through
A lever handle opens with a downward push. An elbow or the side of a hand works. No grip is needed, and the length of the lever supplies the turning force your wrist would otherwise provide.
That push is why levers are the usual suggestion for older adults, people with arthritis or a weak hand, and anyone using a cane or walker who needs one hand free. Levers also help when you come in carrying groceries or laundry: press an elbow down on the lever and the door opens.
The tradeoff is that the push is easy for everyone. A child who can reach a lever can open it, and some dogs and cats learn to jump up and pull it down. On a door to stairs or a street exit, that matters.
Levers also stick out with an open end, so a loose sleeve or bag strap can catch on one in a narrow hallway. Levers whose ends curve back toward the door catch less.
What decides it for a particular door
The useful question for any one door is who opens it most, and what that person is usually holding.
- Entry door: opened with full hands more than any other, so a lever often makes sense, with a separate deadbolt doing the locking.
- Bedrooms and bathrooms used by an older adult or someone with limited grip: levers.
- Young children or pets at home: knobs on doors to stairs, exits, or storage, and levers elsewhere.
- Shared building hallways and doors into units: levers help residents with packages, strollers, or limited grip.
- A business door used all day: a lever suits constant pushes from full hands, as long as the latch and lock behind it are made for heavy traffic.
Check the door before you buy
Look at the door edge first. A small plate around the latch usually means a round bore, the hole drilled through the door face that holds the handle's latch mechanism. On a round-bore door, the handle and latch normally come as a set and are changed together. A tall faceplate on the edge usually means a mortise lock, a lock body set into a pocket cut into the door, and that lock needs handles made to fit it.
Also note which way the door swings. Some levers are made for one swing direction and point the wrong way on the other, while others reverse.
Handle shape is not lock security
How a handle feels and how secure a door is are separate questions. The handle only pulls the latch back. Resistance to forced entry comes from the lock cylinder where the key goes, the latch or deadbolt, the strike plate on the frame that the bolt sits in, and the door and frame themselves. A lever and a knob can share the same cylinder.
On an entry door with a deadbolt, the deadbolt carries more of the security load than the lock in the handle. If security is the reason for the swap, look at the lock as its own decision instead of expecting a handle shape to solve it.
Bushwick Locksmith & Key Copy is a mobile locksmith in Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Ridgewood, Ocean Hill, and Cypress Hills. Its services include Lock Change & Repair and High Security Locks. You can reach the business through the contact section at bushwick-locksmith.com.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch from a knob to a lever without replacing the whole lock?
Switching from a knob to a lever depends on the lock type. On a round-bore door, the knob and latch are a set, so both change while the door stays. On a mortise lock, the lock body can often stay and only the handles change, if the body is made to support a lever. A separate deadbolt is its own lock either way.
Is a lever handle less secure than a round knob?
A lever handle is not less secure because of its shape. A lever and a knob can carry the same lock cylinder and latch. On an entry door, the deadbolt, strike plate, and frame do most of the work of resisting force, so those are the parts to look at if the door feels weak.
Which is better for a rental unit where tenants change often?
For a rental unit with frequent turnover, levers on the entry and bathroom doors suit the widest range of tenants, including anyone with limited grip. Turnover is really a key problem. If the hardware is in good shape, rekeying changes the lock's internal pins so old keys stop working, and the handles stay put.
Should every door in the home use the same style?
Every door in a home does not need the same handle style. A common split is levers on the entry, bathroom, and bedrooms, and knobs on closets or doors kept closed to children and pets. Choosing one finish across both styles keeps the look consistent.