Door handles....knobs or Levers?

If you have, or will have small children, do not get levers. Too easy for them to open, and childproofing them is more expensive.

Years ago, I commented to my friend on how nice her door levers looked and she told me she HATED them! Her kids (both toddlers) could easily open the basement door and she could not find a way to babyproof it. She ended-up gating both ends of the hallway and had to escort her children in or around whenever needed. But now her kids are in preschool and it's no longer an issue.

how old are your kids? Do you plan on having more? We have knobs and my friend has levers. Her son was able to open up door by the time he was like 16 months old..my 27 month old JUST figured it out. Also you can not buy the safty knobs for levers so if you have little ones, they will be able to open up the basement door and potentially fall down the steps.

Personally I like the look of the levers...but I like the function of the knobs

We had lever door knobs on our front door and I loved it since I could open the door with my elbow with my arms full of groceries.
The rest of the house had round knobs which was great because my son couldn't open them for a long time.

Knobs- we built our house and level handles, which we replaced with knobs within a two years. The levers were "too easy" for my son (and our cats) to open, so we went with the knobs and it was a much better choice for us!

Ditto Rebecca and Lisa:
levers look cooler, generally, but if you have very young kids, they're a pain. we had levers in our previous house but my 18 month old could open them with ease (i bought 2 different things that were supposedly to childproof the doors, but nope, didn't fit). So we had to make sure all rooms were safe for him (including the toilet lock so no more hot wheels went swimming!), and then we just LOCKED my bedroom door and kept a little flathead screwdriver on top of a cabinet that was by the door to unlock the door. it was doable, but you have to be prepared for it. the only time it was REALLY an issue was when we had a guest in the guest room. he would want to go in there and dig through bags or whatever. i had to get up a little early and keep him occupied in one room until they woke up (because he'd want to go in and give love, lol), and then we'd put a childgate on the door once guests were up. that was a little embarassing. in this house, we have doorknobs. my 16 month old can reach doorknobs, but can't turn them, so all i have to do is close a door if i don't want him in the room. i would suggest doorknobs until your last child is a little older, then you can switch to levers if you want later.

Depends on the age of your children...I agree that it is hard to childproof levers. We have knobs and they are really easy to childproof. My parents have levers and I think that they look much classier, but they don't have little kids running around... So, it depends on your needs!

Levers are nice but with a toddler not so nice! Too easy for them to open. Before he could reach them, I was able to close the doors and not have to worry about him getting into places he didn't need to be but now that he can reach......Never a dull moment!! We end up having to lock the doors and then in order to have to get in we have to use a tiny screwdriver thing to disengage the lock. Not so fun! So if no little ones, then levers are great. Otherwise I would go with knobs.....easier to childproof. :)

Knobs are better (IMO) for small kids because they cannot always seem to turn them enough (so they can't get out). My son at 15 months could open the level doors, which is sometimes a bad thing! That being said, I go with knobs only because I have small children!

We chose levers. Any construction we have done we have tried to make things handicap accessible in whatever small ways we could. Levers also allow me to open doors when my hands are full (which seems to be quite often). If this is the home you are planning to grow old in I would recommend levers as they are easier in every way. Your aging arthritis will thank you.

I have to agree with Stephanie!

I love the levers, but my daughter can unlock and open the doors, unless I deadbolt the outside doors...inside doors really aren't a problem, because every door is always open.

I've always thought the knobs looked tacky for some reason. Not sure why. But, even with child proofing them, some adults still have problems opening them.

In my opinion, levers are for french doors and dr. offices. Knobs look better in a home. But I am traditional.

We have levers and enjoy the look, but like the other posters mentioned, they are difficult to child proof. If you like the look of levers, just make sure to install locks on them. We had to do that to our office, it was the only way to keep wee ones out...they learned quickly how to break the child proof locking systems we tried.

KNOBS!

We have levers in our house and I have yet to find a childproofing device for the levers. Like Lisa said, the levers are super easy for a toddler to figure out once he/she is tall enough to reach them. The knobs require an easily removable (and inexpensive) plastic cover for childproofing; the lever requires, in most cases, for you to actually remove the lever from the door to attach the apparatus or adheres to the door surface potentially ruining the finish. Also, the lever proofs we have require you to actually slide a tab and 'lock' it into place so you need two hands to open it (hard to do while slinging a baby around). Finally, if you have 'locked' the lever proof and need to get in from the other side you're screwed! With the knobs, an adult can just press the points for the cover and open the door from either side.

Knobs all the way - totally not a silly question at all! I have had moments where I want to impulsively drive to Home Depot and replace all our stupid levers!

If this is a house you are planning on staying in when you are older, or if you may eventually sell it to an older (or potentially disabled) family, I would strongly consider levers. They are way easier to use. There are also a lot of other issues that make a house easier to navigate as you age. All of these things are positive selling points as well.

I like the look of knobs. But levers are easier for older people with arthritis and mamas with their arms full of laundry. On the other hand, they're easier for toddlers, too. Is there a child device for lever door handles on the market these days? You might investigate that.

Levers are much easier to work, you can open the door with your elbow if you have to :) That's all we install now at our apartment complex.
Cats and dogs can learn to open them tho, and of course they are easier for toddlers to open as well.

I would do levers since they are easier to open. If you have children, supervise them. There is no "safety device" that protects a child like a parent. My children have always been allowed to open doors and explore the house, because I am always a step behind them while they do so. Supervision seems self-explanatory, but I guess not considering the answers.

For tops of stairs, install gates instead of relying on a door. And again, you should be a step behind a toddler anyway.

I guess it depends on what your child situation is like. That is how I would make my decision. I live levers better, but they are easier to open for little hands and harder to child proof. Knobs have that cover thing for little ones and take more practice to be able to learn how to open them. So, that's how I would make my decision is who will be living here! Good luck and congrats on your new home!!! :-)