Author Topic: Door knobs vs Levers?  (Read 2514 times)

jeromedawg

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Door knobs vs Levers?
« on: September 13, 2021, 10:12:28 PM »
Whether for rentals or primary residence...

What's your choice and why?


Papa bear

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2021, 10:22:51 PM »
At rentals I use knobs. They tend to be less expensive.  I have levers at home, only for the style difference. 

For some, levers are the appropriate choice. Levers are easier to operate.  Children, elderly, people with disabilities, etc don’t have the difficulty of the knob.   Try carrying something bulky with both hands and open a door with a knob or a lever.  Lever wins.  Though toddlers are more difficult to corral!


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Dicey

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2021, 11:14:51 PM »
Levers are the bomb. When I see knobs on a rehabbed property, all I can think of is "cheap ass".

Yesterday, we walked through an Open House for a lovely $3M teardown/rebuild (torn down/rebuilt?) property. Levers everywhere.

Don't know how much the pandemic has changed things, but we always found great stuff via the internet for way less than box store prices.

And +1 to what Papa bear said. Much easier to operate. And you'll find plenty of entertaining videos on YouTube of cats who have figured this out, too.

NotJen

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2021, 11:15:00 PM »
Lever wins.  Though toddlers are more difficult to corral!

My mom has a Very Large Cat that taught itself to open the doors that had levers, so now she’s replaced most of them with knobs. [Dang, Dicey beat me to it.]

Levers seem cool, but my house came with knobs and I never bothered/thought about replacing them.

former player

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2021, 12:33:14 AM »
Knobs if they are historically appropriate, otherwise levers for all the practical reasons given above (my dog has not yet worked out how to open doors, but given his attention to the matter that could change).

Paper Chaser

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2021, 04:15:17 AM »
The only advantages of knobs are that they tend to be cheaper and they make it harder to open doors (which might be a benefit for smart pets, small kids, etc).

middo

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2021, 04:36:18 AM »
Levers can catch my clothes as I walk past, even though I like them.  Knobs for rentals everytime.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2021, 03:47:10 PM by middo »

Metalcat

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #7 on: September 14, 2021, 05:31:42 AM »
We don't like levers, not the look of them and not how they catch on clothes. Our place is also from 1971 and old school shiny golden brass knobs fit perfectly.

In a rental I would do knobs because they're cheaper and harder to abuse. Levers can get abused too easily. It's hard to use too much force on a knob.

former player

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2021, 06:14:09 AM »
I have a small rental, 1930s build, that has knobs on the internal doors.  The 6 internal doors have 11 different styles of door knob on them.  How that happened I've no idea, but perhaps knobs might not be as indestructible as advertised.

Metalcat

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2021, 06:30:14 AM »
I have a small rental, 1930s build, that has knobs on the internal doors.  The 6 internal doors have 11 different styles of door knob on them.  How that happened I've no idea, but perhaps knobs might not be as indestructible as advertised.

They're not indestructible, but levers make it easy to apply way too much force. I've lived in a lot of rentals and the ones with levers always had at least one handle that had been wrenched too hard and damaged.

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #10 on: September 14, 2021, 09:36:53 AM »
I've generally read knobs are better for pets and kids since they're harder to turn. But levers are preferred for aesthetics and also ease-of-use.


Do you all have preferences on brands? Schlage vs Kwikset?

SunnyDays

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #11 on: September 14, 2021, 01:25:35 PM »
Lever wins.  Though toddlers are more difficult to corral!

My mom has a Very Large Cat that taught itself to open the doors that had levers, so now she’s replaced most of them with knobs. [Dang, Dicey beat me to it.]

Levers seem cool, but my house came with knobs and I never bothered/thought about replacing them.

Neither of my two cats has figured out the levered exterior door, but the dog has.  Never remembers to close it behind her though.

Most of my doors have knobs, and if they ever need replacing, it will be levers all the way.  I'm having hand issues that might even necessitate them earlier than that.  Sigh ..... another thing on the To Do list.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2021, 01:27:19 PM by SunnyDays »

Fishindude

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2021, 06:38:16 AM »
Knobs tend to hold up better.

chemistk

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2021, 06:40:04 AM »
We just replaced all the internal knobs (some bedroom locks weren't working anymore and many were scratched) with....more knobs!

A few reasons:

1) Our toddler can't open knobbed doors, but sure as heck can open levers. This is a non-starter. 
2) Many of our doors are fairly narrow (built before code specified door widths) and the levers would absolutely catch on us/stuff.
3) Much less expensive.

That being said, I'd possibly opt for levers in the future, but it's just not that big of a deal to us for the time being.

As for brand, I really personally don't think it matters for interior doors. I bought the HD/Lowe's builder-grade style for 7/9 doors and kwikset for the other two* - functionally and aesthetically there's been absolutely no difference thus far between them.

*The HD/Lowe's brand have locks that can be unlocked with a coin - great for when kids accidentally lock themselves in the room, not great for our room and the access to the spiral stairs. The kiwkset lock is the one with the little flathead key. Makes it a lot harder for the kids to be able to figure out how to unlock.

GuitarStv

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2021, 07:45:18 AM »
I'd be inclined to go with levers for accessibility reasons.  They're easier to manipulate for more people.

ncornilsen

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #15 on: September 15, 2021, 08:46:59 AM »
I seem to recall there are times when levers are required by code, but that may be specifically for commercial applications, since that's what I focus on.

I prefer levers, full stop.

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #16 on: September 15, 2021, 09:04:22 AM »
I seem to recall there are times when levers are required by code, but that may be specifically for commercial applications, since that's what I focus on.

I prefer levers, full stop.

I think I heard/read about that too - it might be for things like nursing or care homes/facilities?

AMandM

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2021, 09:13:49 AM »
I've generally read knobs are better for pets and kids since they're harder to turn. But levers are preferred for aesthetics and also ease-of-use.


Do you all have preferences on brands? Schlage vs Kwikset?

Schlage all the way. Much more solid. Also, when the internal piece (sorry, I forget its name) got loose due to age & wear to the door wouldn't stay latched, Schlge sent me areplacement no questions asked.

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2021, 09:31:39 AM »
I've generally read knobs are better for pets and kids since they're harder to turn. But levers are preferred for aesthetics and also ease-of-use.


Do you all have preferences on brands? Schlage vs Kwikset?

Schlage all the way. Much more solid. Also, when the internal piece (sorry, I forget its name) got loose due to age & wear to the door wouldn't stay latched, Schlge sent me areplacement no questions asked.

Agreed at least for exteriror - I started reading around and Schlage seems superior to Kwikset overall. I think this is particularly important for exterior doors - I will probably replace the exterior/entry hardware with new Schlage and then eventually just update all the interior hardware with the cheaper Kwikset stuff.

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #19 on: September 15, 2021, 11:55:25 AM »
In terms of security/vulnerabilities, I'm not sure it matters if you intend to use Schlage for the sole-purpose of being more resistant to getting picked or drilled out; especially in the case that you have windows that can be smashed in hahaha. But I think in term of overall durability (especially exterior), it seems like Schlage is going to be better long-term.

GuitarStv

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #20 on: September 15, 2021, 01:07:00 PM »
In terms of security/vulnerabilities, I'm not sure it matters if you intend to use Schlage for the sole-purpose of being more resistant to getting picked or drilled out; especially in the case that you have windows that can be smashed in hahaha.

A door is a lot preferable to force than a window in my experience.  Usually it just takes one solid kick to knock all the bolts out of a doorframe.  Maybe 2-3 if there's a heavy deadbolt.  Windows break much more noisily, and then you run the risk of cutting yourself while trying to fit through the frame.  Either way though, the type of knob you've got on a door doesn't matter in the slightest.

chemistk

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #21 on: September 15, 2021, 01:27:53 PM »
In terms of security/vulnerabilities, I'm not sure it matters if you intend to use Schlage for the sole-purpose of being more resistant to getting picked or drilled out; especially in the case that you have windows that can be smashed in hahaha.

A door is a lot preferable to force than a window in my experience.  Usually it just takes one solid kick to knock all the bolts out of a doorframe.  Maybe 2-3 if there's a heavy deadbolt.  Windows break much more noisily, and then you run the risk of cutting yourself while trying to fit through the frame.  Either way though, the type of knob you've got on a door doesn't matter in the slightest.

The best security for doors is definitely replacing the hinge and strike plate screws with 3" long versions - it makes your door much harder to kick in. Barring that, if someone has the will to enter your house....they're going to do it regardless of the brand of deadbolt you're rocking.

Kwikset is indeed regarded as inferior for deadbolts because it's easier to dismantle and/or pick than Schlage, but if someone's going to spend the time to try and break into your front door stealthily, they probably have the tools and knowhow to neutralize either type of lock. I have to imagine 99% of would-be criminals aren't looking at your lock (which they can usually only tell the brand if they're right next to it) and thinking "aw, shucks, it's a Schlage...onto the next house!".

Plus the reality is that for most of us here on the forum, it's somewhere between silly and completely privileged to think that anyone's going to break into the house in the first place.

ETA - the biggest reason a new homeowner should rekey in the first place is because you don't necessarily know who previous owners gave keys to.

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #22 on: September 15, 2021, 03:22:48 PM »
In terms of security/vulnerabilities, I'm not sure it matters if you intend to use Schlage for the sole-purpose of being more resistant to getting picked or drilled out; especially in the case that you have windows that can be smashed in hahaha.

A door is a lot preferable to force than a window in my experience.  Usually it just takes one solid kick to knock all the bolts out of a doorframe.  Maybe 2-3 if there's a heavy deadbolt.  Windows break much more noisily, and then you run the risk of cutting yourself while trying to fit through the frame.  Either way though, the type of knob you've got on a door doesn't matter in the slightest.

The best security for doors is definitely replacing the hinge and strike plate screws with 3" long versions - it makes your door much harder to kick in. Barring that, if someone has the will to enter your house....they're going to do it regardless of the brand of deadbolt you're rocking.

Kwikset is indeed regarded as inferior for deadbolts because it's easier to dismantle and/or pick than Schlage, but if someone's going to spend the time to try and break into your front door stealthily, they probably have the tools and knowhow to neutralize either type of lock. I have to imagine 99% of would-be criminals aren't looking at your lock (which they can usually only tell the brand if they're right next to it) and thinking "aw, shucks, it's a Schlage...onto the next house!".

Plus the reality is that for most of us here on the forum, it's somewhere between silly and completely privileged to think that anyone's going to break into the house in the first place.

ETA - the biggest reason a new homeowner should rekey in the first place is because you don't necessarily know who previous owners gave keys to.

Would you recommend just going with one of the Kwikset smartkey setups then? The appeal going this route is that I can easily just rekey all four locks at once without having to worry about matching up key codes, etc. Of course, last time I bought non-smartkey Kwiksets from HomeDepot for the condo and after placing the order online called in to ask if they could get matching sets... in that case it was only the front door and garage door though. For this new place, I have the front entry, garage, and then two French doors that I need to secure. It's quite possible they may have 4 matching key sets if I were just to go with the cheapest set of deadbolt/entry handle combos...

chemistk

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #23 on: September 16, 2021, 05:27:53 AM »
In terms of security/vulnerabilities, I'm not sure it matters if you intend to use Schlage for the sole-purpose of being more resistant to getting picked or drilled out; especially in the case that you have windows that can be smashed in hahaha.

A door is a lot preferable to force than a window in my experience.  Usually it just takes one solid kick to knock all the bolts out of a doorframe.  Maybe 2-3 if there's a heavy deadbolt.  Windows break much more noisily, and then you run the risk of cutting yourself while trying to fit through the frame.  Either way though, the type of knob you've got on a door doesn't matter in the slightest.

The best security for doors is definitely replacing the hinge and strike plate screws with 3" long versions - it makes your door much harder to kick in. Barring that, if someone has the will to enter your house....they're going to do it regardless of the brand of deadbolt you're rocking.

Kwikset is indeed regarded as inferior for deadbolts because it's easier to dismantle and/or pick than Schlage, but if someone's going to spend the time to try and break into your front door stealthily, they probably have the tools and knowhow to neutralize either type of lock. I have to imagine 99% of would-be criminals aren't looking at your lock (which they can usually only tell the brand if they're right next to it) and thinking "aw, shucks, it's a Schlage...onto the next house!".

Plus the reality is that for most of us here on the forum, it's somewhere between silly and completely privileged to think that anyone's going to break into the house in the first place.

ETA - the biggest reason a new homeowner should rekey in the first place is because you don't necessarily know who previous owners gave keys to.

Would you recommend just going with one of the Kwikset smartkey setups then? The appeal going this route is that I can easily just rekey all four locks at once without having to worry about matching up key codes, etc. Of course, last time I bought non-smartkey Kwiksets from HomeDepot for the condo and after placing the order online called in to ask if they could get matching sets... in that case it was only the front door and garage door though. For this new place, I have the front entry, garage, and then two French doors that I need to secure. It's quite possible they may have 4 matching key sets if I were just to go with the cheapest set of deadbolt/entry handle combos...

You could probably go that route - you can also get Schlage or whatever else and take them to a locksmith prior to installing them to have them all keyed to the same key. Much much cheaper than having a locksmith come out to rekey.

Paper Chaser

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #24 on: September 16, 2021, 06:37:09 AM »
I ordered Schlage hardware for our house when we bought it from build.com. There was an easy option to select "keyed the same" or something before purchase.

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #25 on: September 19, 2021, 03:08:05 PM »
BTW: for those of you who have Schlage for exterior doors, have you had any issues with the finish chipping off? I'm asking, in particular, regarding the oil rubbed/venetian bronze finish - I saw a few reviews of exterior entry Schlage handles where this was the case and it looks pretty bad:





Haven't really seen anything like this with Kwikset - if anything, it's more just a 'fading' of the bronze. I'd hate to get the Schlage and end up with it looking like that in a few years. Trade-off of course is that you get a better lock all-around. But I guess it doesn't really make much of a difference in light of the overall situation. I'm leaning towards just making life 'easier' and getting Kwikset smartkey for the exterior entry doors at this point. The smart/keypad locks are somewhat appealing but I'm not that comfortable of the notion of having an additional form/means of entry. I'm used to the old school key-only lock. I can see how having a combo is nice though for easier entry in case you need neighbors/friends/family to check on something or whatever.

Another consideration might be to look for a finish that's more "exterior friendly" like perhaps satin nickel?

BTW: for the two sets of French doors, I'm considering putting in a couple of double-cylinder deadbolts as opposed to regular deadbolts for added security. This way it'll make it a little harder for anyone thinking they'll break one of the windows on the door with the intent of unlocking from inside.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2021, 04:44:50 PM by jeromedawg »

Radagast

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #26 on: September 20, 2021, 06:50:03 PM »
Oooh this one is really easy.

If you want to get eaten by velociraptors you should install levers.

If you do not want to get eaten by dinosaurs or anything else without opposable thumbs, use knobs.

(I watched Jurassic Park at a possibly too young age while my family was staying at a friend's house for a couple weeks, and all their doors had levers. I didn't sleep for two weeks.)

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #27 on: September 20, 2021, 08:38:15 PM »
Oooh this one is really easy.

If you want to get eaten by velociraptors you should install levers.

If you do not want to get eaten by dinosaurs or anything else without opposable thumbs, use knobs.

(I watched Jurassic Park at a possibly too young age while my family was staying at a friend's house for a couple weeks, and all their doors had levers. I didn't sleep for two weeks.)

Hahaha. The velociraptors would totally scratch that oil rubbed bronze finish too - I bet that's what happened in the pics I posted :O

Metalcat

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #28 on: September 20, 2021, 08:50:44 PM »
Oooh this one is really easy.

If you want to get eaten by velociraptors you should install levers.

If you do not want to get eaten by dinosaurs or anything else without opposable thumbs, use knobs.

(I watched Jurassic Park at a possibly too young age while my family was staying at a friend's house for a couple weeks, and all their doors had levers. I didn't sleep for two weeks.)

Hahaha. The velociraptors would totally scratch that oil rubbed bronze finish too - I bet that's what happened in the pics I posted :O

Well yeah, I thought that was obvious. The second you posted it I was like "classic velociraptor damage".

Radagast

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #29 on: September 20, 2021, 09:53:42 PM »
Oooh this one is really easy.

If you want to get eaten by velociraptors you should install levers.

If you do not want to get eaten by dinosaurs or anything else without opposable thumbs, use knobs.

(I watched Jurassic Park at a possibly too young age while my family was staying at a friend's house for a couple weeks, and all their doors had levers. I didn't sleep for two weeks.)

Hahaha. The velociraptors would totally scratch that oil rubbed bronze finish too - I bet that's what happened in the pics I posted :O

Well yeah, I thought that was obvious. The second you posted it I was like "classic velociraptor damage".
It's one of the first things I look for when considering a home. "Dear, we can't buy this house. Raptors."

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #30 on: September 20, 2021, 10:40:15 PM »
Oooh this one is really easy.

If you want to get eaten by velociraptors you should install levers.

If you do not want to get eaten by dinosaurs or anything else without opposable thumbs, use knobs.

(I watched Jurassic Park at a possibly too young age while my family was staying at a friend's house for a couple weeks, and all their doors had levers. I didn't sleep for two weeks.)

Hahaha. The velociraptors would totally scratch that oil rubbed bronze finish too - I bet that's what happened in the pics I posted :O

Well yeah, I thought that was obvious. The second you posted it I was like "classic velociraptor damage".
It's one of the first things I look for when considering a home. "Dear, we can't buy this house. Raptors."

Good thing I didn't get the loop carpet. They would have completely destroyed it. Pile carpet seems a little better for dinosaurs

Sorry, went off topic.... regarding levers and velociraptors, I'm planning to pick up a bunch of these now that you guys have freaked me out:


That should stop em... for a few seconds.

Even better though:
« Last Edit: September 20, 2021, 10:46:35 PM by jeromedawg »

Radagast

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #31 on: September 21, 2021, 08:55:27 AM »
.
Even better though:

Now you’re talking!

affordablehousing

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #32 on: September 21, 2021, 10:19:17 AM »
levers look awful in my opinion. Get Emtek, they make quality stuff. Kwikset and Schlage scream cheap rental or flip a dip a ding dong to me. If you want nice stuff that holds up, buy nice stuff made of brass, otherwise any plated crap, made anywhere, is going to look cruddy.

jeromedawg

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #33 on: September 21, 2021, 10:43:02 AM »
levers look awful in my opinion. Get Emtek, they make quality stuff. Kwikset and Schlage scream cheap rental or flip a dip a ding dong to me. If you want nice stuff that holds up, buy nice stuff made of brass, otherwise any plated crap, made anywhere, is going to look cruddy.

I know Kwikset screams "cheap rental" or whatever but haven't heard that as much with Schlage. I'm not as concerned about aesthetics as much as I am just getting something basic and functional, looks decent and where the finish won't chip off (whether by velociraptors or whatever) and look horrible in a year. If I want to reinforce the deadbolt/security then I could add a beefier strike plate, better hinges, and 3" screws... and perhaps an extra deadbolt. I've heard the B500 and B600 series Schlage deadbolts are typically a good suggestion if you want better than basic. I don't really see the point when we have exposed windows. If I was really serious about this I'd add iron bars over the windows. But that's not the kind of neighborhood we live in lol.
Anyway, as far as finishes: I would think plain brass or stainless steel would hold up best in general. The problem is that my wife cares about the color and the style lol. I'm trying to stay away from that oil rubbed bronze finish from Schlage though.
« Last Edit: September 21, 2021, 10:46:35 AM by jeromedawg »

cchrissyy

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Re: Door knobs vs Levers?
« Reply #34 on: September 21, 2021, 02:31:25 PM »
google tells me both companies have lifetime warranties?

just buy what does the job and looks good!

if the finish ever did go bad, replacement is simple and maybe under warranty.