We are doing knobs on cabinets and pulls on drawers. But I've seen all pulls work very nicely.

I was just about to post something on pulls and knobs, so if you don't mind I'll piggyback.

Having finally found a pull I love, it only comes in 5.625 in wide (3 in CtC). That's fine for 24" and 27" drawers, but perhaps too wide for my one 12" drawer stack?

We just put all pulls, all the same size on everything. I love the look. Nice and clean, modern.

I prefer pulls all around. Pulls are more ergonomic for me, and knobs always seem to loosen over time.

I think it depends on the look you're after.
For us, it was all knobs all the time

Oh, this is my favorite topic this month! I'm having a built in wine bar being made. I've chosen ring pulls for the uppers and hand pulls for the lowers, antique pewter from Top Knobs. The cabinets are a dark stain, I can't remember I think it was walnut? It had slight red undertones.

I can't wait!

I found cabinets similar to ours, in rustic hickory, on Houzz. I found knobs like the ones on the Houzz cabinets on Amazon for about $1.00/ each. Cosmas is a good knob brand, isn't it? :-P Knobs seemed easier to install than pulls - one less hole to drill, and also maybe easier to handle as we get older and develop problems with arthritis and tremor.

I should've thought about knobs becoming loose as someone earlier said. Oh well.

Interesting question. My old kitchen had pulls on everything, doors and drawers. For some reason in the new kitchen I just gravitated towards pulls on the drawers and knobs on the doors. It wasn't a conscious decision but rather a choice that just flowed out of the design of the kitchen.

The pulls are all the same length and the drawers vary in width from 15" to 30" and the pulls are 6 3/4" wide. The knobs are from` the same family as the pulls. The only thing I would have considered is to have added a little more variety and put glass or crystal knobs on the glass cabinets. But that is an easy change out at a future date.

We went with pulls all around, ordering about six different sizes. We wanted a more modern look to support our "transitional" kitchen

Pulls are more universal design friendly. They are easier for young and old to use. A lot of us need to think ahead to the time when we aren't as able as we are now.

I wonder about pulls with tremor? That is a condition that impacts many older people and also some of us who are younger. I have it and my dh is at risk genetically so we've planned our new house with tremor - and related movement disorders - in mind...seems like a knob would be a larger "target" than a pull and therefore easier to use.

Knobs are much more difficult to grasp for those with coordination issues or muscle weakness. Pulls do not even have to be grasped fully to work. You can just fit your fingers in and tug without grasping.

I hate knobs and always have. I never even considered them. Others have mentioned the aging in place issues with knobs, but I am short and just the right height that any pockets always seemed to get caught on knobs on the top drawer. So I not only got pulls, but also got ones that don't have anything sticking out that could rip my clothes.

We just (almost) finished the new kitchen, laundry and two bath remodel. We went with pulls on the drawers and knobs on doors and they look great, to me at least. In the laundry we used the at least 100 yr old pulls out of the old kitchen. The upstairs bath remains undone. I have some of the off-cuts of soapstone from the counter tops and want to make soapstone knobs, but she is telling me I am running out of time. Imagine that!

You can fit your fingers in the pulls *if* you can get them in while you are shaking! :-P I am, alas, a pro with issues related to tremor. My (late) aunt was barely able to function in her apartment due to her shaking and no adjustments to allow for it...of course, if you don't wind up as a "mover and shaker", that may not be a problem. But for some of us, it is a very real challenge.

I have all pulls, except the two shorty cabinets above the fridge and range hood, where I have knobs. I didn't think a lot about it. I liked a bit of a mix and have never regretted it.

I've seen some pulls that are pretty small, but I never considered them for that reason. But all the pulls in my house are bigger targets and therefore more ergonomic, regardless of disability, than any knob I've ever used. So I really don't understand how knobs could be easier to use than a large handle under any circumstances.

This is one of those issues where you get to do just whatever you feel like doing. It's not even "Rebel" to go all pulls, lots of people prefer it. I think more common is knobs above and pulls below, but it honestly is a matter of preference. Another choice is no knobs or pulls at all, just go for push-magnetic catches or those finger pull things, or nothing at all, just pull on the bottom of the door/drawer. I hate that last one BTW, but that's just me.

One caution: it's fairly easy to change knobs to pulls later, but not the other way around. You can plug a previous hole (ask me how I know!), but you really wouldn't want to do that across the board.

What do people think about the ergonomics of bar pulls as opposed to tab pulls? In general? With specific models in mind?

Okay, a large handle I could use. Although it would have to be large, which seems like it could be out of scale for many cabinets. I think unless you *have* ET (Essential Tremor), you can't really understand the problem. Of course, the same could be said about any other physical condition. :-)

I have arthritis in my fingers and I wouldn't buy pulls or knobs unless I could actually feel them and see what the relief felt like. I only went to stores that had the goods displayed on boards and that way I could check out the relief and feel how hard the edges were on my hands.

Two months after remodel completion I finally installed handles this past weekend. Picking something substantial enough to get your fingers through and around was a requirement for us.

Regarding bar pulls vs tab pulls - Some tab pulls are designed such that they must be gripped between thumb and finger, which is an ergonomic disaster (see below for example). But even the most ergonomic tab pulls are less ergonomic than a typical bar pull because you can only "approach" then from one side, whereas bars can be approached from either side.

Here is a link that might be useful: ergonomic disaster tab pull

I agree it's a matter of personal taste and what works best in your kitchen.

I knew right away that I wanted all pulls, so I started buying some and bringing them home to see how they looked. Nothing I could find looked right. So I ordered some samples online and sent them all back. Finally, in desperation, I tried some knobs. Surprisingly, they looked better in our kitchen than the pulls. I think it's because we have oak cabinets and the pulls just seemed to be too much with the oak.

So, while my preference has always been for pulls, we put all knobs in our kitchen and I couldn't be happier.

Foodonastump, I love your kitchen - have you done a reveal? Is that Amerock revitalize?

Sail-away, I had the exact opposite experience! I really wanted (glass) knobs, ordered 3 different ones, and nothing looked right. Eventually ended up with all pulls and am very happy.

Thanks, kksmama! You're good, but not perfect. I had to go to the packing slip to check: Amerock Westerly, according to the slip.

No, I haven't done a reveal. This kitchen was my trial run. My next kitchen will be closer to my dream kitchen, which will benefit from lessons learned.

(I have to look for your reveal - love what I see from that picture!)

This post was edited by foodonastump on Tue, Dec 3, 13 at 22:46

So are pulls generally returnable or does it depend on where you get them? I can imagine myself with a rather large collection-- well, a half dozen anyway...

Aw, foodonastump, please post some reveal pics, I'd like to see more of that backsplash! Of course your next kitchen will be even better, we all learn as we go. But this sure looks lovely! Here is my first remodel (maybe last), I enjoy it more with every meal I cook.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kksmama reveal

I've never been a knob fan. I used pulls everywhere, except the dish hutch. And, I installed them all horizontally. Two years later, I don't question that it was the right decision for me and my space. What looks right for your space might be something completely different.