I have priced out the following door hardware
5 passage knob sets
3 privacy knob sets
2 (2.5 x 2) polished chrome cabinet hinges
16 (3.5 x 3.5) solid brass door hinges
40 cabinet knob pulls
All is made by Baldwin and expect for the cabinet hinges they are all finished in their oil rubbed bronze.
The total delivered price is $1100. The major costs are hinges at about $24 a piece and door knobs at about $60 a piece.
I do not have much experience with door hardware. I would like a quality product…this would include a durable finish and a smooth/solid feel. Are there other brands on the market that offer similar quality to Baldwin at a more competitive price? If so, what do you recommend?
I am leary of the kwikset/schlage models found in the box stores. They feel cheap but would cost me 1/3 of the price for Baldwin. Is there an intermediate brand between those mentioned?
Thanks in advance for all of your help
Replies
Baldwin, very nice stuff!
I've installed a lot of it and I'm always impressed with the quality.
Doug
We have a Baldwin front door set. Really nice.
Schlage in rest of house. Make a nice impression on entrance. Not sure we notice the rest.
I've just put Baldwin Oil Rubbed Bronze thumb latch sets on all the exterior doors & levers on all the interior doors in my whole house. Quite an investment for a little cottage but they are beautiful & they just 'feel' like quality. I'm glad I splurged.
I did however need one extra lever for an out of the way closet door & found a lever at an ACE hardware store under the ACE brand that is virtually indistinguishable from the Baldwin Legacy. I haven't installed it yet but will try to do that tomorrow & let you know how seemed out of the package. I think it was about $17 as opposed to $70.
It might LOOK the same from six feet away, but the brass finish will wear of soon and it will never FEEL as smooth as Baldwin
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
****It might LOOK the same from six feet away, but the brass finish will wear of soon and it will never FEEL as smooth as Baldwin ****
You're right. Nothing beats that quality feel. I am sure I'll replace this lever but for now on this out if the way, seldom used closet I can pretend I am conducting my own little lever comparisson tests while I spend the extra couple of dollars on window trim :-) Bobbi
To me Baldwin is sort of the Bose of hardware...while you're probably paying too much for it...its still probably worth it all things considered. The next step up is mega and the next step down is.....ehhhh
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/17BUSH.html?ex=1255665600en=890a96189e162076ei=5090
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
You haven't tried Emtex have you?call it 95% of Baldwin quality at 60% of Baldwin price.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Another vote for Emtek.
Did a job last spring with 52 doors - all new hardware, hinges, and associated items.
Good stuff.Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
Nope...it goes bookmarked though...thanks
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/17BUSH.html?ex=1255665600en=890a96189e162076ei=5090
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Thanks for the response gentlemen. I tallied all of my expenses, both real and estimated last evening...my project is $5000 to $8000 over what I expected. I have to digest this is a bit before making my final decision. Of course you guys aren't helping with the good reviews.
Damn...I have expensive tastes...LOVE quality products...and HATE making these decisions.
Thanks for the help
Baldwin for the door knob hardware, but you can save some green on the hinges, so long as the finish is available.
I put Baldwin door knobs and Stanley solid brass door hinges, with their decorative pins throughout my home.
Very happy with them.
Democrats.The other white meat.
Their hinges are ridiculously expensive. Maybe I will order the knob sets and match to a more economical hinge.
Baldwin has maintained an excellent reputation until recently - they are now owned by Black & Decker. And the B&D track record shows they will increase prices/reduce cost of manufacturing to increase margins. It's only a matter of time till you see subtle changes that overall degrade the product. As a benchmark, I always use Ball & Ball for a reference - and they are very high end hand made product.
Baldwin is competitvely priced - you'll find plenty of internet sites with good prices - one discount shop is Clement Hardware - min of 40% off all Baldwin.
One thing Baldwin still makes is a full mortise dead bolt for entrance doors. Most people don't use them because they do require good mortising skills to install but the final presentation is a flush cylinder that is very unobtrusive. It looks a lot better than the Schlage and Kwikset locks that sit way proud of the door surface, sort of like of pimple on an otherwise nice surface.
baldwin not big box stores?? i can buy it at my local lowes.
baldwin not big box stores?? i can buy it at my local lowes. ****
I think Home Despit has some now but you used to have to get all of the oil rubbed bronze either at Expo or have HD order it. Bobbi
#1...lowes doesn't carry baldwin
#2...HD only carries 3 styles/finishes and they are not the same as I bought
not to argue, but my lowes does.
Take a look at Emtek and see if you could be happy with it. Lot less money...
Baldwin is very good and that is a very good price for all that.
I generally prefer Emtex as a substitute because it is a bit less typically and because they are almost always in stock whereas I have often had to wait three months for Baldwin stuff. Yours may be more basic pieces though and not cost you the wait.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
mcf
I have all Baldwin in my house. That's 25 interior doors and three exterior doors. I don't notice the quaity untill I grab a handle at someone elses home.
Then I do!
I have a Baldwin front entry handle & deadbolt. Been on the door for 20 yrs. Still functions well, needs a little shine though. Every now and then the key/ cylinder needs a little shot of WD-40. Based on purchase price, my cost per yr is $5.00. And going down!!
The Balwins arrived today. I would like to thank all of you for the sound advice. These knobs are badass! The entire assembly must weigh 5 lbs. The knobs are solid brass...WOW. Good call on the quality and thanks again. I am looking forward to my Wood harbor doors arriving next week. These should be a good match.
I am a finish carpenter and sash and door installer for twenty years and I have hung my hat on Schlage locks. How many of your guests will notice that you installed Baldwin hinges? The box stores do not carry the higher quality Schlage series locks but could most likely be special ordered from them. Personally, installing Baldwin locks mean you have made more money than you need. Typically, by the time the hardware gets ordered the budget has been crunched by change orders, so Schlage can really help the finish list budget. I have never had a call back on a Schlage lock that was a manufacter's defect.
I have the same experience as a cabinetmaker/craftsman and just recently purchased two Simpson entry doors for my own home re-model. I was impressed by the Arts & Crafts line i saw in the catalogs but was disappointed when the doors finally came in. The overall look was good, but the quality is just lacking and the thermo panes needed a lot of cleaning up, the frames were assembled in a pretty shoddy manner as well. I did select Emtek for my hardware and am pretty impressed. I do have a discerning eye for quality, look and feel are very important when spending money but i agree with you, the true test of time speaks for itself. Any experience with Simpson doors you might want to share with me? I'll be pre-finishing them in the shop this week and hopefully installing myself the following.
Edited 4/21/2007 12:28 am ET by timestamps
timestamps,
Other than occasional stanley steel door on a garage or out building I do not have much knowlegde of Stanley doors. Remember to finish you exterior doors on all six sides and show paint on the glass to protect your warrantee.
Does buying a Bosch, Milwaukee, or Makita powertool over a Ryobi mean you have more money than you need? Does putting on 40 year shingles over 25 year shingles mean you have more money than you need? Does installing Marvin windows over Appleby mean you have more money than you need? How about Hardi board over vinyl? or Advantech over standard OSB?
Did you ever consider that, on fact, the Baldwin product is superior to schlage and quickset? Just like the products listed above are superior to their counterparts.
Try sticking to the subject instead of firing off baseless accusations in the future.
I don't consider twenty years experience baseless. Ask your locksmith, I did, he gave me quote about not being too expensive for their value.
why would i have a locksmith install interior door knobs.
why would i have a locksmith install interior door knobs.
I've never heard of a locksmith installing any door knobs, thought that was the carpenters job!
I dont get the meaning of, "you must have to much money" thing, doesnt make a lot of sense to me. You could go on and on with the comparisons but at the end of the day it doesnt make a whole hell of a lot of difference, buy what you want, I assume you worked for your money, shouldnt you get to spend it the way you want?
Also I couldnt possibly care less what a locksmith tells me about the quality of doors sets. The lock mechinisms for Baldwin is made by Slage but all the stuff outside of that is well made by Baldwin and thats what the extra cost is for.
One other tip regarding the Baldwin door sets - most of the screws are solid brass, predrill and wax the screw or your going to snap them off, I know, I've done it and its a real pain to get them out without doing any damage to the polished brass!
Doug
It is like calling an electrician to change a 60W light bulb in the lamp next to your couch.
I was't suggesting you have a locksmith install your interior door hardware. I was stating that it was a locksmith that said Baldwin locks were more money than they were worth.
That is fine...I am not installing locks. I am installing interior privacy and passage knobs. I can say that the quality of these knobs is far superior to what I saw elsewhere. The knobs are solid brass. Each knob handles weighs about a pound each. Add in the mechanicals and the whole assembly is pushing 5 pounds.
There is no doubt that the Baldwin knobs & levers look & FEEL like quality. Someone else here said you may not notice until you go to someone elses house. I agree & then the difference can be startling. I don't even have as much money as I need but I'd rather buy quality & stretch out the length of the re-do of my home than settle.Bobbi
If he was comparing Kuikset to Baldwin, then the vinyl/Hardie comparisome might have some meaning... I didn't see where he mentioned Kwikset. Kwikset and Schlage are not in the same catigory.
Edited 4/21/2007 7:51 pm ET by Matt
Go with Emtex.
I have Baldwin on my exteriors (7yrs). I wanted to get the best or close to it. I'm not impressed. For me, it's Emtek for exteriors. That's mostly what my co installs on the upper priced homes. Being a Budweiser Select kind of guy schlague is fine for the interiors on my house. Whatever you get, look for a lifetime finish on the exteriors.
We had this discussion about 3 weeks ago here at BT. Some guy who is a professional locksmith rated them all. Do a search.
I think This Old House show a few weeks ago paid a visit to the Baldwin factory. They hand polish the final product, and I got to see (on camera) the process of door knob making. These things are cast, smoothed, chemical dipped (to get any grease and impurities off), polished... I remember the polishing process as critical because it was easy to take too much off the finish. Pretty interesting episode.
Handyman, painter, wood floor refinisher, property maintenance in Tulsa, OK
Baldwin is one of the better ones out there. I use them or even better is Ball & Ball. Don't skimp on the door-window hardware or plumbing fixtures.
Hey, I've been picking up the door hardware for a long time too. Well, I can give you some advice. I've taken these, and I don't regret it. Price and quality are premium!
Cory36, What the heck are you trying to say?
Roy,
Maybe Cory wanted to throw in a spam link but English or typing skills prevented it...