Emtek is a very good brand and is often used by those of us restoring old homes (if the original hardware is gone). It's a bit on the higher end. We purchased one of the Emtek locksets a few months ago - handle on the outside and knob/deadbolt on the inside. Ours is oil rubbed broze, too. I don't know what you mean by living finish. To me this finish will only darken over time due to whatever junk is in the atmosphere (if it changes at all). We've been very pleased so far.

Apparently, some manufacturers use the phrase 'living finish' to describe metal finishes that will change over time, while 'permanent' shouldn't. There's been some posts in the kitchen section about some 'living' ORB finishes wearing off, or at least wearing thin, showing the brighter brass beneath.

Though I like patina if its developed over decades, I'd be dissappointed if, after a year or two, the knobs on my frequently used doors was noticably lighter than those on [say] the guest room that's only used once or twice a month.

I was just lurking and came across your post. It caught my eye because I just replaced my Emtek exterior doorknob last week. It had to be repaired in August. I had a professional come out and replace a part and then it just broke again last week. This time a different problem. In August when I called the store I purchased all my knobs from, I asked if this was a common problem and the guy said he usually tries to guide people to Schlange (sp?). So this time I just went to Lowes and bought a whole new door knob.

The finish does wear off. I think I had that finish. It is kind of a dark, dull brown with brass underneath? Very pretty but it wears some. This was the door between our garage and mudroom so it saw a lot of use. It was pretty worn off in 3 years where you touch of course but it didn't look bad.

Overall, I'm not sure about the quality. It always wobbled as do my other exterior knobs by Emtek. They have all their screws hidden and I had to call a professional because neither my Dad nor I could figure out how to get the knob and plate off! Even the professional was stumped. I think this feature is for asthetics but it seems to affect the "sturdiness" of it. My interiors are great but are the antique brass finish. FYI-I would really recommend just getting a indoor knob with a dead bolt like you mentioned. Something I was not aware of when I was shopping for knobs is the locked kind that don't seem locked because you can turn the handle to get out but then you can't get back in!! We had what I think you are calling a thumb latch as well as a dead bolt and everyone in our family knew to never lock the handle!! My 5 year old still did it once in awhile and I was the one who would get locked out! I don't understand that "feature" at all.

Hope this helped!

My window and door guy recommended the Emtek Brand, I haven't ordered any of the hardware yet so I can't speak for myself. I was planning to look into their oil rubbed bronze items for our solid wood doors.

I have an emtek handleset on the front door. lever set w/ deadbolt on the backdoor, and several interior leversets. The levers are held on by small exposed set screws. I presume there knobs are held the same way. none of the levers are noticeably wobbly. I have taken these apart, I had to rekey two of them and change one from left hand to right hand. I did not notice any problems with the mechanism. I think most of the working parts may actualy be made by schlage. All of mine are sand cast bronze with an ORB finish. Other Emtek lines may have the handles attached differently.

Here is my 0.2 - stay away from Emtek's ORB finish, unless you want your handles to look like this just 11 months after installation:

http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g271/inna0410/?start=20

I hate the way they look now. I wish I knew that before ordering them. The hardware itself works nice and smooth, no complaints, but the their ORB finish sucks, in my opinion.

Here is a link that might be useful: My living finish on Emtek - yak!

Inna - That finish looks just plain defective. I'd send that photo to Emtek and see what they say. The living finishes I have on my ORB (Baldwin - ~4 years old?) have a lovely smooth wear pattern, not a 'scratched-off' looking pattern like yours. I'd be surprised if Emtek didn't warrent that...

Inna: WOW, condolences: I never thought the finish would age that badly on even a cheap brand, let alone one like Emtek.

I'm glad I haven't ordered anything yet...

But do send those photos to the company, and let us know what [if any] response you get.

I agree - the finish looks defective, not worn. I'd contact the source you purchased it from and Emtek.

my handles are about a year and a half old and dont show any wear that is visible from more than a couple inches. If you get real close, you can see the finish is smoother and a little lighter in the "wear" areas. Your handles appear to be smooth brass. Mine are sand cast bronze. The different material may have a lot to do with the duability of the ORB finish.

one curious note, I bought an additional handle set a couple months ago and could not find ORB. I ordered "dark bronze". The finish looks identical???

I have been putting Emtek in my addition and have a few knobs that have been in high traffic areas for about 6 months. Main hall closet for one. No problems at all. They are sturdy and beautiful.
I just began installing some oil rubbed bronze fixtures in sinks and the drain got scratched looking the first day! The metal underneath is not dark and it shows badly. The drains are from Danze.
So it may be the bronze "finish" they use that is the problem.

We used Emteck throughout our house, interior and exterior. We went with ORB. I happen to like the wearing of the handles and bought it for that purpose. The finish is definitly NOT for everyone. There are ORB finishes that are not considered "living". They wil not wear. Emteck will.

The quality seems quite good and they have a good heft to them. The return and latch springs have a nice firm resistance and operate smoothly. I have a schalge on another door and honestly it does not have that heft to it that I look for in a door handle. Just my .02.

I got interior Emtek door hardware for the second floor and I think it is very good quality. My knobs are crystal but the backplate is ORB. The knobs are not installed yet but I am hoping for a little bit of wear on the backplate.

The problem with the ORB finish looks to me as if rings were scratching the surface when operating the lever. This kind of uneven wear is not normal. I know my finger nails scratch the paint on the door handle of my car and my nails are not that long.

I ran across this posting while doing research for new door hardware for the front doors we are having made. We currently have Emtek and are not very happy. We have the 'pewter' color finish, and double doors. Since only one door is opened regularly, the living finish looks noticibly different on one side. We also had function issues and a hard time getting that dealt with. It may be just the rep in our area, since the dealer we purchased from was awesome.

Still looking. From a style standpoint, they offered a lot of bang for the buck IMHO, so if the 'living' finish is not a worry,........ My search continues.

Has anyone ordered Emtek products over the internet? If so, what site do you recommend?

I used elegant locks dot com and had a very good experience. I inadvertently ordered something wrong so had to deal with their exchange process and was very very happen with their customer service. I'd use them again in a heartbeat!

I was talking to my door and window salesman about interior and exterior knobs. He sales several brands but said he really recommends staying away from Emtek for exterior because he has returns. He recommended Baldwin which he said he doesn't get returns and they just hold up better.

Ackkk! Wish I'd seen this post earlier. I just ordered entry sets for double doors and didn't consider that one side would show wear while the other would not.

I ordered an Emtek sand cast bronze set in flat black. Hopefully the eventual wear won't be glaring. I have ORB kitchen knobs and I must say, to my surprise, the wear spots are rather attractive (Classic Brass knobs). The exposed brass is subtle & blends in well.

I had an Emtek door handle with the medium bronze finish installed on my back door. Within two months of installation much of the finish had rubbed off. The salesperson at Gregory Door in Frisco, Colorado contacted Emtek because she agreed with me and my husband that the finish shouldn't have rubbed off in such a short time. Emtek did not replace the door handle. I will not buy another Emtek product because of this experience.

I think Emtek hardware sucks!! I used Emtek for both exterior and interior door hardware. The exterior finish has deteriorated in just 6 years with zero weather exposure. Oddly they claim now to have a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser which changed in 2012 from a 5 year. This hardware is very expensive and I expected much better longevity than 6 years. When we contacted them for a warranty claim through their dealer we were turned down flat. Don't buy this over priced made in China junk.

Definitely agree Emtek hardware sucks. Within one year of purchasing, handles were coming off. tried to tighten with Emtek tools and other screwdrivers. The set screw ALWAYS loosens and in fact reams a new longer hole so the handle keeps drooping and moving. In turn reaming it more. No way to tighten anymore. The plates always turn. And don’t get me started on the oil rubbed bronze finish. Install was five years ago. Looked bad starting after about 2 years. This pic is inside. Lifetime warranty? I need to look into this. Thx.

Our house is less than 1 year old and we spent over $2000 on flat black finish. they all look like the pictures above scratched from just rings on our fingers. Emtek doesn’t warrant flat black finish. I think a can of Krylon paint would do better. Do not waste money!

I agree with the sentiment of not wasting money on Emtek. I had a door handle and backplate with the oil rubbed bronze finish installed a little over a year ago. The brown overlay is almost completely rubbed off and the handle is gold with the backplate the brown finish. It looks terrible!

FYI, I have emtek in chrome. The finish is pitting after two years. People should also know the warranty is handled through where it was purchased NOT Emtek. So choose wisely. In addition, the seller wants me to pay $500 to have the items replace which will be credited back upon sending defective items back. BTW I have heard through a seller Emtek finishes are a common issue. Hear that EMTEK! Do a better job with your finishes. I have been building houses for many years and will no longer use your products.

Buyer Beware! This is what oil rubbed bronze Emtek hardware looks like after a few years. As you can see, only the left handle is used. For almost $400, I was expecting better quality. Of course, there’s no finish warranty on oil-rubbed bronze. I will never purchase this brand again and will stay with Baldwin, which after many years, looks like new.

Felinfan, oil rubbed bronze is meant to wear like that so this really isn't a manufacturing defect, it is meant to do that. A Baldwin oil rubbed bronze will also wear off over time like your Emtek handle. Baldwin does offer Venetian Bronze which has the oil rubbed look but should not wear. So if you decide to replace it make sure you order a finish that is not a living finish.

Emtek is terrible. I bought the concealed mechanism for all my doors in my new home and they are falling apart and need to be re-tightened every few days. I don't know how to do this and even if I did, I do not want to have to do this every few days. I wasted a lot of money and now want to replace every single doorknob after having them for only a month. Do not buy the concealed mechanism.

bought a very nice front door handle. the finish is chipping off on

two of the edges though and i havent even moved in yet. very disappointed.

Just had a flat black finish Emtek handleset with deadbolt installed this week and the paint around the key hole was scratched during install (which was done carefully!) and brass is showing through. What is it going to look like with a few months of use? I'm very disappointed, especially to find out that the black finish has no warranty. Obviously very cheaply applied. I should have just removed the old brass handleset and spray painted it black. Would have been as durable.

I can only concur with those folks who have had problems with Emtek, had them installed in both of our homes and nothing but problems, wobbly handles, poor interior mechanisms that stick and lock you out. Paid top dollar for an entry lock and it arrived broken and did not work. Schlage and Baldwin are head and shoulders above Emtek!

i appreciate all the feedback and answers on Emtek. I am coming to the conclusion that the best course of action is for me to return the door handles under warranty and purchase a different brand. I looked at the Baldwin handles which are similar to my Emtek ones and they are much more expensive, especially since they don't seem to be available through a retailer that would offer a discount, as I got my Emtek through Myknobs.com. Maybe I'll look into the Schlage door levers, unless anyone has any other suggestions? I purchased the Helios lever in black with a round rosette from Emtek.

Knobs are nice. Stay away from the steel hinges and get brass. The steel finish isn't even close to matching the knob.

I can’t agree more with the most recent posts. Stay away from Emtek. The internal parts on all 5 exterior levers rusted in 2 months, so now the levers stick. 2 months. I live in New Orleans which is pretty humid, but 2 months. Emtek replaced them all. 2 months after I installed the new levers, they all rusted again. I even sprayed them before installing the second time. Didn’t help.

I purchased a front door assembly for $450 at Home Hardware in Canada. The worst decision I've ever made! When you depress latch, the latch bolt does not fully become recessed. It sticks out 1/8". I was told this is 'normal'. If it's normal why does the latch bolt fully recess when you turn the inside handle? Never again. Back to foreign made again.

I have Emtec hardware throughout my home. i spent a fortune. They only warranty the finish for 5 years on most products. My hardware mostly oil rubbed bronze ( which is a living finish) has failed. The finish has become chalky. It no longer looks like bronze. It looks gray and chalky. I would expect a lifetime warranty for this pricepoint.

DO NOT BUY EMTEK! After much research and sample comparisons and one trial install I finally made the decision and bought 22 Emtek interior door sets (lever style, oiled-rubbed bronze) for a light remodel of our home.

I bought Emtek thinking I was buying premium hardware because they look and feel premium and are priced premium. They are trash! The lock pins on the privacy sets literally twist and fall out every couple months (we've lost several and went through the pain of finding replacements so we could, you know, lock the bathroom doors!). Two levers broke, as in floppy no longer functional broke. On our most used door the finish wore off after about two years. And lastly every single mounting plate loosens and I have to go around and straighten up the handles and retighten every few months (and you can't tighten too much or the lever becomes really stiff and stays stuck after turning - so awful!).

Will never buy Emtek, please let my mistake save you from disappointment!

Purchased 11 sets for exterior (and about double that for interior). Within 3-4 months max after install, had to replace several due to rusting internal mechanisms...within another couple of months thereafter, even those that are 100% under roof (no rain can get to them), even those were rusting inside. Very disappointed. Awaiting response from rep but obviously going to have to trade out for different brand. So even if I get full reimbursement, labor costs not covered for uninstall/reinstall and for repainting of exterior doors that will also be necessary. Recommendation: Stay away from Emtek for exterior doors.

I totally agree that Emtek is the worst door hardware I have ever experienced. It is on every door in my house and the handles all keep coming loose and breaking. The locksmiths all hate working with it and they have a really hard time fixing it. DO NOT BUY EMTEK. YOU WILL BE SORRY

STAY AWAy! Don't buy Emtek! We bought a bunch of expensive door knobs from them and the black paint started to peel within a week. They refused to stand behind them and doing anything to help.