Setting aside looks, I think you'd want to select between mortise or tubular locksets, for examples see discussions here and here.

And then there is the question of keyed deadbolts, you can see a discussion in this thread.

Good luck!

We have been thinking of going keyless with passcode lock or one that reads your fingerprint when we replace our doors this summer (I hope). The PO had some very strange locks with bolts that are thrown throughpieces on the jambs when they are locked. Very secure, but ugly and unnecessary.

The new ones are not so pretty either. I like the two piece ones you show above!

Tib, we were posting at the same time! So glad to hear you like yours-your recommendation is worth a lot! I always trust your opinion! Thanks.

Thanks Cyn. That is such a nice thing for you to say. I'm flattered.

I got mine because I rent my house out to visitors/vacationers, travelers, and it's so much easier (and safer!) to be able to just program the pad for whatever code they want, then delete it after they've gone. No need to hide a key for them, worry they'll lose it and get locked out, whatever. If you have contractors working on the house, you can program a code just for them, then delete it when the job is done, again so the murderer among them doesn't come back and do you in!

In four years, my Schlage has not failed once. I do keep an override key in my shed and on my own keychain just in case, but it has never been used, by me or anyone else. No need to replace a lock if your cleaning lady goes berserk and starts stealing from you. Just change the code! I really think they're great systems, great for famiies with kids, rather than them having to keep track of keys…

My parents had one when I was growing up (still have it), no battery for theirs, though, but I could 't find any now that don't require a battery. They were involved in a charity that provides housing for families and patients being treated at area hospitals, so they needed the code thing for those people.

This is the one I have

Schlage Camelot in the bronze

Only my handles go the other way. When ordering lever hardware, make sure you get it with the handle going to right way for your door! Also make sure the depth is okay. I had to build out a bit in order to put a storm door on with this lock. That is not a big deal to do, but it is something to keep in mind.

Oh thanks, Tib. Now, if I can just get us moving on replacing our doors. They are not a stock size. What a pain.

Sorry for the hijack Linelle, but maybe this will help you, too!

Totally intended for both of you :-)

We have the Emtek handset that you've shown in nickel. Love it. Feels nice & solid and have had several compliments on it.

Inside...sorry for the sideways pic!

Hmmm, hadn't considered keyless before. More choices!!! Score!!!

Keyless has intriguing possibilities, esp. the foiling the tile-setting homicidal maniac. It has a certain appeal, but it's definitely function over form.

Lisa, yours looks great.

Oaktown, thanks so much for those links. Will check them out soon.

And Tib & Cyn, totally appreciate the added-value conversation. It's all useful info for me.

As I peruse locksets it seems they mostly lean contemporary and traditional in styling. Since I consider my self in the Transitional/Other category, I wonder what I should be looking at. In reality, with a screen door, my actual entry door lockset won't be that in evidence, but I don't want to pick something totally at odds with the style of my house.

And what do you think of a flat black finish?

What finish are your porch lights linelle? Maybe it's just me, but I like them to match/coordinate.

tibbrix, any idea how that keyless system holds up on a door that isn't covered by a porch? I'm definitely considering one, read: berserk cleaning lady :/

I think black would be beautiful on your front door. I also can't remember the last time I actually noticed someone's door hardware. Where they are concerned, I'm definitely a function over form poisson…form has to be within reason, though, of course!

sreedesq, I have no idea how they hold up where there is no porch. Mine does indeed have a farmer's porch in front of it. I would imagine that they're made to hold up in weather, though, since they are exterior locks! But that is a very good question for the manufacturer, or other owners! Maybe go on Amazon and ask other owners the question.

Yes, much easier, and a whole lot cheaper, to delete and change a code than to replace all new locks if necessary! I also created a code that is memorable for my neighbor so that they can get in if I'm away and need something done. This way, they also don't have to go searching for the hidden key, putting it back, etc. They can just pop in, and the door locks behind them when they leave. They really are great, IMO.

My porch light is black. I seem to choose black fixtures and lamps without realizing it. I like black hardware when I see it.

I notice that Simpson has a sale on locksets, at least Emtek, that's quite significant. Is that a safe bet?

Emtek is supposed to be very good quality. I have Schlage with the thumb lever and it's hard to depress. I'd definitely go Emtek over Schlage.

We bought an Emtek lockset last year. Ours is from the Sandcast Bronze collection, which offers a flat black finish. The quality is excellent and it looks pretty good, too. I get that the keypad sets are convenient, but I can't get past the looks.

When we got ours, we got it from Handlesets.com, which is part of Build.com. They always have a coupon code for Emtek (look in their "coupons" section on the site), and it was the cheapest by far at the time.

I have a Sclage keyless lockset on one of my rental properties. I love the convenience of keyless. They sure aren't all that nice looking but when we replace our front door we will go keyless.

Linelle, I love black handsets as well. We went with nickel as on a black door, but on a white door, I'd likely go for black hardware as well.

We do have black ( emtek) on our back door, however, I just wanted to point out that it does show scratches. ( ie from keys)

Thanks all. I imagine that black would show key scratches more than other finishes. So it will help to have a good aim. The reality is, I enter my house via the garage and back door 99% of the time, so there's that. I don't have a cleaning service, and I probably need my head examined, but I just can't seem to pull the trigger.

Maybe the best of both worlds? Comes in flat black, satin nickel, oil rubbed bronze and chrome.

Emtek

The irony about keyless locks being "ugly" is that, it's highly unlikely that any visitor would ask where a homeowner got their front door hardware, but the keyless locks DO cause people to go home and change to them, precisely because of the convenience, safety factor of being able to change the code, no keys to lose, get copied by nefarious people, etc. And of course, great for families with kids, like the garage-door keypads.

sas, Handlesets and Simpson's are within a couple of dollars of one another. Handlesets actually shows the different finishes when you click on them and that's very helpful. I've got an installer coming over today to measure, etc. because I see I have some thickness, etc. info that needs to be added.

Currently on my front door I have an interior knob. I don't have a strong preference between that and a lever/handle. Your thoughts? It seems there are many options for the inside for all the locksets. My interior doors are levers but I feel no requirement to match that style.

cyn, thanks! At first the $400 list price made me blanch, but it can be had for $292, delivered. Still, this little project is creeping up the Budget-o-Meter. Maybe time for a reality check. I will admit the keypad doesn't have a lot of charm, but there are all the good reasons that Tibbrix has offered. I get that. I also need to remember that I will have a screen door always in front of and obscuring the lockset except when actually entering through the front door.

Latch type: Square or rounded corner? I don't see how that could possibly matter, but one has to choose.

Maybe the way for you to go, since you don't use the front door much, is to get a regular set for your front door and get a keypad garage door opener. Best of both worlds.

Linelle, you need to ask the people you buy the door from whether to buy the square or rounded corner latch hardware. If need be they can call the manufacturer and ask. The door will come with an opening for one or the other pre-drilled.

We have a plain interior knob. But just because I liked the way it looked better than the levers. I think that's totally a personal preference thing.

Personal preference until you get to my age. I am only (ha) 63 and have already noticed that I have difficulty with some of our interior knobs. We have started changing over to levers. You probably have years to go before that happens to you, but if you plan to stay in your home 'forever' you may want to consider levers.

sreedesq, the ORB Schlage finish doesn't hold up very well against the elements. I live in hot/dry Southern CA, and the lever side (on the hot, sunny side of the gate) is more suited to interior-level abuse; the keypad side has obvious fading even though it only receives indirect sun. We expected as much going in, but it was purchased at discount and we planned to replace it down the road. It was installed a little under two years ago.

Holy smokes, gyr. I installed mine four years ago, and it looks like the day I got it. However, the latch side is inside, and the exterior part is behind a storm door.

gyr_falcon, that doesn't look good. I would be pissed.

Tib, if I were going to do a keypad, it would be the front door. Garage door + backdoor setup would be a whole different ballgame and I'm less likely to have others besides myself enter my house that way.

cyn, I got you beat by 7 years. Forever ain't that long anymore. :) But I have no plans to move anytime soon, so I'll consider this a forever decision. Like sas95 I kind of prefer the look of round in that particular location, but I don't strongly lean either way

If I got a keypad, I'd have to rethink the finish to something lighter. Those buttons in a black surround aren't good, but I don't want brushed/satin nickel.

The gate set us back about $5.5k at a time we had a lot of other $$ fixer projects going on. So we didn't want to top things off by investing in high quality hardware at that time. The hardware was probably 75% or more off, and we really didn't expect it to last. So the deterioration of the finish isn't that much of an issue to us since the problem is only cosmetic. The lever is partnered with our trash cans visually, so it isn't really the standout eyesore one would imagine. lol

The lever is partnered with our trash cans visually

That does make a difference. I failed to note it was on a gate.

We have a second set installed on our garage's side door. The interior lever on that one looks in fine shape. But the exterior keypad portion of that unit is faded, too. I think in a protected area the finish would last better. I understand this is not necessarily applicable to the OP, but maybe someone else reading the thread, and considering the product, might find it useful.

gyr_falcon, while not my original question, it's potentially very useful info to anyone else reading this thread. In fact, it's useful info for me, the OP. That's one of the great things about these threads: something you never thought of comes to light.

If I got a keypad, I'd have to rethink the finish to something lighter. Those buttons in a black surround aren't good,

They have another model that you might like better:

EDIT The digital keypad is available in both traditional and modern style locks.

The more I look at them, the more they look like early cell phones.

I installed a black Emtek yesterday. I love it. The finish seems pretty tough. I'm not worried about it scratching. Not one bit.

Very nice, Greenhaven!!! Thanks for sharing. It looks really great with your door.

We have used Emtek on our last 2 homes, interior and exterior, and love the quality. We did use a cheaper brand (don't remember what) on the side door, and it's a keypad. Like Tibbrix said, the best of both worlds. I wouldn't like a keypad on the front door. We ordered from Simpson's both times. Wonderful company! We just had a problem with a couple of missing parts on our front handle set we purchased at least 6 months ago, but we're just installing, and Mr. Simpson took care of it without batting an eye.

I think that company Handlesets is part of that online conglomeration like "Faucets", with whom I had an order go wrong multiple times, involving order and return 5 times, for ONE faucet.

Dee, thanks!! Good to hear you're happy with Emtek and Simpson's too. Sounds like a winning combination.