"Christmas 2023" ... I think you typed a wrong date!

I have never had cheap or expensive cabinet hardware that had actual "peeling".

I did have cheaper knobs that had their oil rubbed bronze finish rub off and turn gold. These knobs were in an area used by kids and the 2 knobs on the drawer under their computer desks had the finish rub off from regular contact with their bodies while sitting at the desks.

I have door hardware that is bronze with a brown/black finish and the levers that are used daily are also showing some patina or rubbing of the brown/black finish to expose the gold colored bronze below. It is a subtle and gradual lightening in the areas that get touched.

Do you have any pulls that rarely/never get touched? How do they look?

Do you have a cleaning service that is using a cleaner they shouldn't use?

Anyone in your family use hand lotion or hand sanitizer?

Do you live by the ocean?

You’re right. It should have read December 2022.

So the ones on the blue cabinet are seldom used. They were not part of the original ones replaced and are also peeling now too but were slower to get there.

We use a cleaning service but we didn’t have them during the time period of the first set peeling. They have been here with the second one but don’t use cleaners on them - if sticky they have used soapy water (made soapy with Dawn dish soap).

No hand sanitizers and I will confess that our hands are generally thoroughly un-moisturized.

I live about a quarter of a mile from the ocean.

How is the humidity in your house?

Do you keep doors to the outside open a lot?

Do you have any pitting with other metals in the house?

We’ve never had any issues with any metals in our home. This is the first one. I should add, we’ve lived here almost seven years.

Oh and we don’t keep the doors open a lot. I have very small children so we avoid that at all costs.

Wow. What a difference to mine. Thank-you for the reference!

I wonder if it has something to do with living close to the ocean. It looks more like pitting/corrosion.

Definitely looks like pitting. Could also be poor manufacturing and quality control during covid. Richelieu seems to get decent reviews. I did find one review on Amazon from 2019 that complained about pitting after just one year of use.

I agree that some of them look like corrosion which is why they thought it might have something to do with pious literally being in the middle of the ocean for months.

This is EXACTLY what happened to ours. we have the same hardware. its so dissapointing. im changing mine to the brushed nickle because im hoping they wont peel. if the brushed nickle peels i dont know what to do because the hardware is drilled in and because of unique sizing, its not ao easy to simply get hardware from another brand. what are you doing now that your second set is defective?

Just wanted to flag i dont live anywhere near the ocean and i only wipe them with a damp microfiber cloth. they are totally defective.

I have the same problem and am trying to find replacement hardware for all 36 handles. As mentioned above, it's not easy because the holes are drilled in specific places to fit the existing hardware. Has anyone found a replacement brand that is sure to not pit/peel? Did the brushed nickel or other metal work better? I have polished nickel and its pitting horribly after only a few months of use.

This is clearly a manufacturing issue. I would fight to get my money back and redo the handles. @chispa’s photos are the whole story.

I would check out styles in the same color as you currently have so you don’t lose that design feature. Clearly Richelieu has a quality control problem. I’m sorry this happened to you. Sound aggravating as heck.

BTW - Knobs4Less is another good site. Just watch out for which manufacturer has the color, size and style you like.