Emtek Cadet Cabinet Knob, Schaub Collection

The Cadet knob comes in three diameters: 1 inch, 1-1/4 inch, and 1-5/8 inch. All three are the same knob shape, so the choice is about scale and grip. The 1 inch reads small and suits upper cabinet doors and narrow shaker rails; the 1-1/4 inch is the general-purpose size most kitchens use throughout; the 1-5/8 inch gives a bigger grip and holds its own on wide drawer fronts and tall pantry doors. Mixing sizes on one run is common, small on doors and large on drawers, and the finishes match across all three.

A mounting screw ships with each knob, so nothing extra is needed for a standard cabinet door or drawer front. One thing to watch on a remodel: a single supplied screw is sized for typical face-frame and slab thicknesses. If you are going through a thick drawer front, an applied panel, or a doubled-up front, you will need a longer 8-32 machine screw, which is the standard cabinet knob thread.

Each Cadet knob is ordered by finish and size, so a single replacement is straightforward once you know which of the three diameters you have: 1 inch, 1-1/4 inch, or 1-5/8 inch. Measure the widest point of the existing knob to identify it. The part numbers run by size, SPC86321 for the 1 inch, SPC86322 for the 1-1/4 inch, and SPC86323 for the 1-5/8 inch, with the US finish code on the end, so SPC86322US15 is a 1-1/4 inch in Satin Nickel. Ordering by that number is the reliable way to get an exact match on an existing run.

A single-hole knob mounts on the one existing bore, so a knob-for-knob swap needs no new drilling regardless of which Cadet size you pick. Where people get caught is going the other way: if the cabinets currently have pulls, those are drilled on two holes at a fixed center-to-center, and a knob leaves one hole exposed. In that case you either plug and refinish, or stay with a two-hole pull. Nothing on the Cadet spans a pull bore.

The Emtek Cadet cabinet knob tops out at 1-5/8 inch, with 1 inch and 1-1/4 inch below it. For a larger round knob, the Deltana KRB175 is a round knob with a groove in a 1-3/4 inch diameter, solid brass and heavy-duty. Both are brass, so the material match holds for a kitchen or millwork package where you want one metal throughout; the KRB175 simply carries a larger face for oversized drawer fronts or a pantry door that needs more grip.

The Emtek Cadet cabinet knob is specified for residential use. Where the traffic is heavier - a hospitality back of house, a school casework run, a shared multi-family amenity kitchen - the Deltana KRB175 is a heavy-duty solid brass round knob at 1-3/4 inch diameter. Both are brass knobs on a single-screw mount, so the substitution keeps the same bore and the same metal while moving to a heavier-built body.

Solid brass through the body, not plated zinc. That matters on a knob, because brass takes the abuse of a screw pulled down hard and does not crack at the boss the way cast pot metal can. Emtek lists the Cadet as residential hardware, so for a landlord or property manager it is a good fit on apartment kitchens, baths, and built-ins. For a high-traffic commercial or institutional opening where you need a graded, cycle-tested product, this is not the line to specify.

Several solid alternatives depending on what you are after. Staying inside the Schaub family, the Schaub 10040 is a 1 inch Cafe Modern oval knob and the 10030 is the same oval with a slot detail, both a flatter oval profile rather than the Cadet's round form. The Schaub 131 is a 1-1/2 inch round Artifex knob, close to the Cadet's largest size. For a smaller, more minimal knob, the Schaub 1200 Modo is 16 mm. If you want a period look, the Orca Hardware CK-18032 Mission round knob is the craftsman-styled option, and the Orca CK-19032 Whistler is another round cabinet knob.

The Cadet tops out at 1-5/8 inch. If you need more than that, the Deltana KRB175 is a solid brass round knob with a groove at 1-3/4 inch diameter and is described as heavy-duty, which is the next step up in both size and mass. The Schaub 131 Artifex sits between the two at 1-1/2 inch round. Both are different designs from the Cadet, so if you are extending an existing Cadet run rather than starting fresh, going larger means changing the look.

Knobs like the Cadet mount on one hole and can go anywhere on the front, which makes them the easy choice on doors and on any refit where you are matching a single existing bore. Pulls mount on two holes at a set center-to-center and give you more purchase, which is why heavy or wide drawers, deep pot drawers, and appliance panels usually get pulls. A common approach is knobs on the doors and pulls on the drawers in the same finish. If you go all knobs, size up on the drawers, which is what the 1-5/8 inch Cadet is for.

The Emtek Cadet cabinet knob is solid brass and comes in three sizes - 1 inch, 1-1/4 inch and 1-5/8 inch - across Oil Rubbed Bronze (US10B), Polished Nickel (US14), Satin Nickel (US15), Flat Black (US19), Polished Chrome (US26) and Satin Brass (US4), which covers most of a mixed unit mix from one part family. If you want a second brass line to price against, Delaney Hardware makes a solid brass cabinet knob, and Deltana's KRB175 is a solid brass round knob at 1-3/4 inch. Standardizing on one of the three means one bore layout and one finish call for every door and drawer in the portfolio.

At the 1 inch size, the Emtek Cadet is a mid century modern round brass knob. If you want a different face at the same size, Schaub makes the 10040 Cafe Modern oval cabinet knob at 1 inch with 7/8 inch center to center, and the 10030 Cafe Modern oval slot knob, also 1 inch with 7/8 inch center to center - the slot version carries a recessed groove across the face where the 10040 is smooth. The oval profile reads longer on a drawer front than a round knob of the same nominal size.

The Emtek Cadet cabinet knob is a mid century modern shape. For a craftsman or arts and crafts opening, Orca Hardware makes the CK-18032 Mission round cabinet knob from its 18-Mission collection, which is a cabinet knob in the same round family but drawn to a mission profile. Orca also offers the CK-19032 Whistler cabinet knob from the 19-Whistler collection as a second design direction. All three are cabinet knobs mounting to a single bore, so the swap is a style decision rather than a drilling one.

Size and face are what separate them. The Schaub 131 is a 1-1/2 inch round Artifex cabinet knob; the Emtek Cadet runs 1 inch, 1-1/4 inch and 1-5/8 inch, so the Artifex lands between the two largest Cadet sizes. If a drawer bank was laid out around a 1-1/2 inch face and you are matching an existing run, the 131 hits that dimension directly rather than forcing a step up to 1-5/8 inch or down to 1-1/4 inch.

The Cadet is a mid century modern design, and Emtek files it under their American Classic theme, which puts it in the transitional zone rather than at either extreme. It reads clean enough for flat-slab doors and restrained enough not to fight shaker rails. In Flat Black or Oil Rubbed Bronze it leans contemporary; in Satin Brass or Polished Nickel it warms up toward traditional.

The Cadet is an Emtek series sold under the Schaub collection, which is Emtek's decorative cabinet hardware line. Practically, that means the finish vocabulary lines up with other Schaub cabinet hardware, so if you are pulling knobs from the Cadet and pulls or appliance hardware from elsewhere in Schaub, the US finish codes are the thing to match on: US10B, US14, US15, US19, US26, and US4.