Emtek District Cabinet Knob, Schaub Collection

Two diameters, 1-3/8 inch and 1-5/8 inch, and both are offered in the same six finishes. The larger one gives more grip surface on heavy drawer fronts and pantry doors; the 1-3/8 inch reads smaller on upper cabinet doors. Mixing both across a kitchen is common, small knob on the doors, larger on the drawer banks.

A mounting screw is included with each knob. Standard cabinet knob screws are 8-32 machine screws, and if your doors or drawer fronts are thicker than usual (applied moulding, thick slab fronts) you may need a longer 8-32 screw than the one packed with the knob. Nothing else is required to hang it, single screw fixing through the existing knob hole.

It is a single-hole knob, so it drops onto an existing knob bore with no new drilling. Where it will not work is replacing a pull, a pull is two holes on center and a knob only covers one of them. If you are converting pulls to knobs you are filling and refinishing holes, or moving to a knob with a backplate.

It is a residential-duty knob. For a hotel, a clinic, or anywhere on a maintenance contract with real turnover, spec a heavy-duty knob instead, the Deltana KRB175 is a solid brass round knob catalogued as heavy-duty at 1-3/4 inch diameter. For apartment turns, model units, and owner-occupied kitchens the District is the right class of product.

The 1-3/8 inch knob is SPC86448 plus the finish code, so SPC86448US15 in Satin Nickel or SPC86448US19 in Flat Black. The 1-5/8 inch is SPC86449 plus the same finish codes, SPC86449US15, SPC86449US19 and so on. Read the finish code off the box or the existing order and the number reorders exactly.

The Emtek District cabinet knob is a brass cabinet knob offered in 1-3/8 inch and 1-5/8 inch sizes. When the door or drawer front calls for a larger grip than that, the Deltana KRB175 is a round knob with a groove in solid brass at 1-3/4 inch diameter, and the Schaub 131 is a 1-1/2 inch round Artifex cabinet knob. Both are round solid knobs in the same single-knob format, so the swap is a matter of diameter and profile rather than a different kind of hardware.

The Schaub 10030 Cafe Modern oval slot knob and the Schaub 10040 Cafe Modern oval knob are both 1 inch and both list a 7/8 inch center to center dimension, which means they land on two mounting holes rather than one. The Emtek District cabinet knob ships with a mounting screw and mounts as a single-point knob, so a cabinet drilled for the District pattern will not accept the Cafe Modern knobs without a second hole, and a front already bored 7/8 inch center to center will leave an open hole if a District knob goes in its place.

Six: Oil Rubbed Bronze (US10B), Polished Nickel (US14), Satin Nickel (US15), Flat Black (US19), Polished Chrome (US26) and Satin Brass (US4). All six are available in both the 1-3/8 inch and 1-5/8 inch diameters, so you can run one finish through a whole kitchen and still vary knob size by door versus drawer.

Brass, both the material and the substrate under the finish. That matters on the plated finishes, Polished Chrome and Polished Nickel over brass hold up better to cleaning products than plated pot metal, and Satin Brass is brass through and through.

For a larger round knob, the Deltana KRB175 is 1-3/4 inch in solid brass with a groove detail. Staying in the Schaub line, the 131 Artifex is a 1-1/2 inch round knob, and the 10040 Cafe Modern is a 1 inch oval. Delaney also makes a solid brass cabinet knob. Profile and diameter are the real difference between them, all are single-hole knobs that use the same bore.

The Emtek District cabinet knob is an Urban Modern style knob with a contemporary theme, so it reads as a modern piece on the door front. Where the cabinetry calls for a traditional or craftsman look, the Orca Hardware CK-18032 is a Mission round cabinet knob from the 18-Mission collection, and the Orca Hardware CK-19032 Whistler is a cabinet knob from the 19-Whistler collection. Both are cabinet knobs performing the same job on the same door or drawer, differing in design vocabulary.

The Emtek District cabinet knob is brass and comes in six finishes, Oil Rubbed Bronze US10B, Polished Nickel US14, Satin Nickel US15, Flat Black US19, Polished Chrome US26, and Satin Brass US4, in both 1-3/8 inch and 1-5/8 inch. If a second solid brass line is wanted for the same rollout, the Delaney solid brass cabinet knob and the Deltana KRB175 round knob with groove are both solid brass cabinet knobs, the Deltana at 1-3/4 inch diameter and heavy-duty construction. Matching finish names across brands should be confirmed knob by knob before ordering a full unit's worth.

The Emtek District cabinet knob is designated for residential use. For casework that sees commercial traffic, the Deltana KRB175 is a heavy-duty solid brass round knob at 1-3/4 inch diameter, and the Delaney solid brass cabinet knob is another solid brass option. Both are round single knobs, so the change of specification does not change the drilling approach or the way the pull is used.

Urban modern, contemporary lines. If the cabinetry is shaker, craftsman, or traditional, a mission-profile knob reads better, the Orca Hardware CK-18032 Mission round cabinet knob is that alternative. For a very small, minimal knob on European-style slab fronts, the Schaub 1200 Modo is 16 mm.