# Americans and Door Knobs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959 "2005-10-19T19:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/1 "2005-10-19T19:03:41Z")
[This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=340304) thread asked a question I’ve been meaning to ask for a long time and on a related topic. What is wrong with Americans and their door knobs? I am talking about the rounded knobs that seem to be quite popular in the US (at least in the hotels and homes I have visited). A few examples courtesy of a Google image search: [![](http://home.ripway.com/2004-8/157038/door-knob.jpg) ](http://home.ripway.com/2004-8/157038/door-knob.jpg) [http://www.brassart.co.uk/900\_76mm.P24.gif](http://www.brassart.co.uk/900_76mm.P24.gif) They must be hard to open for people with weak grips like kids, old people and those with arthritis. Not to mention if you have slippery hands. 🙂 The image search also turned up a [door knob gripper](http://www.diwid.com/dwd_sc/gripper.php), so obviously it is a problem for some. Why aren’t door handles used instead. Much easier to open for those with weak grips/wrists and if you have your hands full just press down with your elbow. Examples: [http://www.strokecenter.org/pat/ot/images/photos/levered\_door\_handle.jpg](http://www.strokecenter.org/pat/ot/images/photos/levered_door_handle.jpg) > **[Amesbury Truth](https://www.amesburytruth.com)** > > Truth Hardware and Amesbury merged in 2013. By joining forces, AmesburyTruth became an industry-leading organization offering an extensive product line and considerable global resources. AmesburyTruth is now perfectly positioned to provide customers... ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/2 "2005-10-19T19:08:31Z")
We can’t even make the switch to the metric system and you think we’re gonna make the uniform switch to ergonomic doorknobs? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/3 "2005-10-19T19:17:51Z")
> [@Coil](#): > > Why aren’t door handles used instead. My experience with door handles is that I have to approach them cautiously, or risk stubbing my fingers. Also, when carrying 3 or 4 shopping bags, and trying to get through a door with a handle, it’s quite easy to get your free hand jammed under the handle. Plus, I’ve lost perfectly good shirts to the unwanted embrace of a door handle; rips the buttons right off before you even notice there’s a problem. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/4 "2005-10-19T19:17:55Z")
I probably should have included a smilie with that: 😃 Okay, my guess: they’re probably easier to mass produce that way because they can go easily on the right or left side of a door. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/5 "2005-10-19T19:19:51Z")
Some of us do have door handles at home. It’s especially common in newer apartment buildings. I personally think door handles are kind of ugly, and doorknobs are much more attractive (though that second picture of a door handle you posted isn’t bad-looking, but the first one is butt-ugly IMO). I’d want doorknobs unless someone who actually needed door handles was living in my home. We don’t close doors at home often enough for the hands-full or slippery-hands issues to be a problem. It’s also possible for pets to open doors that have door handles (my mom’s cat had figured out how to do it, by jumping up and grabbing the door handle with her paws), but it’s much harder for them to open doors with doorknobs. And there’s also the problem of catching clothes, grocery bags, or other objects on door handles- I’ve managed to do that more than a few times. Door handles are much more likely to catch things than doorknobs, especially if they have a hook on the end like the first picture you posted. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/6 "2005-10-19T19:20:09Z")
We’re fat. We tend to brush up against things and get caught on things more. Door handles are just way too hazardous 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/7 "2005-10-19T19:24:57Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Okay, my guess: they’re probably easier to mass produce that way because they can go easily on the right or left side of a door. I agree, mass production. I think sometimes Europeans forget how big the US is. Most European nations are about the size of one US state. When you’re that small, mass production is less important. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/8 "2005-10-19T19:27:27Z")
> [@Coil](#): > > They must be hard to open for people with weak grips like kids, old people and those with arthritis. Not to mention if you have slippery hands. I like doorknobs; they help me keep kids, the elderly, and slippery handed folks out of my home. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/9 "2005-10-19T19:31:22Z")
BTW, they also make door knob covers that make opening a door knob more difficult (child safety). [http://www.safetycareinc.com/childproofing/door-knob-cover.htm](http://www.safetycareinc.com/childproofing/door-knob-cover.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/10 "2005-10-19T19:32:48Z")
Door handles breed laziness, weakness and decadence. Door knobs ensure that only the fit are able to leave their homes. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/11 "2005-10-19T19:40:35Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Okay, my guess: they’re probably easier to mass produce that way because they can go easily on the right or left side of a door. > [@Can Handle the Truth](#): > > I agree, mass production. I think sometimes Europeans forget how big the US is. Most European nations are about the size of one US state. When you’re that small, mass production is less important. Some people forget how big Europe is 😛 (UK+France+Germany = two-thirds of the US) No way is mass production the explanation. They’re going to produced on a huge scale in Europe, too - and with sales across the continent, not in individual countries. In any case, I don’t see that having to manufacture two versions of a handle design suddenly makes it an uncompetitive product - the economies of scale don’t halve just because the production of each version halves. ---
**Author:** ![MyNameIsEarl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@MyNameIsEarl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyNameIsEarl)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/12 "2005-10-19T20:11:17Z")
I spent a large portion of my life living in a house that had handles instead of knobs on all the exterior doors. I _hated_ it. They were forever catching clothing or shopping bags; I cannot count the number of times I almost gave myself whiplash. Plus, our dog almost figured out how to open them (my parents moved just as he was starting to master it). It _is_ easier to open a door with your hards full, but still… I prefer knobs, even if I hadn’t given it much thought until today. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/13 "2005-10-19T21:03:16Z")
I don’t think there’s any real reason for it. I’m stumped why so many British sinks have two taps instead of one. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/14 "2005-10-19T21:55:44Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Some people forget how big Europe is 😛 (UK+France+Germany = two-thirds of the US) You what? 😉 UK + France + Germany = 1,276,689 km[sup]2[/sup] US = 9,631,418 km[sup]2[/sup] I think you mean _some people forget how populated Europe is._ UK + France + Germany = 205,333,000 people US = 297,446,000 people > [@](#): > > In any case, I don’t see that having to manufacture two versions of a handle design suddenly makes it an uncompetitive product - the economies of scale don’t halve just because the production of each version halves. Perhaps not to manufacture, but it might to stock it: now the distributor has to carry two versions of one style on his shelves; with round he could carry two different styles. I can’t see either design having significant advantages. One may be more useful for the elderly or for people with a weak grip but takes more raw material to make and more room to store the necessary versions; the other is more universal and takes less raw material but infinitesmally less easy to use. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/15 "2005-10-19T22:10:56Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > Perhaps not to manufacture, but it might to stock it: now the distributor has to carry two versions of one style on his shelves; with round he could carry two different styles. That’s what I was (poorly) trying to say. Now I need you to come explain what I mean in all the other threads. It seems like the round, plain knobs are the purely functional and easily interchangeable ones you need on hand to replace in offices or apartments where nobody much cares what they look like. I can see a potential shipping and stocking headache because you always have too many of one and not enough of the other. Again, though, I’m completely talking out of my ass here and readily defer to any doorknob experts. ---
**Author:** ![Sofis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Sofis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofis)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/16 "2005-10-19T22:13:57Z")
Um, people? Unless the door handle has an integrated lock or something, you don’t need two versions. You want to put it on the other side of the door, you just turn it around. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/17 "2005-10-19T22:29:41Z")
> [@Sofis](#): > > Um, people? Unless the door handle has an integrated lock or something, you don’t need two versions. You want to put it on the other side of the door, you just turn it around. Crap, it’s a doorknob expert! Everybody cheese it! ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/18 "2005-10-19T22:30:59Z")
So what if the handle looks a bit funny upside down? Still works. ---
**Author:** ![Sofis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Sofis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofis)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/19 "2005-10-19T22:36:23Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > So what if the handle looks a bit funny upside down? Still works. You don’t need to turn it upside down. Just rotate it 180 degrees around the up-down axis. In fact, handles aren’t really on the left or right side - it just depends on where you’re looking from. If you notice that the handle on a door is to the left, walk through the doorway and look at the door from the other side. The handle will magically have moved to the right. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959/20 "2005-10-19T22:46:52Z")
> [@Sofis](#): > > You don’t need to turn it upside down. Just rotate it 180 degrees around the up-down axis. > In fact, handles aren’t really on the left or right side - it just depends on where you’re looking from. If you notice that the handle on a door is to the left, walk through the doorway and look at the door from the other side. The handle will magically have moved to the right. You can’t swap my door handles round, they’d be upside down. When fitted correctly the handles’ end is biased downwards. > [@Ravenman](#): > > I don’t think there’s any real reason for it. I’m stumped why so many British sinks have two taps instead of one. Keep up man! This thread is all about knobs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-and-door-knobs/326959.md?page=2)