- Had the same issue with levers and pets—my dog figured it out in a week. Ended up adding a cheap restrictor, but it’s not exactly subtle.
- Matching finishes is a pain. Tried the spray paint trick too, and yeah... it never looks quite right, especially after a few months.
- For older windows that stick, levers are way less frustrating. Knobs can be tough if your grip isn’t great.
- Security-wise, knobs seem a bit safer if you’ve got clever kids or animals. If you’re set on levers, maybe go for the ones with built-in locks? Not perfect, but better than nothing.
- In the end, I’d say levers for ease, knobs for peace of mind—just depends what bugs you more.
Levers are just so much easier on the hands, especially if you’ve got older windows that don’t slide open like they used to. I swapped out all the knobs for levers in our 70s ranch last year after getting tired of fighting with the old sticky ones. Way less hassle now, but yeah, my cat figured out how to open them in about two days. Ended up putting a little latch above the lever just to keep him from letting himself out.
Matching finishes is a nightmare though—tried “brushed nickel” spray paint and it looked okay for a month, then started chipping. Now I’ve got this weird patchwork of half-shiny, half-dull handles. Not great. If you’re picky about looks, it’s honestly kind of a pain.
Security-wise, I get why people stick with knobs—kids and pets are clever, and levers are just too easy for them. For me, ease of use won out, but there’s definitely tradeoffs either way.
Way less hassle now, but yeah, my cat figured out how to open them in about two days.
Had the exact same issue—my dog learned to nudge the lever with her nose and suddenly every window was fair game. I ended up adding those little childproof locks, which work but aren’t exactly pretty. For finish matching, I’ve had better luck buying actual replacement levers in bulk (found a close enough match at the big box store) instead of spray painting. Not perfect, but at least they don’t flake. If you’ve got arthritis or just tired hands, levers really are a game changer. Security’s a tradeoff, though... always is.