Traditional pulls are much easier to grab, especially for the elderly or those who have arthritis. I personally like the looks better, too.

@Sharon Fullen thank you for your feedback!

I’ve had edge pulls in my last three kitchens (so roughly since 2008) as well as a couple office kitchens etc. They take a moment to get used to (you reach up instead of down) but I think they are easier.

@HALLETT & Co. thank you. Why do they seem easier to you? I have no experience and just want to be sure that my needing to open the drawer for a utensil 75 times while cooking isn't annoying to me. I really love the edge pull look so I'm in favor of those but want to fully understand it all before I buy 27 of them!

@Andrea I have the same question! I’ve only had limited experience using edge pulls but love the way they look. I think I’m leaning more traditional though… because my suspicion is that they’re not as easy to use— especially with heavier drawers.

@lynne3450 good point, I didn't consider the drawer weight. Maybe the longer pulls make up for it? But we will have dishes and everything in the drawers so I wonder if that'll get heavy. Although I really LOVE the look of them.

Love our edge pulls. they work just fine on heavy drawers. We followed the 1/3 of your cabinet width rule (10 inch pull- the full width of the pull, not center to center - for a 30” wide cabinet, etc.). Just make sure to choose a profile with a little lip on the handle part so you have something substantial enough to grab onto. We have these ones. https://emtek.com/cabinet-pulls/cabinet-edge-pull

There are also different kinds of edge pulls. Some you have to grasp with your fingertips, mine curl over comfortably so they are essentially long bin pulls. I have 36” pot drawers- very heavy- as well as a dishwasher with applied panels. You also can just blindly grab- my pot drawer for Instance has a 30” pull so a large ‘target zone’

Know that some edge pulls need to have the top edge of the drawer routered out in order to fit. The first ones we ordered were beautiful, but thick and I didn't want to commit to having the cab and drawer fronts altered to accommodate them, so I returned them.

We went with thinner ones from IKEA that are fine but not as nice (it's a lake house so not a big deal) and I don't find them anymore difficult to use than the regular bar pulls we have at home. I also don't find I need to think about how to open even though we have different at our two homes (our faucets turn on differently and I find I always have to stop and think when going from house to house - not so with the pulls).

@Jenn Powers & @Hallett would you be willing to post a couple photos? Pretty please? ☺️
@SusanGeorge I’m planning flat slab fronts.

@daisychain that’s another factor- having to rout the pulls into the wood.

Since each edge pull is very different from another (amount of grip, style of grip etc) you really don’t have much of a sense for how it’s going to feel until it’s installed, right? It feels more like a risk. 🤔

@Jenn Powers thank you for the size that you use. We have 29" drawers so would probably be looking at about the same size. I was also looking at the Emtek. Do you by any chance want to share a photo? I'd love to see them and also know if you need to miter out the drawer for them to fit, like @daisychain Zn3b was referring to. @User We are doing a flat slab front too. @HALLETT & Co. would you mind sharing a photo of your drawers as well as the appliances? Thank you to all of you!

Hi @Andrea! Here are a few photos its a galley kitchen.. Bad lighting and not all the way done yet but….the drawers near the speed oven are 24” with 8” pulls. The ones to the left of the sink are 30” drawers with 10” pulls pulls. We put two shorter ones next to each other on the under sink cabinets to mimic one larger edge pull and keep the look consistent on that side of the kitcheen.

Also showing you the pantry because we decided to do handles on the cabinets instead of edge pulls because we didn’t like the way they looked sideways (mounting them vertically) and mounting them horizontally made them knock together when the doors closed. I suppose we could have notched out the doors to make them fit top to top on those cabinets but we didnt want to do that. we did not have to do any notching out for install.

We havent done the appliance pulls yet but those will be bigger versions of the cabinet handles for the fridge and a ledge pull for the top of the dishwasher as it is knock to open.

Hope this helps!

@Jenn Powers Thank you SO very much! It looks great, how exciting! On a side note now that I've seen yours...is your countertop and cabinets flush with eachother? We have been considering that and curious if what I think I'm seeing is right? Your kitchen looks great!

Thanks! The counter does have an overhang but we kept it minimal at 1/2 inch

for a more contemporary look that would still protect the cabinets from water. Oh that reminds me! i have noticed that when you lean against the counters you can get poked by the pulls because of our minimal overhang. its not a big deal but something i have noticed and isnt due to the edge pulls- i assume it would be the same with traditional pulls as well- but something to think about if you are doing a snaller overhang.

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Three different kitchens all with edge pulls... All three IKEA, all three have hidden dishwashers (two bosch, one kitchenaide)

@Jenn Powers thank you for the info! I previously had posted about the overhang and that was one of the things that someone had mentioned but I still haven't made that decision. But you're right, it wouldn't matter the type of handle it would apply to all. But I do appreciate you also mentioning it because I forgot about it!

@HALLETT & Co. thanks for the photos of the kitchens! It's freaky how similar the first one is to what we're doing so very helpful to see those pictures especially. I rarely see the pulls on cabinets and I have been thinking about that a lot so that's also very helpful. TY!

@palimpsest thank you, I didn't even think of the corners. We are going to do the appliances with a handle to coordinate with the other appliances because I suspect that edge pulls would be a problem for me too. I have to tug at the dishwasher we are using now and I don't think with the edge pull style it would allow me the same force. Thank you for your feedback, my knuckles will thank you too down the road!

What did you end up using? If you went with edge pulls are you liking them?

@cenhio we decided on edge pulls (emtek's) and we have them but haven't installed them yet. We are hoping that's within the next couple weeks. I'll try to remember to post pictures.

@Andrea - have you installed your edge pulls? How did it turn out? are they flush mount or top mount? I am thinking of edge pulls as well but might need to flush mount them for cabinet doors due to rubbing.

@rashma_patel nope, we fired our contractor and are waiting on the new one to start. When I get it done (hopefully soon!) I'll try to remember to post some pictures!

To those with edge pulls, do they seem to get more fingerprints than handle pulls do? Jumping in late on this conversation! I bought an Emtek and a Top Knobs edge pull to compare them. Both are brass with a satin nickel finish. They both look great, but I saw fingerprints from just holding a few times.
Thanks for any advice!

@Anne Becknell they collect dust very quickly, quicker than I ever realized dust accumulates (or pollen). I do notice when wet or dirty fingers leave prints more so than the traditional pulls do. Honestly I like them much more so I would pick them again despite the need to clean them much more often. Here’s a pic of the dust collected over maybe 36 hours…and a pic in general of how low profile they are which is why I love them.

@sunshyne Thanks for sharing your experience with them. I love the look! Love your cabinets too! Beautiful!

@Sunshyne did you have any problems with having to notch the cabinet to fit the pull and the countertop? Our Brookhaven cabinet installer said our Emtek pulls will not work. :(

@Francesca Codrea we didn't actually have to cut out the drawers for them. I'll attach a pic. Just make sure the drawers are aligned properly or the drawer above can scratch the handle when pulled in/out.

Thank you for sharing. The cabinet installer figured out a way to put them in but waiting on the countertop installation. It should all work though. :)

@Andrea - Did you end up doing the same edge pull on your dishwasher? Any thoughts on whether they have enough grip? I got my order of the same Emtek pulls and they will be perfect for my cabinets, but debated getting a single appliance pull for the dishwasher.

Also - just a side note for anyone shopping colors: the flat back option from Emtek does show a lot of fingerprints. Fortunately, the hand contact will be underneath the pull.

@Will M.We didn't end up panelling the dishwasher as it isn't visible from most areas therefore opted to save the money. I'll also comment that the brass pulls show everything too. I think with this style pull anything that touches the top, or a splash, dust, etc. just sits on top so it's ultra visible to ayone in the kitchen although thankfully you cannot see it unless you are directly above them in my case.

@Sunshyne, how is your experience with edge pulls after using it for a few months. Can you open a drawer with one hand, if needed? Are they easy on fingers in case the drawer is heavy or full with plates. We do have some drawers that are 30, 33, and 36 inch wide. We are planning to store miscellenous items such as pots, pans, stoneware, glasses, utensilts, and some grocery too. All these will make the drawer heavy. Do you think the edge pulls will be easy on fingers to pull a drawer out with so much weight inside?

@sunshyne How do you feel about edge pulls after using them for these many months? We are torn apart b/w edge pulls and traditional. We have drawers that will be 30, 33, and 36 inches wide. We are planning to store everything from pots, pans, stoneware, groceries, etc. in it. This will make all the drawers super heavy. Do you think edge pulls are easy to pull heavy drawers full of stuff in it? Are they really comfortable on fingers when you pull such heavy drawers? I love the look but never had them before. None of our friends or famillies also have it so can't really test them.

A relative just got those contemporary pulls - the edge of the one she got is so sharp! She hit her head on the cabinet door and got a bad cut from that pull. Plus I think they are hard to use- you have to grab in an uncomfortable position.

@HomeSweetHome i have had no problems with them. i have my dishes in a drawer thats about 36”, no issues and not hard at all to pull out w one hand. i also have the pulls on three level pull outs which are tall and heavy with bottles. i also have one upside down for the cabinet above the oven that flips up and no issues. its jot hard on my fingers at all i have the emtek ones which have a nice little lip on the underside but it is smooth. i would never switch back tbh i love that these disppear and are easy to use and i havent had any isus but i will say they need to be wipe regularly!

Did you have to make any adjustments to the drawers to make sure they close correctly. I’ve seen some lulls are a little thicker and wonder if that’ll prevent drawers from closing fully or anything else.

Can you share the link of your Emtek pull?

Happy with the edge pulls. These are slanted. I found them more ergonomic than ones that jutted straight out.

Your cabinets are so beautiful.

@tara

@Tara Wood - I agree that yours are a great design and ergometrically smart. I saw ones by Wurth-Baer at our hardware store but that display was 10 years old and I could not find them online. I just ordered Emtek for our many drawers, but if you see this, can you tell me what brand/model yours are? Thank you!

Yes they are by century hardware. Soft glam collection! belie

Thank you, Tara!