Emtek Products, Inc

If I could use zero stars, I would. We used Emtek door knobs and levers throughout our house, mostly the Durango style because we liked the look. Over time, we started having trouble with them and then we learned what a terrible reputation they have in the industry.
Two hours of time with a locksmith and we can use our main entrance again. He fixed several of the door sets that hadn’t failed entirely as well and much of the problem resulted from poor machining at the factory. He was able to file down areas within the lock that, over time, had started to stick, catch and then, ultimately fail.
Do yourself a favor and buy a different brand. Emtek products look nice, but don’t last.

I called Emtek today because my front door had a part that broke. My product was purchased before the lifetime warranty policy began. No problem, I just need the part and I can fix it myself. I was told that my option was to go to my dealer and purchase a new one.
Based on all the reviews they do not give one crap about the customer after the check clears.

Beware! Some of the door hardware finishes are never under warranty. We purchased Sandcast Bronze Series — Medium Bronze Patina for our ENTIRE HOUSE because it has a very black finish and looks like cast iron. Unfortunately the finish is not under warranty and within a very short period of time the finish has begun to wear off, showing the brass underneath. The answer I got from Emtek is «it’s supposed to wear over time». Yeah sure. Read the warranty very carefully.

The front door handle doesn’t work properly — I sent pictures to the tech at Emtek and she just said there must be something wrong with my door (that it’s not thick enough even though it is) and gave me no other suggestions… the problem is that the latch is already ¹⁄₈ turn in neutral position and so the door doesn’t even stay closed. The part of the cyclinder that that hits the strikeplate is really rough and is already wearing into the strikeplate after 10 uses. Looks good from far but it’s far from good. This stuff is truly expensive junk.

10+ years ago I built my home and used Durango levers throughout. Several of them started BREAKING. I called customer service because on their website it states that they provide a Limited Lifetime Warranty. The CSR told me that the Limited Lifetime warranty only applies to products purchased since 2012. Anything purchased prior to 20 102 had only a 5 year warranty. When I asked them to provide me with that warranty they declined saying that it was my responsibility to keep the warranty slip that came with the product.
EMTEK’s solution was for me to buy a replacement product. RIGHT! I am just about to spend more money on a product that does not last and that is produced by a company that does not stand behind their products.
The bottom line is that EMTEK does not stand behind their product and their product is CRAP.
STAY AWAY FROM EMTEK PRODUCTS!!!

I would typically write a few paragraphs for qualification, but I’ll keep this one short.
Junk! From product, to service, and back again – Junk!

Agreed with everyone. Horrible customer service. I ordered the front door lock. One of the part is wrong and cannot be installed. I waited two and half months now and still waiting for the replacement part. I was told by the reseller if anything goes wrong in the order most often it is never corrected.
Now I have a front door with no lock! Thanks Emtek.

After 24 years of working in construction I’ve installed hundreds of door locks/​handles from many different manufacturers. Emtek is by far my least favorite brand. They look good but so what, they should look good for how much they cost. Their functionality is the problem. They are manufactured poorly in my opinion. I just installed a dozen or so (client bought them) on a remodel in San Fransisco and had problems with most of them. I encountered screws that won’t thread, wood screws that snapped, dead bolts that stick or are very hard to turn and handles that stick. The kind of problems you might expect from cheap low end brands. You don’t get what you pay for with Emtek. I would never put them in my own home.

Installed Emtek interior door hardware during a remodel in 2007. Looks good and feels well made but they don’t last. While it is almost 8 years old now (past 5 year warranty) the metal on the interior shaft should last more than this. It has eroded on several of the door knobs, resulting in «droopy» knobs that will eventually fall off.
I have other door hardware in home that is 25+ years old and still works great.
I will not replace these with Emtek and advise others to avoid.

Spent quite a bit of money to put Emtek Old Town crystal sets in our house — almost 40 sets total. They look great and have held up well. However, we needed additional sets a couple of years later to finish our basement and the crystal knobs are a VERY DIFFERENT SIZE and cut. I explained to the Emtek customer rep that they weren’t a little different, but a full ¼″ longer (from door) and almost ½″ more narrow on the face. A significant difference that’s very visible compared to the existing doors. Emtek’s exact response — «We have not changed the design of our crystal knobs, but because we order our parts from vendors in China, they sometimes come in to us in different batches.» UNBELIEVABLE. They actually admit to inconsistent sourcing from China and non-​existent quality control! The rep never suggested that he would look into our exact issue or send replacements. As a designer, I recognize the favorable price point of Emtek’s products, but will be much less likely to recommend their products to clients in the future or at least warn clients of their quality control issues beforehand.

HORRIBLE customer service. HORRIBLE. rude, uncaring, no interest to help you out at all. as for the product, too new to be able to say, but the customer service is truly outrageous. in ten years i have never written a bad review on Unilocal.ever. but here goes. a time for everything i guess.
spent a fortune on over 20 new locks. one side of the hardware came with a finish we did not like. tried to replace one small part and they could not care at all. did not try to help in any way. basically just a you are SOL kind of response. you can pay to get a new one was basically what we were told! unbelievable.

3 weeks after the installation, the electronic keypad STOPPED FUNCTIONING and I was locked out of my front door. My contractor checked and checked, but after all, the product was a DEFECT. The retailer said we had to have an «approval» from EMTEK for a refund… Really???
I had a HORRIBLE time and I will NOT trust their products. NEVER EMTEK again.

All of privacy locks have one by one started failing after 5 years. I have kwikset locks at our other home and they are over 20 years old with not problems whatsoever. Terrible product.

Do not buy!!! Falls apart a few years after VERY LIGHT use. Called customer service today. Their warranty is, as the rep noted, «limited.» Basically five years is the full lifetime of the product and then you have to buy completely new hardware. I have Baldwin products in other parts of my house and I’ve had no problems for going on 15 years!

We bought Emtek door hardware for our entire house, including all our interior doors (passage and privacy locks), four sets of French patio doors, our front door, and our garage side door. Unfortunately, we have had so many issues that we will go with another brand the next time.
PROS:
–We love the modern designs that Emtek makes.
–Our stainless steel patio door hardware is fantastic – no issues there.
CONS:
–For the front and garage side doors we bought Emtek’s electronic locks, specifically the «Modern Brass Keypad Entryset» and «Modern Brass Keypad Leverset» both with a satin nickel finish. Within six months the numbers on the keypads started wearing off. Within a year, you could clearly see which four numbers we depressed every day when entering our code.
–The upper electronic part (the keypad-​operated deadbolt) on the front entryset stopped working properly after about nine months; it would usually lock, but it would only beep some of the time when entering our codes, even after installing a new battery. Same thing for the backlighting – it would not light up most of the time (even when pressing the main «Emtek» button) but then randomly some days of the month it would decide to light up. We eventually ordered a replacement for this unit since the numbers were also wearing off (as mentioned above).
–The first replacement wasn’t threaded correctly inside one of the main holes where the long screws go during installation. We couldn’t force the screw in no matter what we did, so we had to get another replacement.
–The next replacement (unit #3) was supposed to be keyed alike but it wasn’t. This may have been the retailer’s fault and not Emtek’s fault – we’ll never know who dropped the ball on that. We kept it anyway and just dealt with having a different key for that door since we weren’t in the mood to wait for and then install a fourth one in less than two years.
–The satin nickel finish on the lower (non-​electronic) part of the front entryset started wearing off the thumb-​lever after about 12 — 15 months. It appeared to be some kind of clear coat that was rubbing off, since it was still nickel-​colored underneath, not brass. It wasn’t terrible looking, but definitely noticeable and not acceptable for a handleset that cost a few hundred dollars. The finish should last for decades, or at least for many years… not months. We ordered a replacement.
–The first replacement for the lower half of the handleset arrived with the handle having been soldered to the back-​plate off center. I didn’t notice it until after I installed it (of course), so now we are currently waiting for another replacement.
–The electronic keypad we installed on our garage door has a thumb-​turn inside so you can leave it unlocked if desired, such as when you’re going in and out of the garage a lot on the weekends. However, the thumb turn never worked – it will not unlock the door and so we must enter our code every single time we go into the garage (or prop the door open). We dealt with this for a year until the numbers started wearing off the keypad, then ordered a replacement (citing both issues).
–The replacement had keypad numbers made of another material than the original numbers, so Emtek must have realized there was an issue and changed the material. Very good, we were happy to see that. However, the thumb-​turn on this unit didn’t work, which seemed so odd for that to happen twice. We uninstalled and reinstalled it following the directions very closely (and actually, two of us took a go at it, to no avail). Furthermore, this unit wasn’t keyed alike, which again, could have been Emtek’s fault or the retailer’s, but regardless, we needed yet another replacement for the garage. We’re still waiting on that one (#3).
–I also note that these items — the modern electronic locks – are «made to order» and can take about a month every time we need a replacement.
–Four of our interior privacy locks would not lock. We had to replace those. The replacements, which appear to be slightly redesigned, do lock now.
–After about six months of use, the square rosettes (back-​plates) on the interior door handles get loose and start to turn. This would not be noticeable with a round rosette, of course. For square rosettes, however, it immediately shows when the square is crooked. It is a pain to re-​tighten them because you must first use an allen wrench to remove the lever. We think they come loose periodically because of the design – we bought the ones with hidden screws. The plate gets tightened with this odd little plastic tool that Emtek includes with the product. Whether we tighten it merely «hand tight» or very tight it doesn’t matter – within six months the squares become loose enough to get crooked, which is very annoying. It’s a project to go around the house and remove the levers to tighten them all, then put back the levers.
The two stars are for the nice clean designs and the great patio hardware.

We recently remodeled our home and included Emtek’s door and cabinet hardware. They have lots of styles and finishes to choose from and we have received many compliments on our hardware. We also purchased a key pad lever set for a gate on our courtyard and love not having to carry keys to go on a walk or get the mail. We have recommended Emtek to many of our friends and neighbors.

After redecorating a 1970’s era home with a modern traditional décor, the original brass hardware looked dated. I’ve seen Emtek hardware on Houzz and other sites, and love the design. I contacted Emtek and they told me where I could find a dealer near me (Crown City Hardware in Pasadena). The dealer had a prominent display and large selection. Now we have high-​quality hardware with updated designs and finishes to replace all our old stuff. Even cabinet pulls and door stops. The whole house looks fresh and new, and the hardware coordinates with the new furniture. We’ve had many compliments. Thanks Emtek!

GLAD I finally found a place online to speak of this horrendous hardware and the company staff as a whole. Spent a lot of money in 2008 on a doorknob that continually fell off. I shipped all back at my expense and explained the problem, as I had to get a whole new hardware set and have it installed. They had the audacity to tell me the THREE (3) LOCKSMITH“S who came out over a period of year to try and fix the hardware, didn’t «know» how to fix it; then they eventually told me it was mounted upside down hence my problems. The VP was indignant, haughty and holier-​than-​thou. Nothing was refunded in this «lifetime guarantee» hardware. Astonishing. As someone whose been «in the business» of construction for 30 years… Never have I experienced such garbage material; bad service; lack of follow through on a warranty.
Needless to say? I have not one thing to say in their favor!
Sincerely,
Peggie Davis, San Ramon, California

EMTEK PRODUCTS has the worst customer service of all time. EMTEK PRODUCTS sent me the wrong product, acknowledged that it was their mistake but did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to make it better. They would not send the replacement order any faster (unless I paid for the shipping) the original order was placed on January 10, 2012 and it is now February 3, 2012 and I will not be receiving the replacement until around February 10, 2012, they offered no refund or credit, they told me there was nothing they could do (which is interesting because I talked to the President of the company and I know that he could right this situation with very little effort).
I even told him that I would never buy EMTEK PRODUCTS again and all he had to say was sorry.
The bottom line is that EMTEK PRODUCTS could care less about the customer, which is the reason that they are in business but not for long, I suspect. I highly recommend that you think long and hard before buying EMTEK PRODUCTS, if you order incorrectly, you pay shipping back & a 40% restocking fee, if EMTEK PRODUCTS ships your order incorrectly — they do NOTHING!!!