Ideal Security Door Handle for Storm and Screen Doors, Black (2-Piece Set)

The handle kit arrived as promised, sufficiently packaged, and undamaged. This unit replaced a non-locking handle of similar style and color. It was a direct replacement with no-problems to install. The instructions were clear and helpful. The lock works well and the action to lock and unlock is easy. When locked, the button does not depress at all, making it clear that the door is locked. I especially like the pretty white striker supplied with this unit. It is much sturdier and more attractive than the striker for the non-locking unit that it replaced.

I purchased these locks primarily because I wanted something that could be locked and unlocked (with a key) from the outside. The original locks on the storm doors were flimsy, and the doors could be opened with one good tug from the outside even when locked from the inside.The new locks are much stronger and cannot be pulled open when locked. In addition, the handle has a third screw at the bottom, which makes it more stable.I was pleasantly surprised by how easy these locks were to install. The only downside is that they came without installation instructions. However, a PDF us available on the Ideal Security website (go to the page for this item and then scroll down after the description).I would definitely recommend this item.

[ UPDATES BELOW ]I had to replace the handle set of a storm door broken by a dog leash tangled on the latch during a SWAT-like storming exit of teen+preteen+near-preteen children and two dogs at high speed. I purchased this set in a bit of a hurry, despite my concerns about the disparity of ratings between third-party sites evaluating trustability of customer reviews (an 'overall Pass' versus a 'grade D'). It is in the low end of the price range of push-button handles.SPECSIdeal Security is a Canadian distributor of storm and screen door hardware manufactured by the Combination Door Ware Industrial Co. of Taichung City, Taiwan. The set BK321 has a key-lock, push-button handle set of black metal for left or right outswinging storm and screen doors 1" to 2" thick. It replaces a standard handle for doors that have three 1/8" diameter upper holes (top and bottom ones 1.75" center-to-center apart), and a smaller, lower hole (only on the outside of the door) for a retaining sheet metal screw 3.75" below the lowest of the three upper holes. Its length is 6" (and not 9.5" as currently indicated in the Product Information section).It also has an inside latch that can be locked and unlocked from the outside with the key, and from the inside by sliding a lever just above or below the latch (depending on which side the door swings out). The latch has an anti-lock mechanism; the key is able to counteract any locking/unlocking done with sliding lever of the latch and vice versa. This webpage and the Idealinc website of the company claim this set includes a solid nylon strike plate (Ideal Security product SK2) for the latch. That is FALSE -- the included strike is zinc-plated ferromagnetic metal.INSTALLATIONThe set comes with brief and rather terse instructions, likely to be insufficient for those not handy with tools. Essentially the same instructions are given in a PDF installation guide from the dot-com Idealinc website (click handlesets => push button => BK312). At the end of this review there is an addendum about installation for those who may need more information.Unless you have done this before, however, there is something for which the manufacturer instructions are insufficient for replacing a handle set: the backset. This is the length from the door edge to the center of one of the upper holes -- when replacing an old handle, you are stuck with its backset, unless you want redrill all holes. (Notice that a storm door's backset is longer than that of the house door it protects as it is mounted outside the finished jam of the opening.) Storm door backsets are not standardized, and neither the seller nor the distributor give the minimum backset for this set. It is 1 and 1/8" long.Backset distance is critical for the latch, rather than the handle. The BK312 latch would not fit into the jamb opening (and the storm door would then not close) if the old backset were non-trivially less than 1.125". This assumes there is no weather stripping protruding into the jamb opening, such as L-shape strips mounted on the jamb itself. If such stripping were present, you may need to cut, or file (for metal strips), a section of the stripping. For backsets longer than that, there are two plastic shimming tabs, 1/6" thick, for the strike; metal washers can be inserted between these tabs if more shimming were needed. The backset of my old handle was shorter than the minimum needed to fit the latch; having discovered that only when I was ready to install the new set, I was forced to remove a small section of the stripping and reuse the old strike (which does not protrude as much as the new one) so the storm door could close, as shown in the attached figure.Once finally installed, this handle has been working well, especially as it has to handle (yeah, I got it) many entrances and exits of often hurried adolescents, not to mention so far one dog that learnt how to push the latch and open the door to watch the world go by. My rating, however, reflects the missing advertised nylon strike plate (which I would have preferred) and of the lack of backset information (which caused additional installation work).UPDATE (December 2019)Twice already one of the long screws to attach the latch to the handle has become loose, likely from the shaking/vibration of the storm door at the moment it closes. I have applied a threadlocker to stop this annoyance.UPDATE (April 2020)In the self-isolation of the time of coronavirus by the entire family, this storm door has seen quintuple duty, if not more, due to frequent trips to and from the enclosed front/side gardens during most of the day by children (and dogs) always in a hurry. We have had no problems with the door despite such a heavy use. I have raised its rating to 4 stars._____IF YOU'VE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE1. Remove the old handle and door latch by unscrewing both latch-mounting screws, pulling the interior and exterior pieces apart, and removing the center spindle. Do not discard the old set and screws until you have finished.2. If they were apart, assemble the spindle and metal spring as shown in the drawing of the instructions. Slide the spindle through the middle hole of the upper trio. With the handle on the door, the spindle should extend 5/16" through the other side the storm door, and it should not touch the mechanism of the latch when the handle button is not pressed. If the spindle included is too long, its indented end can be cut to length. To do so, first make a mark on the spindle at 5/16" from the inner surface of the door, remove the spindle, and break it at the mark's closest indentation in the tip direction (and not the other direction) using two pairs of pliers -- holding firmly with one pair just before the mark to break, bend down the tip of the spindle with the other pair. If unable to achieve that, use a hacksaw. Measure twice before cutting. (In the disastrous case of cutting it too short, contact the manufacturer [customer service phone number in the Product Information section of this page] and get a replacement Spindle And Spring product SK18.)3. With the spindle properly sized, mount the latch on the inside of the door. Fasten the handle to the latch with the long machine screws. The set has three pairs of such screws with different lengths; if these screws are still too long, you can either cut them like the spindle, get new ones, or reuse your old screws. Insert these screws through the holes of the latch into the screw-posts on the handle, and tighten. Do not overtighten as this may cause the latch to bind. (If it were difficult for you to align the tip of the screw with the opening the screw-post of the handle, get a plastic straw that fits the outer diameter of the screw-posts, cut it in 0.5" long pieces, and slide these pieces on the screw posts, so they act like extended guides to facilitate the attachment of the screws on the posts.) Attach the tie-down, sheet metal screw to the door through the small bottom hole at the bottom of the handle.4. Hold the new strike plate in place with the storm door well closed. Line the strike plate up so it firmly engages the latch; if needed, shim the strike plate with the plastic tabs. Mark the center of the diagonal mounting slots for best adjustability. Drill pilot holes (e.g., 3/32") in the door jamb and screw down the plate. Verify the latch can be locked and unlocked with the small sliding lever of the latch. Verify the keys work properly.

This fit an older Larson storm door perfectly. Installation was super easy. The door now locks well and unlocks easily with the included keys. It isn't fancy, but it looks nice and does the job.

Super super easy install....hardest part was cutting the spindle to size (didn't have the correct tools on hand). Glad I made the purchase!EDITED: After just 4 months of use, it seems the spring inside is no longer working so I will be looking for another

While the piece "feels" solid. This has been a pain to install. Only purchase if you already have a handle like this with a locking mechanism previously on the door and this is just a replacement. If you are installing on a door without, then you have some hurdles to cross. No template for holes is included No problem if you have installed locks before and used a drill. If not, good luck. You will also need a drill bit set.. Once holes are drilled, you will need to have a saw handy to cut down the size of the spindle. A trip to home depot and a waste of a hand saw. The locking mechanism is also faulty.. I have installed alot of various lock and this was a pain in the ass. I have decided to give up on this lock.

Cheaply made. Didn't last a year.

Needed a replacement screen door handle. The old one was broke and for the money much much cheaper than a new door. The only really tricky part is the screw holes are blind and seem to miss the mark. Should include a little hair to help. Other than that had it installed in 15 minutes and it works fine.

service and item both great. thank you

The handle is great, a bit hard to line up the screws with the handles hole, didn't have to cut the spindle since it fit perfectly the only down side is that in the description and pictures it's showing on here is the Solid Vinyl Strike is not vinyl at all, it's a metal plate (picture included), I was able to re-use my old door strike on the rear door but on the front door I used the metal strike but it's too short to reach the doors inside latch so I have to pull the screen door in order to reach the strike and lock the door, had to spend another $5 for the vinyl strike. If they don't include the solid vinyl strike they are showing in the description or pictures then why even show it? instead they should be showing the short metal one that they send with this door handle.

The quality and finish are fine. I suggest you use a Philips screw starter for putting the two sides together.... I haven't got the latch to lock yet and have cut off the plunger tip twice. It says 1/4 to 3/8 protruding past the door and in gonna go one more notch and see if that let's it lock. Works great as a handle but I bought it keyed so I can use it keyed.

I installed and then could not turn the key to lock and unlock.I ended up having to file down a part in the lock mechanism and after that worked good.It was a very fine piece of metal not finished properly causing it not to operate properly, probably caused when this was machined in the factory .You have to look very carefully for the fault produced from manufacturing. Believe me...took me few hours of scratching my head to find the issue.

Came As described. Ok for the price. Not the most sturdy handle out there. Installation is abit effy, but made it work. For some reason the old ideal security door handle i had to replace it with seem to have more weight and feels more robust. Dont know if this was a knock off or if ideal just downgraded their quality. Anyway, looks like you get what you pay for.