- Anodized pulls in my bathroom have held up fine for about three years—no corrosion, even with a lot of steam and splashes.
- They do show fingerprints, especially the black ones, but a quick wipe fixes it.
- Powder coat chipped on my old handles way faster, so I’d say anodized is better for durability if you’re on a budget.
- Only thing: if you use harsh cleaners, the finish can dull a bit over time. I just stick to mild soap and water.
CASTING VS INJECTION MOLDING—WHICH METHOD WORKS BETTER?
I get the appeal of anodized pulls, but I’ve gotta push back a bit on the “better for durability if you’re on a budget” part. From what I’ve seen, it really depends on how the pulls are made in the first place—casting vs injection molding makes a big difference.
Here’s my take:
1. Cast handles (especially cheaper ones) can have tiny air pockets or weak spots that you don’t see until they start to corrode or snap. I had some cast pulls in my old apartment and two literally cracked after a year—no crazy force, just regular use.
2. Injection molded ones, even if they’re plastic or composite, seem to hold up better for daily wear and tear. They’re more uniform, less likely to have those hidden flaws.
3. Anodizing helps with corrosion, sure, but if the base material isn’t solid, it’s kind of like putting a fancy coat of paint on a crumbling wall.
If you’re really watching your wallet, sometimes a well-made injection molded pull (even if it’s not metal) outlasts cheap cast metal with anodizing. Just my two cents from living in rentals with all kinds of hardware...
Anodizing helps with corrosion, sure, but if the base material isn’t solid, it’s kind of like putting a fancy coat of paint on a crumbling wall.
That’s a great analogy. I’ve run into the same issue with cast hardware—looks good at first, but you don’t know what’s going on inside until it fails. Injection molding gets a bad rap sometimes for being “cheap,” but honestly, I’ve seen some of those plastic pulls outlast metal ones in high-traffic units. It’s all about consistency in the material. Your experience lines up with what I’ve seen on job sites.
Injection molding gets a bad rap sometimes for being “cheap,” but honestly, I’ve seen some of those plastic pulls outlast metal ones in high-traffic units.
That tracks with what I've seen over the years. Funny enough, I used to be pretty skeptical about plastics in commercial builds—always figured metal was the “real” solution. But after a couple of projects where cast aluminum handles started failing inside of two years (meanwhile, the injection molded ones just kept going), I had to rethink things. The consistency you get with injection molding seems to make a difference, especially when you’re dealing with hundreds of identical units.
One thing I do wonder about, though, is long-term UV exposure. I’ve had a few plastic components get brittle after a lot of sun, but that’s more of an outdoor issue. Indoors, it’s almost a non-issue. Casting just feels like more of a gamble unless you really trust the foundry and their QC. At the end of the day, I’d rather have something predictable than something that looks good on paper but might crumble under pressure.
CASTING VS INJECTION MOLDING—WHICH METHOD WORKS BETTER?
- I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually had the opposite experience in a few hospitality projects.
- Some of the cast brass pulls we used developed this really nice patina over time and held up beautifully, even with heavy use.
- The injection molded ones looked fine at first, but after a couple years, they started to show scratches and discoloration that just didn’t age well.
- Maybe it’s a material choice thing, or maybe it’s just the vibe I’m after, but sometimes that “imperfection” from casting adds character you can’t get with plastic.
- I guess it depends on whether you want everything to look identical or if you’re okay with a little variation. For me, it’s not always about predictability—sometimes the quirks are what make a space feel lived-in.
