Anatomy of a Pull Handle by UAP

There has been a major shift in the last 2 years in the door marker, with bigger, bolder door hardware being matched to the ever popular composite doors. And so it is with Pull Handles, which give the feature of not having to have lever handles on the door.

But what exactly is a Pull Handle, and why is the UAP range so different?

Pull Handles are in essence Bar Handles made from Stainless Steel and shaped to give different designs.

The central core of the UAP Pull handle is the metal choice, which in our case is Stainless Steel Grade 304. SS304 offers fantastic corrosion resistance at an affordable price, and it is this performance characteristic that enables us to back up our ground breaking Lifetime Guarantee, and every part of the basic UAP Pull Handle is manufactured from Stainless Steel! We batch test the Handles in our Salt Spray machine for over 2000 hours to give us the confidence that each batch conforms to our stringent requirements.

A Pull Handle is usually very long, up to 1800mm, and it needs to be strong, and not bend or twist. So the tuning is made from 1.5mm Stainless Steel. This means it will not bend, or warp or dent.

The next criteria that is vital is the diameter of the tube. We opted for a 38mm tube for several reasons. The latest composite door designs are generally wide doors. We feel that the handles need to be thicker to match the design of the door. The Pull Handle concept is designed to be seen and to give the door a high quality feel. Having the 38mm diameter does exactly that!

Also the handle being thicker enables the user better grip, which is especially important for the elderly. This is a vital target market, especially with the latest pension reforms empowering the pension age population with funds from their pension pots being re-invested into property.

The final key element of the Pull Handle is the method by which the upstands which attach to the door affix to the Pull Handle length. Competitor systems use a smaller diameter upstand that fits to the main Pull Bar by a bolt. However, we use a shaped Upstand that cups the whole diameter of the Pull Bar. We do this for 2 reasons; Firstly we believe it gives a far better look to the Pull Handle, but secondly, the extra width of the Upstand is a more secure fixing. The extra diameter of the base reduces the tendency of the thinner Upstands to rock from side to side. The extra base stops this effect!

Now we have examined the basic element of the UAP Pull Handle, we can turn our attention to the range and to the method of fixing to the door.

The range consists of Straight Pull Handles which fit at rights angles to the door itself, and are the most popular handle. We also produce the Offset with a 45 degree slope of the handle relative to the door. This is used in situations where the door leaf is near to a wall, and because it does look impressive. However, the dynamic of the sloping handle is different to the straight lever. The Straight lever has the force of impact of pull and push of the handle running in parallel to the upstands and in a direct line with the fixing bolts. But the offset handle has the pressure working against the fixing bolts and as a result increases the risk of the handle moving against the bolts and giving the feeling of the handle ‘giving under pressure’.

The UAP wide base of the upstand helps eliminate this effect, and the fixings work perfectly with this system.

We also wanted to offer a mix and match facility where the fixing centres of the upstands are identical and so differing Pull Handles can be matched together. We spent considerable time ensuring the fixing method we offer are the best in the market, and the easiest to use.

There are 3 fixing methods, and each Pull Handle comes with a face mounting kit. This consists of a fixing plate that screws into the front of the door and is screwed into the wooden door frame. The Pull Handle fits over the fixing plate and is bolted into place with an Allen bolt. This is a fast fixing method and extremely strong. However for extra security we do suggest that the Allen Bolts are drilled after fitting to round off the bolt to stop theft.

To assist those customers who want a high security bolt through option we offer a Bolt through kit, which consists of 2 new parts. On the Pull Handle, a brass bush is screwed into the Upstands. This is double threaded to screw into the upstand and accept a bolt through the centre. We chose brass because this can be moulded easily and also will not rust and tarnish, backing up our Lifetime Coating Guarantee. On the inside of the door a high tensile steel bolts is used which is capped with a colour matching decorative head.

Back to back fitting is achieved with another fixing kit. This uses the same basic concept as the bolt through option as described above, but with an additional fixing plate which has a hole through its centre allowing the fixing bolt to connect the fixing plate and the outside handle. The internal Pull Handle is fitted using the Allen bolt fixing.

These 3 fixing kits give the quickest fixing method in the market, and the most reliable fitting with the maximum flexibility!

The Offset Pull Handle has the same options as the Straight Handle but uses moulded fixing plates. Given the mechanical pressure of the Offset handle, we do not recommend using the single fixing from the front of the door. We would always suggest using a bolt through or a back to back option as the most secure fixing method.

The UAP range comprises 6 different lengths, 400mm, 600, 900mm, 1200mm, 1500m and 1800mm. We also supply a D shape handle which will fit back to back into the 400mm Pull Handle.

The final element in the UAP Pull Handle is getting the product from our warehouse to the customer’s premises. And that is why every Pull Handle is individually boxed and packed to ensure they arrive in perfect condition!

The UAP Pull Handle demonstrates UAP’s attention to detail on every point of this fantastic range of products. For more information, visit www.uapcorporate.com, or call our sales team today on 0161 796 7268!