San Diego Hardware Company

Customer service is excellent, parts is a bit pricey with hundreds of selection which I love! They ordered the wrong size for my pulls but once I came back, it was fixed quickly without any issues and the order came in a few day after.

We were recently on the hunt for new house numbers and a new mailbox, and Unilocal helped us discover the mecca that is San Diego Hardware.
Yes, Home Depot is cheap — and if what you want is generic, then by all means.
But, if you’re even the least bit an interesting person, you’ll probably enjoy San Diego Hardware a lot more.
Door pulls of all kinds to give your house an instant makeover. Weather Vanes! Novelty door knockers! Knobs, handles, decorative hinges! So many things that will make you think, «who would ever???» and SO many things that will make you think, «I WANT THAT» and instantly make you envision the dream home you *could* be living in.
We’re fans.

I had a great experience with SD hardware. I purchased about $ 200 worth of cabonet pulls and hinges to redo my mom’s kitchen, and I could not be happier with the purchase about a year later. They still work as well as when we bought them and they look exactly the same as well. My mom operates a childcare at home, so they endure a ton of use everyday, so this is especially noteworthy.
I initially bought the wrong size for a few hinges, but SD hardware promptly switched them out for free, so I can vouch for their customer service in this regard. They carry a wide variety of cabinet pulls, gate hardware, doorknobs and just about any other household hardware you can think of in a ton of different styles, so you can be sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.

I am giving 2 stars based on my cabinets hardware because they look nice on my brand new cabinets.
Service is pretty bad here. If you need help, you take a number. This is a store not DMV. The wait for help is just like a DMV too. You waited forever to be helped by an unhappy and uninformative employee.
Long story short, she rang us up and placed our order then she sent us away to cashier and didn’t tell us when, where, or how our order would get to us. I had to ask the cashier and she said I have to pick it up at the store.
It’s 2 weeks from now but I’m already dreading a dmv wait just to pick up my order.
Keep in mind, I saw some previous review suggesting to come after 3pm which I did. Did not help with the wait.

Parking is pretty good, they have a private lot with a lot of spaces, and the location is VERY easy to access.
Excellent place to look for bathroom fixtures, drawer pulls, door hardware and similarly specific items. The products offered are range from good to the highest quality available, with prices to match. Recently, I needed a very specific door hinge, and one of the staff members made a suggestion that saved me time and money… and had that been the end of it, would be five stars… BUT…
San Diego Hardware Company is very CLEARLY geared towards working with professionals in the home building and decorating industry, for non-​professionals who are simply in need of a part… you might experience frustration, as…
THERE HAS GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY TO HANDLE SERVICE… you take a number and wait… someone at the counter helps you… than…you wait while they get the product out of the warehouse… and then you wait for a cashier… that aspect of service is frankly, 1 star.
IF you need something that San Diego Hardware has in stock, you will likely not easily find it elsewhere, but I avoid the store for any other situations because of the really crappy customer assistance issue… it’s truly agonizing.

Great selection of knobs but not many towel racks or bathroom supplies at all. Everything is special order and can’t be return. Better ordering at Amazon with prime can get next day delivery in most cases. One more thing if you are buying $ 200 worth knobs the staff could be a little pleasant.

I have been in a few times and always had great results. Most recently Dom helped me get some replacement hinges for a very large medicine cabinet. They had them in stock and he made sure I got the right ones, and was super helpful. When I think of a hardware store I think of a place to get all the fittings, fasteners, hinges, and stuff that I need to keep my house tip top, and that is exactly what SD Hardware Co. has been for me. I also like their number system for service, as I know I am not jumping in front of someone that’s been waiting longer than me and I know when the number comes up someone knowledgeable will be helping me.

The selection is excellent. However, prices are not posted. You have to take a number and wait. And wait and wait. Then you find out the how high the prices are and leave empty-​handed. We won’t be returning.

Like some who have posted negative reviews of SDH, I would have to agree. A good, not great selection. For the item I wanted, Home Depot had 3x the selection and better customer service to boot. Before you even walk into the store you’re greeted with numerous signs to take a number for service. Right away, I don’t know if I can even just ask a quick question to find what I want or if I need to take a number. I see one guy ask a passing employee for a quick question and I could see she looked annoyed. So I wander the store for a few minutes to try and find my item on my own. I eventually take a ticket because I couldn’t find my item and get my number called 5 minutes later. I got an older lady who did not smile once. I ask her if they have the item I’m looking for, she leads me to where they are located and just stood there. I wanted to look at the selection for a few moments on my own so I tell her thank you (I know they’re busy so I didn’t want to take her time) but she then says, «well I’ll have to get the price so let me know which one you want.» A better, friendlier sales person would’ve asked questions like what style would I like or something to engage me for maybe another idea. This felt like I was wasting her time. I did see other people getting some good, friendly, helpful service… guess I got the employee who didn’t like working on a Saturday. Think I’ll go back to Home Depot or online for my hardware needs next time.
Overall: good selection and variety, but definitely lacks in good customer service.

We were completely redoing our home and SD Hardware had excellent choices for door knobs, cabinet pulls and knobs. Ema B, in particular, was extremely helpful, made great suggestions on options and was very responsive on follow up via email.

In the last couple of months I have visited San Diego Hardware twice for cabinet hinges, door and drawer pulls. I like receiving a number when I enter their showroom. After receiving your number you can relax and browse their amazing selection of hardware knowing that you have a place in line. They are very busy and rightful so, they have an outstanding selection.
I was assisted by someone who knew exactly which hinges I needed.
I didn’t need all of the hinges I purchased, and since I live 35 minutes from the store, I decided to return the unused hinges by mail. I received an email notification of the refund on the day they received the package. My experience at SD Hardware was excellent customer service.

Want service? Take a number. Have $ 800-​$ 1,500+ to spend on simple door hardware that ships from New Zealand and will take 4 weeks to get here? This is the place for you. Look the least bit irritated at the 45 minute wait time? GREAT! The inept sales people will drag their feet even more getting to your number so that you’re completely irritated to discuss your hardware needs. Maybe that’s the strategy… just piss you off so you’ll leave, after all, normal people doing home renovation aren’t really that welcome here. They sure did suck up the lady from Rancho Santa Fe ahead of me though. *DO NOT BRING SMALL CHILDREN to this store!* Repeat… leave the kiddos at home! They will spin out of control and possibly wreck a display waiting for a non existent sales person. When we arrived they were on customer #51. Get the picture? You must take a ticket like they issue when you’re ordering a baloney sandwich. After waiting for 45 minutes, they skipped my deli number! «Hey, you never called #63!» I bellowed from the top floor while keeping my 2 year old from cartwheeling down the staircase, my 7 year old from sticking his hand down the display toilet, and my 10 year old who had time to create the game deposit her library book in the display mailboxes… «Guess which one I put it in Mommy!» (At least she was resourceful while her glorious summer day dwindled away.) This company appears to cater to the super rich of San Diego, good for them. After 119 years dealing with the state of California, so would I. Sure, they’ve got an amazing selection of hardware on display, 80% of it isn’t in stock. Better have a Gold Mastercard to afford it all too. Snobs catering to snobs, never again!

Great selection of hardware. Crazy expensive per handle.
Customer service: S L O W. Management needs to take a look at process improvement and here’s why: we walked up to the counter and told Liz we wanted to special oder our entire order because they didn’t have all quantities desired. We handed her our pulls and knobs with qualities desired. Liz left the counter and retrieved 19 of the 28 knobs available. She picked up the second knob and repeated the process. VERY INEFFICIENT. We reiterated that she should just order the quantities desired and we would pick up the order when ready. She proceeded to write up TWO separate orders and we had to pay for two different orders wasting our (& her time).

Great selection and showroom. Worked with Kristen who was knowledgeable and helpful. It’s nice having a local showroom to go to as you just can’t get a feel for things online unless you already know what you want.

Terrible customer service! I called prior to going inquiring about a vintage size, 2.5 inch drawer handles. I was told they had them, and could order additional styles if I didn’t find them in stock. Upon arrival, I was informed that they had very few styles in that size and could not order any others. The sales man assisting me had no interest in assisting me, and refused to try and order any. He said they could only order the styles available in the store. I went home and found many styles on
. I Ordered them and had them in two days!

My cabinet supplier recommended I check out San Diego Hardware for cabinet pulls. Rebecca Loibl helped me narrow down my choices pretty quickly, and given the size of their collection, that was a relief. The new pulls look great. I really appreciate the service I received, and I’ll be returning for front door hardware.

Employees are not very knowledgable about their products. Had to basically answer my own questions and place my own custom order. The inventory isn’t what I expected either. They do have a few good unique pieces, but not what I was anticipating. My dad and I went to buy hardware for a cedar chest we built together, they stopped carrying such hardware. At checkout, employee forgot to add an item to the order. I would buy at another hardware store next time. The saddest part about this whole thing was that I had told my friends and relatives that know about our project, that I was taking a trip out to The San Diego Hardware store and they all expressed how awesome it was bla bla bla… So I went from «OH MY GOD I’m going to walk into like HARDWARE heaven,» to «oh my God, is this it?» :-/​I had better ideas in my head and I’m not a designer lol

When I went into the store itself, it is a big overwhelming and no one every asked me if I needed help. The second time I went, I received more attention as I was looking for one item. When I asked about ordering I was told I could do that but it would take two weeks. So, I had to call twice to get help but when I did, Leslie was the most helpful customer service person I had encountered. She not only helped me with my order and verified via email but she was able to make the shipping costs work for my needs. I ordered them yesterday and they arrived today! Leslie is your PRIZE employee!!! The selection is incredible and I would recommend to anyone.

I must say I am surprised to read reviews that the service here is rude, that customers were abused and that the selection is the same as in a big box store.
First of all we came here because the selection of Front Door Hardware at both Home Depot and at Lowe’s is very limited. In fact one of the employees at Lowe’s advised us to check San Diego Hardware out.
We arrived at the store which is clean, well laid out and which offers a selection of Front Door Hardware that is vast in range from at least a dozen different manufacturers. We took a number and checked out the display for a few minutes until Ema came to help us. Our house was built in 1969 and none of the Hardware (Locks, Handles, Door Knobs, etc.) had ever been changed. She began by giving us a diagram which showed all the measurements that were needed (Handing, Door Thickness, Stile Width and Backset). She showed us how to measure each of these accurately. She then showed us at least a dozen different styles and types of Hardware and answered at least as many questions for us. She was courteous, unhurried, friendly, thorough and knowledgable. No pressure whatsoever to buy anything and she also made several helpful suggestions on what kind of finish to get, which manufacturers ship the fastest, which type of metal is the most sun resistant, etc.
I returned the next day with photos of our front doors and all the measurements. Ema then took well over an hour answering more questions and making suggestions based on the holes drilled in the door for theHardware and Deadbolts. She added extra notes to the work order for the manufacturer in L.A. and went over the order in detail with me item by item.
We spent slightly more than $ 500.00 for the Hardware, two Handle Sets, Locks etc. from Emtek a top manufacturer which Lowe’s does not sell. The price includes expedited air shipping and keying of the two locks. Two sets made by Schlage or Kwikset purchased at Lowe’s would have been between $ 320.00 and $ 400.00 at Lowe’s. These would not have been as nice looking or well made. So, for $ 100.00 more we got exactly what we wanted. The last set of Hardware was on the house for 45 years and I think it’s a good investment and makes a good impression to have a good looking front door.
Bottom line is, the service was professional, friendly and helpful, the selection excellent, and the price though higher than at a Big Box Store, worth every penny. In my opinion if you’re going to change out your front door hardware invest in something better and go to a place where you get great service and selection.

OMG the choices of cabinet and door handles they have will get your head spinning. I bought about 20 different cabinetry door handles to bring home and check which is the best. They were not cheap, but ranging from $ 5 to $ 34… Yes, I picked a handle priced in the middle but it looks AWESOME. Returning the rest wasn’t hard, and they had $ 30 exact handles I needed so there was no reason to wait. Customer service was great too.