Push/Pull vs Turn-Handle Smart Locks: What Changes Day to Day
Most smart locks look like a normal door handle with a keypad bolted on — you turn the handle, the latch retracts, the door opens. Our push/pull range works differently: a fixed bar handle that you simply push to go out and pull to come in, with no turning at all. It's a small difference on paper, but it changes how the door feels to use dozens of times a day, and it also changes what kind of door the lock can go on. Here's what actually differs between the two designs, and how to tell which one suits your door.
⭐ Key Takeaways
- A push/pull lock has a fixed bar handle — you push to go out and pull to come in, with no lever or knob to turn.
- Our long-handle SL-P1 has a 130 mm bar handle on a 353 mm panel; the short-handle SL-P2 uses the same electronics with a shorter grip for doors where a long handle would foul the frame.
- Push/pull locks fit doors that take a mortise lock, so you measure the existing mortise — read as backset then centres, like 6085 — rather than just a backset.
- Our turn-handle locks (SL-H1, SL-H2) are the simpler retrofit on a standard timber door with a normal handle hole.
- The push/pull range is IP66-rated with a published −25°C to 70°C range; the SL-H1 turn-handle lock publishes no weather rating and suits sheltered doors.
- The SL-H1 turn-handle lock and the push/pull range both offer fingerprint, code, card, TTLock app and mechanical-key entry; the push/pull range adds a remote control and a faster published fingerprint read (0.1 seconds or less, against under half a second).
What "Push/Pull" Actually Means at the Door
On a conventional smart lever lock, the handle is part of the mechanism: you unlock the lock with your finger or a code, then press the lever down to retract the latch and open the door. A push/pull lock replaces the lever with a fixed bar. There's nothing to rotate — once the lock has recognised you, you pull the bar to open the door from outside, and from inside you push the bar to go out. That's the whole movement, which is why it suits framed glass doors and full-width timber entry doors where a long vertical grip looks right.
In day-to-day use the difference is most noticeable when your hands are full. A fixed bar can be pushed with a forearm, a shoulder or a hip, and pulled with whichever fingers are free; there's no turn-and-press sequence to manage while you're also holding shopping or a child. It's not that a lever is hard to use — it isn't — but a bar handle removes one more small task from the moment of getting through the door.
| Day-to-day factor | Push/pull (SL-P1, SL-P2) | Turn handle (SL-H1, SL-H2) |
|---|---|---|
| Opening the door | Pull the fixed bar (push to exit) | Press the lever down, then open |
| What the door needs | A mortise lock case — measure the existing mortise | A standard handle hole and latch — measure the backset |
| Weather rating | IP66, −25°C to 70°C published | No IP rating published for the SL-H1 — sheltered doors |
| Typical doors | Timber, framed glass, narrow aluminium, sliding (hook bolt) | Standard hinged timber doors (SL-H1 also has narrow-stile centre options) |
💡 Did You Know?
The long-handle and short-handle versions of our push/pull lock share the same electronics — only the handle length changes. That means a framed-glass or narrow-aluminium door that can't accept a full-length bar still gets the same fingerprint reader (0.1 seconds or less, up to 100 prints), the same tempered-glass touchscreen and the same IP66 sealing as the long-handle model.
Where Push/Pull Fits — and Where It Doesn't
The thing to understand before choosing is that a push/pull lock is a mortise lock. The lock case sits inside a pocket cut into the edge of the door, so the fitting question isn't just "what's my backset" — it's "what mortise is already in this door." Our mortise options are labelled with a four-digit code that reads as backset first, then centres: 6085 means a 60mm backset with 85mm centres and is the usual fitting on 60 mm hinged timber doors, 4585 is the European fitting, and 3585 and 2885 are narrow aluminium stiles. The Long Handle Push/Pull lock (SL-P1) comes in all six; measure the mortise already in your door before ordering, and use the sizing guide if you're not sure how.
If your door has a standard cylindrical handle hole rather than a mortise, a turn-handle model is usually the simpler swap, and our backset guide walks through that measurement. Where push/pull earns its place is on doors that already take a mortise — typically framed glass and many timber entry doors — and on exposed positions, because it carries the IP66 rating.
✓ Full-length bar handle, IP66
Smart Door Lock — Long Handle Silver, IP66
130 mm bar handle on a stainless 353 mm panel — push to go out, pull to come in, six ways to unlock.
View Product →Long Handle or Short Handle?
The only difference between the two push/pull versions is the length of the grip. The long handle suits full-width timber doors and framed glass where there's room for a proper bar. The short handle exists for the doors where a long grip would collide with the frame — sliding doors, narrow aluminium stiles and tight framed glass. The electronics are identical to the long-handle model; only the handle length changes. If your door runs on a track, both versions come with two hook-bolt options (2885 and 3585), because a straight bolt has nothing to grip on a sliding door — pick a hook bolt whichever handle length you choose. We go through the handle-length choice in more detail in our upcoming guide to long versus short handles.
✓ Short handle, hook-bolt options
Smart Door Lock Black — Push/Pull Handle
The short-handle version for sliding doors, narrow aluminium stiles and framed glass — same electronics, same IP66 rating.
View Product →What Stays the Same Between the Two Designs
It's easy to overstate the difference. The SL-H1 turn-handle lock and the push/pull range all unlock with a fingerprint, a keypad code with virtual-password support, a card, the TTLock app over Bluetooth and a mechanical key (two are supplied with each), and on the models that use TTLock, remote access away from the door needs the optional G2 gateway. The push/pull range states plainly that it has no Apple Home or Matter support. If the batteries go flat, the supplied mechanical key is the backup on both designs — our guide to what happens when the batteries die covers the sequence. The choice between them is mostly about the door and the way you use it, not about what the lock can do once you're authenticated.
A Day With Each Design
Picture the same household with each lock. The morning school run with a turn-handle lock: one hand holds a bag, a finger finds the sensor, the lock beeps, and the other hand has to press the lever down while a shoulder nudges the door. It works, and after a week nobody thinks about it. With a push/pull lock the same moment is shorter: once the lock has read the print, the bar is already the thing you're holding, so you pull and go. Neither is wrong; the bar simply has one fewer step.
The evening version matters more. Arriving home with shopping, the push/pull door can be pulled open with a forearm or a wrist hooked around the bar, which is why it suits households with young children, prams or regular deliveries. Going out, the inside bar means anyone — including a guest who has never seen the lock before — can leave without learning anything. A lever is just as intuitive to leave by, but a bar removes even the question of which way to turn.
What a lever does better is feel familiar. If you're swapping an existing lever handle and the door already has a standard handle hole, the new lock sits where the old one sat, at the same height and with the same hand movement. A push/pull bar is a more visible change to the look of the door, and on a standard timber door with a cylindrical latch it may mean a different lock case altogether.
Door Thickness, Panel Size and Other Measurements
Because the SL-P1 is a long-handle design, the physical size matters before you order. The lock is 353 mm overall, with a 35 mm front panel, 23 mm at the rear and 85 mm between centres, and it fits doors 45–55 mm thick with the standard kit. Measure the thickness of your door at the edge — a thin hollow-core internal door is outside that range. The grip itself is a 130 mm bar on that 353 mm panel, so there needs to be a clear run of door face for the panel and room around the grip. The short-handle SL-P2 is also 353 mm tall on its published dimension drawing; what changes is the handle, which is the reason to choose it where a long grip would foul a frame or glass bead.
For a turn-handle model the numbers you need are different: the backset (60 mm or 70 mm on our lever locks — a standard UK 3 in latch counts as 60 mm — with the SL-H1 offering a 60–70 mm adjustable latch that covers both) and, for narrow aluminium stiles, the centres (147, 160 or 180 mm on the SL-H1). Our 60 mm versus 70 mm backset guide walks through exactly where to put the tape.
| Measure this | For push/pull | For turn handle (SL-H1) |
|---|---|---|
| The existing lock | The mortise case in the edge of the door | The handle hole and latch |
| Fit code | Backset then centres: 6085, 4585, 3585, 2885 (or hook bolt) | Backset: 60mm, 70mm or 60–70mm adjustable; centres 147/160/180mm on narrow stiles |
| Door thickness | 45–55mm with the standard kit (SL-P1 and SL-P2) | Check the product page for the model you choose |
| Clear run of door face | 353mm tall on both; the long grip needs clearance, the short handle is for tight frames | Around the handle hole only |
Choosing in Four Questions
1. What does the door already have? A mortise case points to push/pull; a standard handle hole and latch points to a turn handle. This single question settles most doors.
2. Does the door take direct rain? If so, choose the IP66-rated push/pull range — it's the weather-rated choice between these two designs. For a covered porch, a turn-handle lock on the SL-H1 is fine — its product page says to fit it to an internal door or one under an eave or roof.
3. How much room is there around the handle? A full-width timber or framed-glass door with room for the 353 mm panel and a full grip suits the long handle. Narrow aluminium stiles, sliding doors and tight frames suit the short handle.
4. Does the door slide? If it runs on a track, you need a hook bolt version, because a straight bolt has nothing to catch on.
If the answers don't line up — say, a standard handle hole on a door that takes direct rain — the honest answer is that you need to check which of those two facts matters more, and our sizing guide is the place to start. We would rather you measure twice than order the wrong mortise.
Explore the Push/Pull Range
Push/Pull & Sliding Door Smart Locks
Weather-rated bar-handle locks for timber, framed glass, narrow aluminium and sliding doors — long and short handle, silver and black.
Shop the Collection →Not sure the push/pull route is right? Our guide to lever handle versus knob covers the turn-handle retrofit, and narrow aluminium stile doors explains the centres measurement that applies to framed-glass doors. For a side-by-side view of every model, see the complete buying guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a push/pull smart lock?
A smart lock with a fixed bar handle instead of a turning lever or knob: you unlock it by fingerprint, code, card, app or key, then pull the bar to open the door from outside and push it to go out from inside.
Will a push/pull lock fit my existing door?
If your door already takes a mortise lock, usually yes — measure the existing mortise and match it to one of the six codes (6085, 4585, 3585, 2885, or the two hook-bolt versions, available on both handle lengths). If the door only has a standard handle hole, a turn-handle model is the simpler fit.
What does the code on each option mean?
It's the backset followed by the centres in millimetres. 6085 is a 60mm backset with 85mm centres, the usual fitting on 60mm hinged doors.
Is push/pull weatherproof?
The push/pull range is IP66-rated with waterproof seals supplied and a published operating range of −25°C to 70°C. The SL-H1 turn-handle lock publishes no weather rating and should go on a sheltered door.
Do I need batteries or a gateway?
Batteries aren't included — the SL-P1 and SL-P2 take four AA alkaline cells. Remote access away from the door needs a TTLock G2 gateway, which is not included and not sold by us — any TTLock G2 gateway works.
Does it work with Apple Home or Matter?
No. The push/pull range doesn't support Apple Home or Matter, and the manufacturer's product pages say so explicitly.
Key Takeaways
- Push/pull means a fixed bar handle — no turning — and it mostly changes how the door feels when your hands are full.
- It fits doors that take a mortise lock; measure the existing mortise (6085, 4585, 3585, 2885 or hook bolt), not just a backset.
- The long-handle SL-P1 and short-handle SL-P2 share the same electronics and IP66 rating; only the handle length differs.
- A standard handle hole is usually simpler with a turn-handle lock — see lever vs knob.
- Check your measurements first with the sizing guide, the backset guide and the narrow-stile guide.
- Browse the push/pull range, or compare every model in the complete buying guide.