Studio Timeless builds two solid brass toggle ranges, and they are not interchangeable. Knurled Toggle uses a machine-knurled lever set in the standard American rectangular cutout and runs from one to six gangs. Retro Toggle uses a smooth dolly lever in a 12 mm round cutout and stops at four gangs. The cutout is the one difference you cannot reverse after the plate is made.
In short
- Knurled Toggle: 1 to 6 gangs, rectangular American cutout, eight finishes, four insert and accent options, 4-way available on 1 to 4 gangs.
- Retro Toggle: 1 to 4 gangs, 12 mm round cutout, seven finishes, no insert option, 4-way available across the range, and the only range offering a Double lever on a single gang.
- Cost per controlled position at the time of writing: Knurled bottoms out at $57.67 on the 3-gang; Retro Toggle bottoms out at $52.00 on the 1-gang Double.
- Rotary dimming is Knurled only. A house specified entirely in Retro Toggle still receives a knurled knob wherever a circuit is dimmed.
- Both ranges are integrated monobloc units: plate and mechanism ship as one piece, and every gang takes two screws.
Studio Timeless sells both ranges from the same brass light switch collection, which is why the question comes up on almost every whole-house order. What follows is the decision as our own order desk makes it.
What the two range names actually describe
The names describe the lever, not the plate. Knurled refers to the fine diamond pattern machined into the toggle itself, a grip texture borrowed from instrument dials and camera barrels. Retro Toggle refers to a smooth, slightly domed dolly lever with no texture at all, closer to the mid-century American toggle and to the British dolly switch.
Both plates are solid brass, both are hand-brushed in the same workshop, and both carry the same two-screw-per-gang fixing. Someone standing across a room will read them as the same family. Someone standing at arm's length will see that one lever is textured and the other is not, and that the openings behind them are shaped differently.
The two ranges side by side
| Specification | Knurled Toggle | Retro Toggle |
|---|---|---|
| Lever | Machine-knurled, textured grip | Smooth domed dolly, no texture |
| Plate opening | Standard American rectangular cutout | Round, 12 mm |
| Gang range | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Finishes | 8 | 7 |
| Hammered Brass | Available | Not available |
| Insert and accent options | Black, White, Brass, Stainless (Ivory on 5-gang) | None |
| Double lever on one gang | No | Yes, 1-gang only |
| 4-way wiring | 1 to 4 gangs | 1 to 4 gangs |
| Rotary dimmer in the same lever style | Yes, knurled knob | No |
| Screws | 2 per gang | 2 per gang |
| Starting price, 24 September 2026 | $84.00 (1-gang) | $92.00 (1-gang single) |
Prices and option lists above were read from the live catalogue on 24 September 2026. Treat them as a snapshot; the product pages are the record.
The lever: knurled grip versus smooth dolly
Knurling changes how the switch feels, not how it works. The textured lever gives a positive purchase under a dry finger, a wet finger or a knuckle, which matters more than it sounds in a kitchen or a mudroom. The smooth Retro dolly is wider across its face and is easier to knock with the back of a hand or an elbow, which is why it reads as the more forgiving switch in a hallway with full arms.
Both use the same mechanical action: a firm over-centre snap with an audible click, not the soft, muted travel of a modern rocker. If you are still deciding between a lever and a paddle at all, that comparison is covered in toggle versus rocker light switches.
Visually, the knurled lever holds a highlight along its ridges and picks up raking light. The smooth dolly reflects as a single soft curve. In a room with strong side light, the knurled version looks busier and more mechanical; the Retro version looks quieter. Neither is more period-correct than the other in any strict sense, but the smooth dolly is the closer match to American toggles of the 1930s to 1950s.
The cutout is the decision you cannot undo
A Retro Toggle plate carries a round 12 mm opening, and a Knurled plate carries the standard American rectangular cutout. These are machined into the brass before finishing. There is no field conversion, no adapter and no insert that turns one into the other. If a plate arrives with the wrong opening, the plate is wrong, not adjustable.
The same rule governs dimmers: a rotary dimmer opening is a circular bore sized for the knob shaft, and it does not convert to a toggle opening either. On a multi-gang plate, every position is cut at manufacture in the order you specify, left to right as you face the wall. Getting that sequence right is the single most useful thing you can do before ordering, and it is covered in detail in our guide to brass switch plates, sizing and gangs.
Practical consequence: pick the range before you pick anything else. Finish, insert colour and wiring mode can all be changed by swapping a unit later. The opening cannot.
Gang counts: where each range stops
Knurled runs to six gangs; Retro Toggle stops at four. If you have a five- or six-position wall box, the Knurled range is the only toggle answer in the catalogue, and the 5-gang and 6-gang units are listed at $300.00 and $363.00 respectively.
| Gangs | Knurled Toggle | Retro Toggle | Screws on the plate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $84.00 | $92.00 single / $104.00 double | 2 |
| 2 | $126.00 | $142.00 | 4 |
| 3 | $173.00 | $197.00 | 6 |
| 4 | $237.00 | $269.00 | 8 |
| 5 | $300.00 | Not available | 10 |
| 6 | $363.00 | Not available | 12 |
Note the screw column. Two screws per gang, not two per plate. A 5-gang plate carries ten. This trips up more orders than any other single detail, because people count the screws they can see in a photograph of a 1-gang and assume the number is fixed. If you are short, the brass screws and extensions collection carries matched 1.5 inch screws and extensions for deep or recessed boxes.
Wiring: single-pole, 3-way and 4-way
Both ranges ship in a universal single-pole / 3-way configuration, with a separate 4-way build available on one to four gangs. The universal mechanism is the default: wire it with two conductors and it behaves as single-pole, wire it with three and it behaves as a 3-way. You do not choose between them at checkout.
The 4-way build is a different mechanism and must be selected at the time of order. It is the middle switch in a three-location circuit, the one between the two 3-ways. One gotcha worth knowing: the Knurled 5-gang is offered in the universal single-pole / 3-way configuration only. If a five-position wall needs a 4-way in it, that position has to be handled differently, and our order desk will say so before the plate is cut.
If the vocabulary is unfamiliar, the full explanation lives in how to wire a light switch, which covers single-pole, 3-way and 4-way with terminal-by-terminal detail. For anything involving a specific fixture or driver, the installation and compatibility page is the authority, and Studio Timeless does not confirm a wiring compatibility without written confirmation from the manufacturer.
A note from our own service desk on 4-way modules
Our 4-way toggle module is built on a six-terminal body of which four are used, with the numbers moulded into the base beside each screw. Terminal 2 is the common of one section and terminal 5 is the common of the other. Because the module can be mounted either way round behind the plate, we always tell electricians to read the moulded numbers and never to go by position. The failure we see is not a short circuit; it is a switch that only works in one position, which happens when the two conductors of a single cable get split across the two sections instead of being kept together.
The Double Retro Toggle and its shared feed
The Retro Toggle range offers a Double lever option on the 1-gang only, at $104.00 against $92.00 for the single. It puts two levers side by side inside a single-gang plate, which is how you get two controlled circuits out of a wall box that only has room for one gang.
There is one hard limit. The Double Retro Toggle shares a common feed across both levers. It can switch two separate loads, but both loads are fed from the same incoming hot. You cannot use it to control two circuits on different phases or on different breakers. Every installer who has tried has come back to us with the same question, so it is worth stating plainly before you specify it in a panel schedule.
There is no Double option in the Knurled range and none on the 2-gang, 3-gang or 4-gang Retro Toggle. If you need two independent circuits, you need two gangs.
Finishes, inserts and accents
Knurled offers eight finishes and Retro Toggle offers seven; the difference is Hammered Brass. Both ranges carry Antique Brass (hand-brushed), Aged Bronze (hand-brushed), Unlacquered Antique Brass (hand-brushed), Satin Brass, Stainless Steel, Matte Black and White. Hammered Brass, with its planished surface, exists in the Knurled range only.
Unlacquered Antique Brass deserves its own warning in any specification. It is made to order, carries a longer lead time, and is not returnable, because it begins changing the moment it leaves the workshop. It is identical to the lacquered Antique Brass on day one and diverges from there. What actually happens to it, month by month, is documented in unlacquered brass switches and outlets. Specify it deliberately or not at all.
Inserts are a Knurled-only variable. The Knurled toggle carries an Accent Style option with Black Insert, White Insert, Brass Accents and Stainless Accents, and the 5-gang adds an Ivory Insert. This is the small rectangle of material visible around the lever, and on a wall of five or six gangs it is a surprisingly large share of what you see. Retro Toggle has no insert option: the round opening is brass to brass.
| Finish | Knurled | Retro Toggle | Stock or made to order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antique Brass (hand-brushed) | Yes | Yes | Lacquered, stock |
| Aged Bronze (hand-brushed) | Yes | Yes | Lacquered, stock |
| Satin Brass | Yes | Yes | Lacquered, stock |
| Matte Black | Yes | Yes | Lacquered, stock |
| White | Yes | Yes | Lacquered, stock |
| Stainless Steel | Yes | Yes | Stock |
| Hammered Brass | Yes | No | Lacquered, stock |
| Unlacquered Antique Brass | Yes | Yes | Made to order, longer lead time, not returnable |
Brass itself is a copper-zinc alloy, and the way it dulls, darkens and eventually stabilises is a property of the metal rather than of any one manufacturer. The Copper Development Association publishes the underlying metallurgy if you want the chemistry behind the colour change.
What each range costs per controlled position
Measured per switched circuit rather than per unit, the two ranges cross over. This is the number that matters on a whole-house specification, and it is not the number on the product page.
| Unit | Positions controlled | Price | Cost per position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retro Toggle 1-gang Double | 2 | $104.00 | $52.00 |
| Knurled 3-gang | 3 | $173.00 | $57.67 |
| Knurled 4-gang | 4 | $237.00 | $59.25 |
| Knurled 5-gang | 5 | $300.00 | $60.00 |
| Knurled 6-gang | 6 | $363.00 | $60.50 |
| Knurled 2-gang | 2 | $126.00 | $63.00 |
| Retro Toggle 3-gang | 3 | $197.00 | $65.67 |
| Retro Toggle 4-gang | 4 | $269.00 | $67.25 |
| Retro Toggle 2-gang | 2 | $142.00 | $71.00 |
| Knurled 1-gang | 1 | $84.00 | $84.00 |
| Retro Toggle 1-gang single | 1 | $92.00 | $92.00 |
Two readings come out of this. First, single-gang switches are the expensive way to buy positions in either range, which is an argument for consolidating circuits into fewer, wider boxes when the walls are still open. Second, the Retro Toggle premium over Knurled is roughly 8 to 13 percent at matched gang counts, except at the 1-gang Double, where Retro Toggle is the cheapest position in the entire toggle catalogue.
Dimming: why a Retro Toggle house still needs a knurled knob
There is no Retro Toggle dimmer. Rotary dimming exists only with the knurled knob, across 1-gang through 6-gang units at $150.00 to $699.00, and in low-voltage 0-10V and 12-24V PWM controllers.
So a house specified in Retro Toggle will show a knurled knob wherever a circuit is dimmed, unless every dimmed circuit is grouped onto its own plate. On a mixed plate, such as the 2-gang dimmer and toggle combination, you get a knurled knob next to a toggle in the same brass. Many people like the contrast. Some do not, and for them the answer is to keep dimmers on their own plates.
Three electrical rules follow you into that decision, and they are not negotiable. Only one TRIAC dimmer per circuit; the second position on a plate must be a toggle, and a 3-way toggle if the circuit is switched from two places. 0-10V dimmers never break the 120V line and always require a separate switch to do so. And a ceiling fan motor never goes on a lighting dimmer, which is what the dedicated fan speed controls exist for. The full behaviour of these dimmers, including minimum loads and flicker, is in brass rotary dimmer switches.
Certification: CE, ETL and what an inspector expects
The Retro Toggle module carries CE marking, not ETL or UL listing. We state this in public because it is the kind of detail that stops a project on inspection day, and because the honest answer is more useful than a vague one.
CE marking is a European conformity declaration, a manufacturer's self-declaration against European directives. It is not the same thing as a North American listing from a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory. UL Solutions and Intertek's ETL mark are the two you will most often see an American inspector look for on a wiring device.
What this means in practice depends entirely on your jurisdiction and your authority having jurisdiction. In a permitted renovation with an inspection, ask the inspector before you order, not after the walls close. In work that is not permitted or inspected, it is your own risk assessment. We will not tell you a product carries a listing it does not carry, and we would rather lose the order than have you fail an inspection. The same reasoning is laid out at more length in our comparison of solid brass switch brands. The National Electrical Code, NFPA 70 is the baseline your local code amends.
Mixing the two ranges in one house
Mixing works when the split follows a boundary a visitor can read, and fails when it looks accidental. The splits that hold up, from projects we have shipped:
- By floor. Retro Toggle on a restored upper floor, Knurled in a modernised basement or garage level.
- By wing. Original house in Retro Toggle, new addition in Knurled, with the change happening at the threshold.
- By function. Retro Toggle everywhere a guest walks, Knurled in utility, laundry and mechanical spaces where grip matters more than period accuracy.
The split that does not hold up is mixing within a single sightline, particularly two plates on the same wall or on either side of a doorway. Keep the finish constant across the boundary and only the lever changes; change both and the house reads as two houses.
Room by room: a specification grid
This is the grid our order desk works from when someone sends a floor plan and asks us to choose. It is a starting point, not a rule.
| Room | Suggested range | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Entry and hallway | Retro Toggle | Wide dolly is easy to hit with full hands; period-correct in an older house |
| Living room | Either, dimmer likely | If any circuit dims, the knurled knob appears regardless |
| Kitchen | Knurled | Textured grip under a wet or greasy finger; often 4, 5 or 6 gangs |
| Primary bedroom | Retro Toggle 1-gang Double | Two circuits from one gang at the lowest cost per position |
| Bathroom | Knurled | Grip when hands are wet |
| Stair, top and bottom | Either, 3-way both ends | Universal single-pole / 3-way covers it without a special order |
| Stair with a mid-landing switch | Either, 4-way at the middle | 4-way must be selected at order; not available on the Knurled 5-gang |
| Laundry and utility | Knurled | Grip, durability, no period constraint |
| Five or six position wall | Knurled | Retro Toggle stops at four gangs |
Five ordering mistakes we see every week
- Counting screws per plate instead of per gang. A 4-gang takes eight screws, a 6-gang takes twelve.
- Assuming plate and mechanism are bought separately. They are not. These are integrated monobloc units; there is no separate device to buy and no separate cover plate. The American convention does not apply here.
- Ordering a 4-way as an afterthought. It is a distinct build. Adding one after the plate is cut means a new plate.
- Specifying Unlacquered without reading what it does. Made to order, longer lead time, not returnable, and it starts changing immediately.
- Planning the gang sequence from the panel schedule instead of from the wall. Cutouts are machined left to right as you face the plate. Draw the wall, not the circuit list.
If a lever wears or a mechanism fails years from now, the plate stays on the wall: the replacement parts collection carries a knurled toggle module and dimmer modules on their own. That is part of why these are worth specifying in the first place. Trade specifiers working across multiple projects can apply through the trade program, and the return policy sets out what can and cannot be sent back.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between knurled and retro toggle switches?
The lever and the plate opening. Knurled uses a textured, machine-knurled lever in a standard American rectangular cutout. Retro Toggle uses a smooth domed dolly lever in a round 12 mm cutout. Everything else, including the solid brass construction, the finishes and the two-screws-per-gang fixing, is shared.
Can I put a Retro Toggle lever on a Knurled plate?
No. The openings are different shapes and are machined before finishing. There is no adapter and no field conversion.
Do Studio Timeless switches come with the wall plate?
Yes. Both ranges are integrated monobloc units. The plate and the mechanism ship as one piece. You do not buy a device and a cover plate separately, which is the opposite of the usual American convention.
How many gangs does each range go up to?
Knurled Toggle goes to six gangs. Retro Toggle stops at four. For a five- or six-position wall box, Knurled is the only toggle option.
How many screws does a multi-gang brass switch plate use?
Two per gang. A 1-gang takes two, a 3-gang takes six, a 5-gang takes ten and a 6-gang takes twelve.
Is there a Retro Toggle dimmer?
No. Rotary dimming exists only with the knurled knob. A house specified in Retro Toggle will show a knurled knob on any dimmed circuit, unless dimmed circuits are grouped onto separate plates.
What is the Double Retro Toggle, and what can it not do?
It is a 1-gang unit with two levers, priced at $104.00. It switches two separate loads but shares one common incoming feed, so it cannot control two circuits on different phases or different breakers.
Which finishes are available in both ranges?
Antique Brass, Aged Bronze, Unlacquered Antique Brass, Satin Brass, Stainless Steel, Matte Black and White are in both. Hammered Brass is Knurled only.
Are these switches UL listed?
The Retro Toggle module carries CE marking rather than a UL or ETL listing. Check with your authority having jurisdiction before ordering for permitted, inspected work.
Can I order a 4-way switch in either range?
Yes, on one to four gangs in both ranges. It must be selected at the time of order because it is a different mechanism. The Knurled 5-gang is offered in the universal single-pole / 3-way configuration only.
Which range is cheaper?
Knurled is cheaper at every matched gang count, by roughly 8 to 13 percent. The exception is the Retro Toggle 1-gang Double, which at $52.00 per controlled position is the least expensive way to buy a switched position in the whole toggle catalogue.
Can I mix both ranges in the same house?
Yes, if the split follows a boundary someone can read, such as a floor, a wing or a change from living space to utility space. Avoid mixing within a single sightline, and keep the finish constant across the boundary.
Still deciding? The full range sits in switches and outlets, with plates on their own in wall plates and outlet covers and brass toggle switch plates. Send a floor plan and our order desk will mark it up before anything is cut.
Last updated: September 24, 2026
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