By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

A cabinet lock that takes a Corbin Russwin core

Plenty of buildings run Corbin Russwin interchangeable cores on every door, and then the key cabinet, the supply closet and the records cabinet each have their own cheap lock with their own key on somebody's ring. Facilities people call that a key control problem, and they are right. The fix is a cabinet lock that takes the same core as the doors.

That is what the Olympus CR1125RD is. It is a surface mount door and drawer deadbolt built for the Corbin Russwin interchangeable core. Olympus's own line in the listing is that it is the only company that makes cabinet locks for that core. We have not tested that claim against every maker, so we state it as theirs. What we can tell you is that we stock three versions, and the only difference between them is the hand.

VH, RH or LH

The three parts are the same lock, built for a different door. The suffix is the door hand:

Part	Door	Finish
CR1125RD-LH-26D	Left hand door	Satin chrome, 26D
CR1125RD-RH-26D	Right hand door	Satin chrome, 26D
CR1125RD-VH-26D	Vertical hand door	Satin chrome, 26D

The listings read "for left hand door," "for right hand door" and "for vertical hand door." Hand a cabinet door the way you would hand a room door: stand outside it, look at where the hinges are, and the side you see them on names the hand. The VH is the odd one. The listing says vertical hand door and does not draw it for us. If the cabinet door does not simply swing from a side hinge, send us a photo of the door and the frame before you order.

Get the hand wrong and you do not get a lock that is broken. You get one that does not line up with the strike, and you spend the afternoon on a lock you cannot install. Check the hand, then order.

What is in the box

The listing gives a short include list: the lock, a 1125-1 spacer for 6-pin cores and a solid rectangular strike. It is a deadbolt locking mechanism, rim mounted on the surface. It accepts Corbin Russwin 6 or 7 pin interchangeable cores.

It does not say a core is included, and we read the include list as meaning it is not. Plan on supplying your own core, cut to the key system you want the cabinet on. If you are not sure, that is a call to us with the building's keyway before you order, not after.

The spacer is the detail people miss

The listing says the 1125-1 spacer is for 6-pin cores. That one line is the whole instruction, and it tells you the pin count of your system matters before you open the bag. Read it off a spare core or the keying schedule. If the system is 6-pin, the spacer goes in. If it is 7-pin, do not assume the same: the listing says the lock accepts both, and the spacer is named only for the 6-pin. Call us with the pin count and we will confirm.

The numbers you need before you drill

The listing gives a barrel diameter of 1-5/32 in. and a barrel length of 1-1/8 in. Put a tape on the door and compare the panel thickness with that barrel length before you order. The listing does not state a door thickness range, and we will not make one up.

The finish is satin chrome, 26D, on all three. If you are matching an older lock on painted steel cabinets, hold the new one against it. The listings do not show other finishes in this family.

Why a core and not a cylinder

The catalog name says removable core, and that is the point. The core is the part that holds the pins and takes the key. When it is an interchangeable core, a person with the right control key can pull it and drop in another, instead of taking the lock off the cabinet and rekeying it on a bench. A lost key to the records cabinet becomes a core swap, the same as on any door in the building. Olympus's listing calls it one-key convenience: the cabinets go onto the key system you already carry.

That is the real saving. Not the lock, which is a modest part, but the second key ring the maintenance staff stop carrying, and the cabinet that stops being the one place nobody can account for the keys.

Who should order it

Property managers and facilities departments that already run Corbin Russwin cores on their doors. Schools with a supply cabinet in every classroom. Medical offices with a medication or records cabinet. Anywhere an auditor has asked who holds the key to a cabinet and the answer is a shrug. If the building is not on Corbin Russwin cores, the match is not there and the lock is not for you.

Where it fits and where it does not

This is a deadbolt for doors and drawers on a cabinet. It is not a high-security lock for a safe or a gun cabinet. The bolt goes into a strike, which is better than a cam, but a thin steel cabinet door still bends. Put the lock on a door that can hold it.

If your building runs small format interchangeable cores rather than Corbin Russwin, this is the wrong lock, and our Olympus 725 article on matching building cores covers the SFIC version. For a cabinet deadbolt sold without a cylinder, see the Olympus 800LCM piece.

Common questions

Does the CR1125RD include the core?

The listing's include list names the spacer and the strike, not a core. Plan on supplying your own.

Which cores does it take?

Corbin Russwin interchangeable cores, 6 or 7 pin.

What does VH mean?

Vertical hand door, per the listing. LH is left hand door and RH is right hand door.

Is the finish a choice?

The three listings are all satin chrome, 26D.

Is it a deadbolt or a latch?

A deadbolt, per the listing, rim mounted on the surface of the cabinet door or drawer.

More cabinet locks are on our Olympus page, and the building system they match is on the Corbin Russwin page. Send us the key system and the door hand and we will match the lock.