By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Not every exit device needs to be the flagship

A property manager renovating a multifamily lobby. A GC finishing out a retail unit with a single mullion door. A hospitality job with a dozen identical back-of-house doors to hardware. None of them need a fire-rated, top-of-the-line panic bar on every opening, and pricing every door like it's a hospital corridor burns budget that should go somewhere else. PHI builds the 5000 Series Reliant for exactly this job.

What the Reliant line actually is

The PHI 5101 is a non-fire-rated rim exit device, UL listed for panic hardware and certified to ANSI A156.3 Grade 1, with a stainless steel chassis. Check the existing door prep against the part before you order. It's non-handed, sized for a 36" door (2'-7" to 3' width), and it ships prepped for exit only with a cover plate, cylinder and trim not included. The latchbolt is stainless steel, deadlocking, with a 3/4" throw, and it comes with the S300 strike in the box. Dogging is standard 1/4"-turn hex key, and the touchbar sits at 40-5/16" from the floor, matching standard commercial mounting height.

Where it earns its keep

PHI markets this one for retail, hospitality, mixed-use, multifamily, and commercial office spaces, and that's exactly where I'd spec it. It's not fire rated, so it's not going on a stairwell or a corridor door tied to a fire separation. But for a plain single or double mullion door that just needs to meet exit code without breaking the hardware budget, it does the job. Compare that to PHI's Apex 2100, which is built as a Von Duprin-compatible cross-reference for jobs matching existing hardware. If you're not chasing a specific compatibility requirement, the Reliant costs less and covers the same basic exit-code job.

What you still need to order separately

Cylinder and trim aren't included, which trips up first-time buyers who expect a complete kit out of the box. Order a rim cylinder separately to match the building's keyway, and if the door needs outside trim for entry from the exterior, that's a separate line item too. Budget for it before you quote the job, not after the device shows up and the customer's asking why there's no way in from outside.

Finish is a real decision here too, not just a color pick. We stock it in Aluminum and Dark Bronze Powder Coat, and on a multifamily or hospitality job the finish usually has to match existing storefront hardware down the hall. Confirm it against what's already on the building before you order, especially on a phased renovation where doors get replaced a few at a time.

Handing, dogging, and the parts nobody reads the spec sheet for

Being non-handed sounds like a small thing until you're stocking a truck for a dozen identical doors and don't want to carry left-hand and right-hand versions of the same part. One SKU covers both, which is exactly why a budget exit device line gets specified in bulk on a multifamily job. The 1/4"-turn hex key dogging is standard, not an upcharge option, so if the property manager wants the door held open during move-in weekends or a leasing event, that function is already built in. Just remember it's not fire rated, so dogging it open on a non-rated door is fine. Don't get in the habit of dogging exit devices open as a default on every opening across a property without checking whether one of those doors is tied into a rated corridor.

The touchbar height, 40-5/16" from the floor, matches the mounting height most commercial jobs already build to, so it lines up with adjacent doors on the same corridor without a custom template. Small thing, but it's the kind of detail that keeps a multi-door install looking uniform instead of like it was hardwared by three different crews.

Prepped for cover plate, and what that actually means

The device ships prepped for exit only with a cover plate over the trim prep, not a hole waiting for hardware that isn't included. That's a deliberate choice, not a missing part. If the door later needs outside trim added, an installer removes the cover plate and adds it then, instead of the factory guessing at a trim spec that might not match what the job actually needs. On a lot of these jobs, exit-only is the whole requirement anyway, back doors, stairwell exits, service doors that only need to let people out, and the cover plate option keeps the base price down for exactly that use case.

What we stock

We carry the 5101 Reliant in Aluminum and Dark Bronze Powder Coat on our PHI hub. If the job calls for matching existing Von Duprin hardware instead, our piece on the Apex 2100 covers that line separately.

Common questions

Is the PHI 5000 Reliant fire rated?

No. It's UL listed for panic hardware, not fire hardware. For a labeled fire door, you need a different PHI series built to that rating.

Does it come with a cylinder?

No. Cylinder and trim aren't included. Order a rim cylinder separately to match the building's keyway, and outside trim if the door needs exterior entry.

What door width does it fit?

It's sized for a standard 36" door, 2'-7" to 3' in width.

What's the difference between the Reliant and the Apex 2100?

The Apex 2100 is built as a direct cross-reference for jobs matching existing Von Duprin hardware. The Reliant is PHI's value line for a standard opening with no specific compatibility requirement.

What strike does it come with?

The S300 surface strike ships in the box.