By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

When a panic bar wears out and the building already runs one brand of exit device, most people assume they are locked into that brand at that brand's price. On a rim device, you usually are not. The PHI Apex 2100 Series rim exit device is a Grade 1 panic bar that mounts to the same door prep and takes the same style of pull trim as a Von Duprin 98/99, at a lower number. PHI, Precision Hardware, is an ASSA ABLOY brand, and the 2100 is what I put on the door when the spec calls for a rim exit device and the budget does not stretch to the premium bar.

What the Apex 2100 is, and where it fits

The 2100 is a surface-mounted rim exit device. It bolts to the face of the door and latches into a strike on the frame, the simplest and most common exit-device type. It carries a Grade 1 ANSI rating, the commercial-durability tier, which means it is built for real traffic, not a light-commercial substitute. It fits a standard hollow-metal, wood, or aluminum door, and the SKUs we stock come prepped for the cover plate, the clean-looking flat cover over the mechanism.

The right door for a rim device is a single door, or the active leaf of a pair with a mullion, where the latch has a frame or a mullion to catch. When there is no mullion and the doors meet each other, that is a vertical-rod job, not a rim job. On the ordinary storeroom, stairwell, or exterior single door that needs code-compliant panic egress, the rim 2100 is the workhorse.

The Von Duprin question: does it drop in

This is the reason most people land on the 2100, so here is the straight answer. The Apex 2100 is engineered as a cross-reference to the Von Duprin 98/99. The door prep, the strike location, and the outside trim style line up with what a 98/99 opening already has, so on a like-for-like rim swap you are usually reusing the existing holes and the existing trim family, not re-drilling the door.

Two cautions from the counter, because "usually" is not "always":

• Confirm the trim and the prep before you pull the old bar. Measure the mounting-hole pattern and note the outside trim function on the door you are replacing. A rim-to-rim swap is clean, but a device that was drilled oddly, or a pull that was field-modified, can throw off a straight drop-in. Send us the model coming off the door and we confirm the match before it ships.
• Match fire rating to fire rating. If the door is a rated opening, you need a fire-rated exit device on it, not the non-fire-rated version. The SKUs here are the non-fire-rated 2100 for a non-rated door. Tell us the door's rating and we spec the correct fire or non-fire model.

Exit only, night latch, or keyed trim

How people get in from the outside decides the trim, and the bar underneath is the same. Pick the function to the door's job:

Exit only (EO)

No outside trim at all. The door is a pure egress door: you can always push out, and there is no way to enter from the outside except with a key on the mechanism if fitted. This is the stairwell-discharge and emergency-exit answer, and it is the cheapest trim because there is no lever or pull to buy.

Night latch (NL)

Adds an outside key cylinder and pull. A key retracts the latch so an employee can enter from outside; push the bar to exit. This is the standard back-door and side-entry function, the one most commercial exits actually want.

Keyed lever or knob trim

Adds a full outside lever whose lock is controlled by a key, for a door that reads as a normal entrance from the outside but has panic egress on the inside. Match the cylinder to your building keyway so the exit door keys alike with the rest of the system.

Finish and sizing

The 2100 comes in the standard commercial finishes. We stock 605 bright brass and 628 satin aluminum, with 626 satin chrome and the darker architectural finishes available; the 628 satin aluminum is the common match for an aluminum-and-glass storefront, and brass or chrome to match a hollow-metal opening's other hardware.

Size the bar to the door width. An exit device covers a width range and the device must fit the leaf so the push pad spans the required portion of the door for code. Give us the door width and we send the correct length; do not assume one length fits every leaf.

Common questions

Will a PHI 2100 fit a Von Duprin 98/99 door prep?

In most rim-to-rim swaps, yes. The Apex 2100 cross-references the Von Duprin 98/99 door prep, strike, and trim style, so you typically reuse the existing holes. Confirm the mounting pattern and the outside trim before removing the old device, because a field-modified opening can differ.

Is the PHI 2100 a Grade 1 device?

Yes. The 2100 carries a Grade 1 ANSI rating, the commercial-durability tier, so it is a true equivalent to a premium rim exit device on traffic and abuse, not a light-commercial stand-in.

Can I use the non-fire-rated 2100 on a fire door?

No. A fire-rated door needs a fire-rated exit device. The SKUs here are the non-fire-rated 2100 for a non-rated opening. Tell us the door's rating and we spec the correct fire-rated model.

What trim do I need to get in from outside?

Exit only for no outside entry, night latch for a key-and-pull, or a keyed lever for a door that reads as a normal entrance. The bar is the same; the trim sets how you enter.

Lock Depot stocks the PHI Apex 2100 rim exit device in exit-only, night-latch, and keyed-trim functions and the full finish range. Start at the PHI exit device hub, or if your opening is a rated hollow-metal door, compare it against Von Duprin 98/99: Exit Device for a Hollow-Metal Fire Door. Or call 877-365-5625 with the model coming off the door and the door's fire rating, and we will confirm the drop-in before it ships.