By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Not every commercial door needs a mortise lock. A mortise body is the right call on a high-abuse corridor, but it also means routing a deep pocket into the door edge, and on a lot of openings that is more lock and more prep than the door will ever need. For the standard office building door, the interior room, the tenant suite, the workhorse is a Grade 1 cylindrical lever. The Sargent 10 Line is that lock, and the one decision that trips people up is the function: storeroom or office. Get it wrong and the door either locks people out who should get in, or fails to secure when it should.

Cylindrical vs mortise, in one paragraph

A cylindrical lock, also called a bored lock, drops into two round holes: a 2-1/8 inch cross-bore through the face and a 1 inch bore in the edge, the standard 161 door prep. A mortise lock needs a rectangular pocket cut into the door edge to take a full lock body. Both come in Grade 1. The mortise gives you more function options and a heavier body for a door that gets beaten on daily. The cylindrical is faster and cheaper to install, fits the prep most commercial doors already have, and in Grade 1 it holds up fine on normal traffic. The 10 Line is Sargent's Grade 1 cylindrical. On a standard office door, spec it and save the mortise budget for the doors that actually need it.

Storeroom vs office, the whole decision

This is the part to slow down on. The function code sits right in the SKU, and the two you will reach for most are 04 and 05:

• 10G04, storeroom. The outside lever is always locked. You need a key every time to get in. The inside lever always retracts the latch so anyone inside can leave freely. There is no way to leave it unlocked from the lever. The 10G04 storeroom function is the right lock for a supply room, an IT closet, an electrical room, a stockroom, anything that should default to secure and only opens with a key.
• 10G05, office/entry. The outside lever can be locked or unlocked by a key or a thumbturn/pushbutton, and it holds that state. Unlock it in the morning and the door is on passage all day; lock it at night and it stays locked. The 10G05 office function is for a room people go in and out of during the day and secure at close, an office, a conference room, a tenant entry.

The tell is simple. If the door should never be unlocked from the lever, storeroom. If the door should be unlocked during business hours and locked after, office. I have seen storeroom locks put on office doors and the staff end up propping them with a wedge all day because they are tired of keying in, which defeats the lock entirely. Match the function to how the room is actually used, not to what sounds more secure.

Lever and finish

The GL in these SKUs is the lever and rose style (the L lever on the G rose), a clean commercial lever that meets ADA for operation without a tight grip. Sargent offers other lever designs; the L is the safe, common choice. Finish rides on the end: 26D satin chrome is the standard commercial finish and wears well, with 10 and 10B bronze options and 03 bright brass where the trim calls for it. Match the lever finish to the closer, hinges, and any exit device already on the opening so the door reads as one set.

Common questions

Is a cylindrical lock as good as a mortise?

For normal commercial traffic, a Grade 1 cylindrical like the 10 Line is plenty and installs into the standard bored prep. A mortise earns its cost on high-abuse doors and where you need functions cylindrical does not offer. Match the lock to the door's real duty.

What is the difference between storeroom and office function?

Storeroom (10G04) is always locked outside and needs a key every time. Office (10G05) can be left unlocked during the day and locked at night, and it holds that state. Storeroom for secure rooms, office for rooms used through the day.

Are these handed?

Yes. Give us the door's hand when you order. A cylindrical lever has to match the door's swing.

Can they be keyed to our existing system?

Yes, tell us the keyway and the master system and we key them to match so they drop into your existing keys.

Lock Depot stocks the Sargent 10 Line in storeroom, office, and the other common commercial functions, keyed to your system. Start at the Sargent hub, or if your door is a high-abuse corridor that wants a mortise body instead, read Sargent 8200 Mortise Lock: Which Function for a School Corridor. Or call 877-365-5625 with the function, the hand, and your keying, and we will build the locks to match the opening.