Securitron M680 Maglock for a Door You Can't Mortise

Posted by Kent on 30th Jul 2026

By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Sometimes you need to put access control on a door you cannot cut into. A frameless glass door. An aluminum storefront where the frame has no room for a strike. A historic door nobody will let you mortise. For those, you do not fight the door. You surface-mount a Securitron maglock and skip the cutting entirely.

What a maglock does that a strike cannot

An electric strike lives inside the frame and works with the door's existing latch. A maglock does not touch the latch at all. It is an electromagnet on the frame and a steel plate on the door, and when it is powered the magnet grabs the plate and holds the door shut with a thousand pounds of pull. Cut power, it releases. The whole thing bolts to the surface. No mortising, no frame prep, no touching the existing lock. That is the whole appeal: you add electronic control without altering the door.

Fail-safe by nature, and what that means for egress

A maglock is fail-safe by physics. No power, no magnet, no hold. That matters for egress and for code. When the fire alarm drops power, or the building loses power, the door releases and people get out. You never want a maglock that stays locked in a power failure, and it cannot, which is one reason they are clean on egress code when they are wired right. But that same trait means a maglock needs a reliable power supply and a proper release: a motion sensor or a request-to-exit device and a tie-in to the fire alarm so it drops on alarm. That is not optional. That is the code, and it is how the door lets people out when it counts.

From the counter: get the model with the sensors built in and save yourself a headache. The M680EBD carries BondSTAT, which tells the panel the magnet is actually holding, and DPS, a door position switch that tells you whether the door is open or closed. The M680EBDX adds REX, the request-to-exit sensor built right in, so you have the egress release you need without mounting a separate device. On a retrofit, fewer separate parts on the frame means a cleaner job and fewer things to wire wrong.

Holding force, and not over-buying it

Maglocks are rated by holding force, and 1,200 pounds is the common heavy-duty rating on a full-size lock like the M680. That is plenty for a standard commercial door. You do not need to chase a higher number for an interior office door or a normal storefront. Where you want the full grip is a main entrance or any door somebody might lean on hard. Match the force to the door. A 1,200-pound maglock on an interior door is fine, but you are not buying more security by over-spec'ing it on a door nobody is going to shoulder.

Common questions

Why a maglock instead of an electric strike?

When you cannot cut the door or frame. A maglock surface-mounts and never touches the latch, so a glass or historic door takes it without prep.

Is a maglock safe for egress?

Yes, when wired right. It is fail-safe: power loss releases it. Code requires a request-to-exit device and a fire-alarm tie-in so it drops on alarm.

What are BondSTAT, DPS, and REX?

BondSTAT confirms the magnet is holding, DPS reports door open or closed, and REX is the built-in request-to-exit release. The EBDX model has all three.

Lock Depot stocks the Securitron M680 maglock with BondSTAT, DPS, and the REX version, plus the power supplies and sensors a clean install needs, in stock. Start at the Securitron hub, or read the strike-side companion piece: Which HES Electric Strike for an Access-Controlled Metal-Frame Door. Or call 877-365-5625 and tell us the door, and whether you need the built-in exit sensor.