The aluminum-and-glass front door on a strip-mall unit is its own animal. Narrow stile, no room for a wide-case device, and a mullion or a pair to think about. Put a full-size 98/99 on it and the case hangs off the stile with nowhere to land. What that door wants is the Von Duprin 33A, the low-profile rim device built for exactly this glass-and-aluminum opening.

Why the 33A and not the 98/99

The 98/99 is the heavyweight for hollow-metal and wood doors. The 33A is the aluminum-storefront answer: a slimmer case that sits clean on a narrow aluminum stile, still a real Grade 1 rim panic device underneath. Same job, right body for the door. If your storefront glass door is binding or the old bar is shot, this is the replacement, not a full-size device that won't sit flat.

One thing to settle before you order: fire label or not. The 33A is the non-rated series. Most glass storefront entrances are not fire-rated, so the 33A fits the majority of them. If the door does carry a fire label, you are into the 98/99 fire-rated line with the -F suffix instead, and that is a different order. Check the frame for a label before anything else.

EO, and what "exit only" means on a storefront

The 33A-EO is exit only. Push the bar, you are out. Nothing on the outside. For a storefront that means the customer pushes out through this door and gets back in through the main entrance, or staff let them in. If you need people to key in from the sidewalk, you want night-latch trim instead, and you order it that way from the start. Retrofitting outside trim onto an EO later means a new tailpiece and a cylinder and the prep to match. Order the function you actually need on day one.

Finish: satin chrome or clear aluminum

Two finishes cover almost every storefront. US26D satin chrome is the workhorse. US28 clear anodized aluminum matches the mill-finish aluminum framing most storefronts already wear, so the device disappears into the door instead of standing out. The 33A-EO in US28 is the one to grab if your frame is that common brushed-aluminum look. Match the frame, not the glass.

Single door, pair, or mullion

A single storefront door in a frame takes one rim device and you are done. A pair is where it gets involved. Two leaves with no post between them need a removable mullion to give the rim devices something to latch against, or you step up to vertical-rod devices that latch top and bottom. More parts, more measuring, more ways to order wrong. If you are looking at a pair, call and describe it before you buy. That is not a sales line. It is the difference between one box showing up and three.

Common questions

Will a 98 or 99 fit my glass storefront door?

Usually not well. Those are built for hollow-metal and wood. The 33A is the narrower device made for aluminum storefront stiles.

Do I need the fire-rated version?

Only if the door has a fire label. The 33A is the non-rated series and fits most storefronts. A labeled door needs the 98/99 -F line instead.

Can customers get back in through this door?

Not with EO. Exit only is push-to-exit, nothing outside. If you need keyed entry from the street, order night-latch trim up front.

What finish for a standard aluminum storefront?

US28 clear anodized to match the frame, or US26D satin chrome if you want it to read as hardware. Same device underneath.

Lock Depot stocks the Von Duprin 33A in EO, both common finishes and both door lengths, plus the trims and mullions a pair needs. Start at the Von Duprin hub, or read the buying walkthrough first: Where to Buy Von Duprin Exit Devices Online. Or call 877-365-5625 and tell us: single or pair, fire label or not, keyed entry or exit only. Three answers and we read you the model number.