By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Start with the door, not the part number

Von Duprin has a dozen exit device families, and the catalog numbers do not tell a buyer which one belongs on the door in front of them. Three questions sort nearly every job: what is the door made of, how wide is the stile, and does anyone need to get in from the outside. Answer those and the family picks itself. This is how I run that sort at the counter.

Every device below is ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 and ships with hex key dogging as the listings describe. They differ in where they mount, how much stile they need, and whether the hand is fixed.

If the door is aluminum or glass and the stile is wide

A wide stile is the easy case. Two families fit it:

• The 35A is the wide stile rim device. The bar is non-handed and field reversible, so one part number covers either swing. Our guide to measuring the stile for a 55 or a 35A puts the cutoff at a stile of 4 inches or wider for the 35A, and says it is the wide stile version of the 33A.
• The 22EO is the exit only device for the door nobody should come back in through. Push bar from inside, no cylinder, no outside trim, per our write-up of the 22 Series. It is the one for a loading dock, a roof stair or a back corridor.

If it is a storefront entrance that needs a key from outside, that is the 35A or the 33A, and the night latch or lever version of the trim. We cover the 33A on its own in the Von Duprin 33A guide.

If the door is aluminum or glass and the stile is narrow

A narrow stile takes away most of the choices, and two families are built for it.

• The 55 is a crossbar device with a listed minimum stile of 1-3/4 inches. It is handed, left hand reverse or right hand reverse, so you have to know the swing. Warranty is 5 years.
• The 88 is a pushpad design that sits close to the door and fits stiles as narrow as 2 inches. It is also handed. Read the 88 Series guide for the exit only and night latch versions.

Both are handed. Both punish an order placed without the swing. Send a photo of the door with a tape on the stile if you are near the edge of either range.

If the door is hollow metal

A hollow metal door takes the 98 and the 99. They are mechanically identical, with a smooth case on the 98 and a grooved case on the 99. The 98EO-US32D-3 is the exit only version in satin stainless. The 99 lists as the fastest retrofit option because it mounts entirely on the inside surface of the door with no door prep. On an apartment building or a rental property where you cannot modify the door, you specify a rim device.

The trim question comes next. The 98NL and 99L families add a night latch or a classroom lever outside, and the electric versions add latch retraction. Our write-ups on the 98, 9847, 9848, 9857 and 9875 exit only devices and the 98 and 99 on a hollow metal door cover the family.

If the door is wood and nothing should show

A wood door is a different job. The WDC series are listed as Wood Door Concealed: the 9847WDC and 9947WDC use vertical rods hidden in the door, the 9850WDC uses a flexible cable. The listings describe the trade as a clean face against a harder service call.

If it is a pair of doors

A pair of doors with no mullion needs a vertical rod device, because there is no fixed jamb for a rim latch to land on. The surface vertical rod and concealed vertical rod families are the answer, and our guide to the 9927 on a pair of doors covers the surface version.

The sort in one table

• Aluminum or glass, stile 4 in. or wider: 35A, or 22EO if no one needs in from outside.
• Aluminum or glass, narrow stile: 55 (1-3/4 in. minimum) or 88 (as narrow as 2 in.). Both handed.
• Hollow metal: 98 or 99, rim mounted on the face of the door.
• Wood, concealed: 9847WDC, 9947WDC or 9850WDC.
• A pair with no mullion: vertical rod, surface or concealed.

Handing, in one place

The 55 and the 88 are handed. The 35A bar is not. The lever and some trim versions of any family carry a hand. If the catalog part number ends in LHR or RHR, the hand matters, and you read it from outside the door.

What to send us

If you are not sure which side of a line your door falls on, send four things: a photo of the whole door, a photo of the stile with a tape measure held against it, the swing as seen from outside, and what is on the door now. With those four we can name the family and the part number without a second call. It is faster than guessing and cheaper than a return.

Common questions

Which Von Duprin exit device fits a narrow aluminum stile?

The 55, with a listed minimum stile of 1-3/4 in., or the 88 pushpad, which fits stiles as narrow as 2 in.

Is the 35A handed?

The touch bar is non-handed and field reversible. The lever trim version is handed.

What is the difference between the 98 and the 99?

The case. The 98 is smooth and the 99 is grooved. They are mechanically identical.

Which device for a door that needs no outside access?

The exit only versions: 22EO, 35A-EO, 98EO and 99EO, depending on the door and stile.

Do I need a different device for a pair of doors?

Yes. A vertical rod device, because a pair has no fixed jamb for a rim latch.

The full range is on our Von Duprin page. Send a photo of the door and the stile and we will name the family.