It needs at least 4-3/4 inches (120mm) of stile to mount. That covers most narrow stile aluminum storefront doors, but measure the lock stile first. If your stile is under 4-3/4 inches, this device will not land properly and you need a different mounting approach.

No. The 3700 Series devices are non-handed or reversible, so one device covers a left or right hand opening. That makes it easier to stock a single unit for a building with doors swinging both ways.

Less bottom rod (LBR) is offered on the EF3727. Pick it when the floor is carpeted, uneven, or you want to avoid a bottom strike in the threshold, which also cuts down on the most common service call on vertical rod devices. Keep the bottom rod when you want two-point latching at head and sill for a tighter, more secure closure. Both options come in 630 satin stainless and 695 Duro.

No. A surface vertical rod device latches into the head frame and, with the bottom rod, into the threshold, so each leaf secures itself and the pair can stay clear in the middle. A rim device on a pair would require a removable mullion. That open middle is the main reason people choose vertical rod on double doors.

Several common narrow stile surface vertical rod devices are recorded as non-fire-rated: the Corbin Russwin ED4400, the Falcon 19-V-EO, the Von Duprin 3327A, and the Adams Rite 8200 Series. If the opening is in a fire rated wall assembly, those are the wrong pick and the TownSteel EF3727, which is fire rated, is the like-for-like narrow stile option.

On a non-rated opening you have more choices. The Von Duprin 3327A is a Grade 1 narrow stile surface vertical rod device with a grooved case for 36 inch doors at 1-3/4 inch thickness, the Von Duprin 7527 is a Grade 1 narrow stile 3 ft device, and the Corbin Russwin ED4400 is a Grade 1 narrow stile device that accepts trim. The Falcon 19-V-EO is a Grade 1 narrow stile exit only device. None of those are fire rated, so if the door is in a rated assembly the EF3727, which is fire rated and Grade 1, is the one that suits.

The TownSteel EF3727 is a fire rated ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 narrow stile surface vertical rod exit device with a 4-3/4 inch minimum stile width. For another fire rated surface vertical rod device, the Arrow S1150 is fire rated and listed for narrow or wide stile applications on 1-3/4 inch doors, supplied as device only, less trim. The Adams Rite 3100 Series is also fire rated and Grade 1, but it is a wide stile device for 1-3/4 inch doors, so it needs a stile wide enough to take the wider case.

The model numbers are similar but the devices are not interchangeable. The Sargent 3727 is a Grade 1, 30 Series exit only surface vertical rod device with a standard push bar in a wide stile design. The TownSteel EF3727 is a narrow stile device with a 4-3/4 inch minimum stile width and is fire rated. If you are matching an existing Sargent wide stile installation, the Sargent 2727, a Grade 1 fire rated reversible wide stile device, stays in that family.

The TownSteel EF3727 is non-handed, reversible, and wood door compatible, and it is fire rated Grade 1. Among comparable non-handed devices, the Von Duprin 2227 is a Grade 1 wide stile non-handed device for 36 inch doors at 1-3/4 inch, and the Orca OED56 is a non-handed standard duty exit only device supplied less bottom rod in aluminum. The Von Duprin 7527 and 7827 are not wood door compatible, so those are ruled out on a wood leaf.

The EF3727 is listed as wood door compatible, so it is not limited to aluminum storefront. Worth noting because some narrow stile vertical rod devices are not: the Von Duprin 7527 and 7827, for instance, are recorded as not wood door compatible.

It meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the guidelines of the Buy American Act, which is what usually gets asked on federal, school, and municipal specs. It is also ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 certified for heavy commercial traffic.

It is built for commercial use and certified Grade 1 to ANSI/BHMA A156.3, the highest durability tier for exit devices. The latching mechanism is a high shock-resistant design, and internal components are electro-plated steel and corrosion-resistant alloy, which matters on exterior openings exposed to weather.

The EF3727 is certified ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 and UL/cUL listed to UL 305. If the opening does not call for Grade 1, the Dexter ED2000 Series is a Grade 2 surface vertical rod panic device and the Design Hardware 2000V is a standard duty surface vertical rod device. Both are non-rated, so neither belongs on a fire rated opening where the EF3727 applies.

If the opening needs lever or pull trim on the outside, the Corbin Russwin ED4400 is a Grade 1 narrow stile device that accepts trim and the ED7400 is a Grade 1 narrow stile crossbar device that accepts operator trim; the ED5400 is the wide stile version that also accepts trim. Devices listed as exit only, such as the Falcon 24-V-EO and the Arrow S1150 device only less trim, are pushed from the inside with no outside operation.

No. The Sargent 12-8710 is a fire rated Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod device with a dummy function, meaning the push bar does not latch or unlatch anything - it is used on the inactive leaf or for appearance matching. The TownSteel EF3727 is an operating fire rated Grade 1 narrow stile device. They would only pair on the same opening, not replace one another.

Two: 630 satin stainless steel and 695 Duro (a dark bronze-tone painted finish). 630 is the usual match for existing stainless storefront and institutional hardware; 695 blends with dark anodized aluminum frames.