Yes. The EF9727 is fire rated and UL/cUL Listed under UL 305, and it is ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 certified. Note that on a fire door you cannot use mechanical dogging, and the bottom rod normally has to stay in place unless the device is specifically built as a fire-rated less-bottom-rod assembly.

Ordering the EF9727 with Less Bottom Rod (LBR) deletes the lower rod and bottom latch, so the door latches only at the head. Buyers pick it where the floor strike would be a trip hazard, where carpet or an uneven threshold fouls the bottom latch, or where housekeeping carts drag through. Both configurations are offered, LBR and with the bottom rod, in all three finishes.

Yes on both. The 9700 Series meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the guidelines of the Buy American Act, and it carries ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 certification with UL/cUL listing to UL 305. That combination is what most public agency and institutional specs are asking for on an exit device.

For a non-rated opening, the Von Duprin 2227-3FT is a Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod device for 36 inch doors, non-handed, for 1-3/4 inch thickness. The Falcon 20 Series 36 inch and the Corbin Russwin ED5400 are also Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod devices listed as non fire rated, both for 1-3/4 inch doors. The EF9727 carries a fire rating and is UL/cUL listed to UL 305, so it is the one to keep where the door is rated.

The Sargent 2727 is the nearest match: it is a Grade 1 fire rated wide stile surface vertical rod exit device with a reversible design, the same way the EF9727 is a Grade 1 fire rated wide stile device with non-handed, reversible construction. The Adams Rite 3100 Series is another fire rated Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod option, sized for a 30 inch door and fitting 1-3/4 inch doors.

No handing to specify. All 9700 Series devices are non-handed or reversible, so one device covers a left or right hand opening. That also makes it easier to stock a single spare for a building with doors swinging both ways.

A surface vertical rod device like the TownSteel EF9727 latches into the frame head (and the floor, unless ordered less bottom rod), so a pair of doors can be secured with no center mullion and you keep the full clear opening for moving equipment. Rim devices need a mullion between the leaves, which is cheaper and simpler to maintain but blocks the middle of the opening. If the opening exists so wide loads can pass through, vertical rod is the choice.

It is classified heavy duty and commercial, with a shock-resistant latching mechanism and internal components in electro-plated steel or corrosion-resistant alloy. Grade 1 is the top ANSI/BHMA durability tier for exit devices, which is what you want on a main entrance, stairwell, or school corridor rather than a Grade 2 device like the Dexter ED2000 Series.

The EF9727 is a heavy duty ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 device. Lighter options include the Dexter ED2000 Series, a Grade 2 surface vertical rod panic device that is not fire rated, and the Design Hardware 2000V 33 inch, a standard duty surface vertical rod device, also not fire rated. Both step below the EF9727 in rating and neither suits a fire rated opening.

No. The Sargent 12-8710 is a Grade 1 fire rated wide stile surface vertical rod device with a dummy function, meaning it does not latch or release as an operating exit device. The TownSteel EF9727 is a working Grade 1 fire rated exit device with a shock-resistant latching mechanism. Use the 12-8710 only on the inactive or pull side where a matching appearance is wanted.

The EF9727 is listed as wood door compatible. Among the alternatives, the Von Duprin 7527-3ft and 7827-3ft are both listed as not wood door compatible, so on a wood fire door the TownSteel is the one that applies of those three.

The EF9727 can be ordered with or without the bottom rod in 622 flat black, 630 satin stainless steel, and 695 Duro. The Orca Hardware OED56 Series 36 inch is also a less bottom rod surface vertical rod device, non-handed and exit only in an aluminum finish, though it is standard duty and not fire rated.

Three finishes: 622 flat black, 630 satin stainless steel, and 695 duro. 630 is the usual match for commercial stainless trim and hinges; 622 is the one to pick if the building has gone to black hardware throughout.

The EF9727 is a pushpad style heavy duty surface vertical rod device meeting ADA requirements. The Corbin Russwin ED7400 is a Grade 1 narrow stile crossbar surface vertical rod device that accepts operator trim, and the Arrow 3700 Series 30 inch uses a wide stile pushpad. Crossbar devices change the look and the touch point on the door, which matters when matching existing openings in a building.