Less bottom rod (LBR) drops the lower rod and floor strike, so the device latches only at the head. Pick it where the floor strike would be a trip hazard, where flooring or thresholds get replaced often, or where debris fouls the bottom latch. The EF9727 is offered both ways, with bottom rod and less bottom rod, in every finish.

Yes, the EF9727 is listed as wood door compatible, as well as suiting hollow metal. That matters on fire rated wood doors in schools and healthcare corridors, where some competing devices are metal-door only. The Von Duprin 7527 and 7827, for example, are not wood door compatible.

Both. The 9700 Series meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the guidelines of the Buy American Act, which is what federal, state, and municipal specs usually require on an exit device. It is also ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 certified, the heavy duty commercial level.

Several common wide stile vertical rod devices are life safety or panic only, not fire rated: the Adams Rite 8100 Series, the Von Duprin 2227, the Corbin Russwin ED5400, the Falcon 20 Series, the Falcon 25-V-EO, the BEST Precision 2201, and the Design Hardware 1000V are all listed with a Fire Rating of No. They mount and function similarly but cannot go on a fire rated opening, where the TownSteel EF9727 is fire rated.

The Arrow S1150 is a fire rated surface vertical rod exit device listed for narrow or wide stile applications on 1-3/4 inch doors, supplied as device only less trim. Among non-fire-rated narrow stile options there are the Adams Rite 8200 Series, Corbin Russwin ED4400, Von Duprin 3327A and 7527, and Falcon 19-V-EO. The TownSteel EF9727 is a wide stile device requiring a minimum 4-3/4 inch (120mm) stile.

No. The Sargent 12-8710 is a fire rated Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod device with a Dummy function, so it provides the matching appearance without an operating latch. The TownSteel EF9727 is an operating Grade 1 fire rated device and is the one to use on a leaf that must open.

No handing to call out. Every device in the 9700 Series is non-handed or reversible, so one part number covers left and right hand openings. That 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 at the head and, unless ordered less bottom rod, at the floor, so a pair of doors can be secured with no center mullion and you get the full clear opening. Rim devices need a mullion between the leaves, which is cheaper and simpler to maintain but blocks the opening for gurneys, carts, and furniture moves. Choose vertical rod when the full width has to stay clear.

It is built as a heavy duty commercial device, Grade 1 certified, with a shock-resistant latching mechanism and internal parts in electro-plated steel or corrosion-resistant alloy. That combination is what you want on a school, hospital, or stadium exit that gets hit hundreds of times a day. For a lighter interior application a Grade 2 device such as the Dexter ED2000 Series covers less abuse.

Yes. The Dexter ED2000 Series is a Grade 2 surface vertical rod panic device, and the Design Hardware 2000V is a standard duty vertical rod exit device, as is the Orca Hardware OED56, which is supplied less bottom rod, exit only, non-handed, in aluminum finish for 1-3/4 inch doors. All three are listed without a fire rating. The TownSteel EF9727 is a heavy duty Grade 1 fire rated device.

Yes. The Sargent 2727 is a reversible Grade 1 fire rated surface vertical rod device, the BEST Precision 5201 is a reversible surface vertical rod device, and the Von Duprin 2227 is non-handed Grade 1 wide stile. The TownSteel EF9727 is also non-handed or reversible by design and is Grade 1 fire rated.

The Von Duprin 7827 is a 3 ft wide stile surface vertical rod device, Grade 1, with hex key dogging, for 1-3/4 inch doors; it is listed without a fire rating and as not wood door compatible. Keep in mind mechanical dogging is not permitted on a fire rated opening, which is where the fire rated TownSteel EF9727 applies.

Three: 622 flat black, 630 satin stainless steel, and 695 duro. 630 is the usual match for stainless door hardware already in a commercial building; 622 flat black suits dark storefront and modern interiors. All three are available with or without the bottom rod.

The Corbin Russwin ED7400 and the Sargent 3727 use a crossbar or standard push bar across the door face; the ED7400 is narrow stile and the Sargent 3727 is wide stile, both Grade 1. The TownSteel EF9727 is a push pad style heavy duty surface vertical rod device with a high shock resistant latching mechanism and non-handed, reversible construction. The Arrow 3700 Series is another wide stile pushpad device, exit only.