Weslock 12728X Drive In Adjustable Dead Latch

A dead latch has a small auxiliary plunger beside the main latchbolt. When the door closes, the plunger hits the strike and deadlocks the latchbolt so it can't be shimmed or carded open. A plain spring latch has no plunger and can be pushed back. The Weslock 12728X is the dead latch version, so it's what you use on keyed entry and exterior openings; a plain spring latch belongs on passage and privacy doors inside the house.

It's a drive-in latch, meaning the latch body has a round collar that drives straight into the 1-inch cross bore with no faceplate and no mortised edge prep. If the door edge is already mortised out for a rectangular faceplate, a drive-in latch will leave that pocket exposed and won't screw down. For that opening you want a faceplate (plain-face) latch instead.

It's an adjustable latch, so one part covers both of the standard residential backsets rather than you having to stock two. That matters on a multi-family or rental turn where the doors were bored by different crews and you don't want to measure every opening before you load the truck.

Deltana makes two drive-in adjustable latches: the DLE23875 in an Entry function, which is the closest match to a dead latch for a keyed opening, and the DLP23875 for Passage/Privacy with an adjustable 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inch backset. Both Deltana latches are listed for doors 1-3/8 to 2 inches thick, which is wider than a typical residential range if you're working on a thick slab door.

Use a latch that carries the rating on its own. The Kwikset 83518 RCAL Adjustable Square Drive latch and the Kwikset 83521 RCAL Plain Latch are both UL 3 hour latches, and the Kwikset 84290 Square Corner Plainlatch at a 2-3/8 inch backset is UL rated as well. On a rated opening the latch, strike and closer all have to match the door's listing, so specify the UL latch rather than a general residential one.

The Deltana DLE23875 is the closest peer: a drive-in adjustable latch built for entry function, rated for doors 1-3/8 inch to 2 inch thick. Like the Weslock 12728X, it is a drive-in latch, meaning it seats into a bored 1-inch latch hole without a mortised faceplate, and it adjusts to cover the two common residential backsets. The 12728X is a dead latch, the deadlocking style used with keyed entry and handleset trim, so the DLE23875 entry version is the functional match rather than a passage latch.

Use the Deltana DLP23875 instead. It is a drive-in latch with an adjustable backset of 2-3/8 inch or 2-3/4 inch and is built for passage and privacy function, for doors 1-3/8 inch to 2 inch thick. A dead latch like the Weslock 12728X carries the deadlocking plunger that keyed entry trim requires, so on a hall/closet passage lever or a bed/bath privacy set, the DLP23875 is the correct plain latch.

For a labeled opening, look to the Kwikset UL-listed latches instead. The Kwikset 83518 is an adjustable square-drive latch carrying a UL 3 hour listing, and the Kwikset 83521 is the RCAL plain latch with a UL 3 hour listing for BBL, KNL, CNL and PLL trim. The Weslock 12728X is an adjustable drive-in dead latch offered in Oil Rubbed Dark Bronze and Satin Chrome, and its value to you is the drive-in installation into an existing bored hole rather than a fire label.

Two: Oil Rubbed Dark Bronze and Satin Chrome. On a drive-in latch the only visible part is the collar ring in the door edge, so pick the one that matches the knob or lever trim you're installing.

Usually not. The latch is a separate part from the knob or lever, so if the bolt is worn, the plunger has stopped deadlocking, or the spring is tired, you can swap just the 12728X dead latch and keep the existing trim and cylinder. Confirm the door edge has a drive-in collar rather than a screwed-on faceplate, and match the finish (Oil Rubbed Dark Bronze or Satin Chrome) to what's already there.

Not the best pick. A dead latch is built for keyed entry and exterior doors where you need the bolt deadlocked against a credit card. For passage and privacy openings a plain spring latch is the normal choice, and we carry the Deltana DLP23875 drive-in adjustable latch in a Passage/Privacy function for that.

Only if the existing strike doesn't suit a dead latch. The auxiliary plunger has to land on the flat face of the strike or the frame, not drop into the strike opening, or the bolt never deadlocks. If the current strike box is oversized or the door has settled and the plunger is falling into the hole, reset the strike or fit a new one. The latch is sold on its own, so no strike is included.

Two differences that decide the order. First, the prep: the 12728X drives straight into the bored 1-inch latch bore with no faceplate mortise, while a faceplate latch such as the Kwikset 84290 square corner plainlatch needs a mortised pocket in the door edge with square corners chiseled to match. Second, the backset: the 12728X is adjustable across both residential backsets, where the 84290 is fixed at 2-3/8 inch. If the door edge is already mortised square, the 84290 style seats cleanly; if the edge is bare, the drive-in is the one that fits.

No - neither is a substitute. The Emtek 83228 is a faceplate and screw set with square corners for a tubular pocket door privacy latch, so it is trim hardware rather than a working latch body. The Emtek LC9-DBLTCH is a motorized deadbolt latch in the EMPowered series, driven by an electrified lock rather than by a lever or knob spindle. The Weslock 12728X is a mechanical drive-in adjustable dead latch, so it is the part that replaces a worn or wrong-backset latch behind a keyed entry set.