Williams Brothers Elite Series Fire Extinguisher Cabinet

It comes down to your wall. Recessed models like the E-101 and E-301 sit inside the wall cavity with only a 1/4 inch trim turnback showing, so you need a stud bay deep enough to take the 5 inch or 6 inch tub. Semi-recessed models (E-111 with a 1 inch square turnback, E-351 with a 2 inch radius turnback, E-361 with a 3 inch radius) set part of the tub into the wall and let the trim project into the corridor, which is the usual answer for a wall that won't take the full depth. Surface models, the E-191 and E-391, bolt flat to the face of the wall and need no cavity at all, which is what you use on block, concrete, or any wall you can't cut. Egress corridors have projection limits, so the semi-recessed and surface options are worth checking against your local requirement before you commit.

Three door styles are offered: full glass door, full metal door, and a vertical duo door. The standard build is the full glass acrylic panel, which lets an inspector confirm the extinguisher is present and charged without opening anything. A full metal door is the choice where you want the extinguisher out of sight or where a glazed panel would be a target, though it means the cabinet has to be opened to inspect. The vertical duo door splits the front into two panels vertically, and those are the VD models (E101VD, E111VD, E151VD, E191VD, E351VD, E361VD, E391VD). The full metal versions carry the FM suffix, such as E101FM, E111FM, E301FM, E351FM, E361FM and E391FM.

Surface mount is the only option there. The E-191, at 9 x 19 x 5 inches, and the E-391, at 9.5 x 24 x 6 inches, mount to the wall face and need no cavity, so block, concrete, tile over solid backing and structural walls all take them. The E-391 is the larger of the two. Recessed models such as the E-101 and E-301 need the wall opened up for a 5 inch or 6 inch deep tub, which is not happening in block without core work.

Tub depth is 5 inches on the smaller cabinets and 6 inches on the larger ones. The E-101 recessed unit is 8 x 17 x 5 inches; the E-301 recessed unit is 9 x 24 x 6 inches. A standard 2x4 stud wall gives you about 3-1/2 inches of cavity, so neither recessed model drops into one without furring the wall out or building a 2x6 partition. That is the single most common reason a recessed cabinet gets returned. If the wall is already framed 2x4 and staying that way, go semi-recessed with the E-111, E-351 or E-361 and let the trim carry the difference.

Fronts are 16-gauge cold-rolled steel over a 22-gauge cold-rolled steel tub, with a stainless steel door frame. That is a heavier front than tub, which is the right way round: the door face is what takes knocks from carts, luggage and shoulders in a corridor, while the tub is buried in the wall doing nothing but holding the extinguisher. For apartment corridors, hotel floors, hospitals and school hallways that combination is the standard commercial build.

Standard glazing on the glass door build is an acrylic panel, and tempered glass is available as an upgrade option when you order. Acrylic is the usual pick for schools, gyms, multi-family corridors and anywhere the panel takes abuse, since it does not shatter. Tempered glass is what people specify where appearance matters more and the cabinet is in a controlled space such as a lobby or an office floor.

Die-cut lettering is an add-on option, not something applied by default, so it has to be selected when you order. You choose the layout first: vertical die-cut lettering, horizontal die-cut lettering, a Type A layout, or the international extinguisher symbol. Then the color. Vertical, horizontal and Type A each come in red, white or black; the international symbol comes in red or black. Red on the white powder coat front is the common corridor specification. If the cabinet is going into a facility where signage is inspected, order the lettering with the cabinet rather than field-applying it later.

There is no lock. The door has a 4 inch pull handle and rides on a continuous piano hinge, so anyone can open it in an emergency without a key or a break-glass panel. That is deliberate for extinguisher cabinets, but it does mean the cabinet is not the answer if you are trying to stop tampering or theft in an unsupervised space. The continuous hinge runs the full height of the door, which is what keeps it from sagging after years of being pulled open.

Yes, and that is the practical reason to spec the Elite Series across a facility. Every cabinet ships with the same white powder coat finish, the same full glass acrylic front, the same continuous piano hinge and the same 4 inch pull, whichever mount you order. So the drywall corridors can take recessed E-101 or E-301 cabinets, the block stairwells can take surface E-191 or E-391 cabinets, and the walls that will only give you partial depth can take semi-recessed E-111, E-351 or E-361 units, and the whole run reads as one product. Order the same lettering option on all of them and the signage matches too.