Choosing an Electric Strike

Tom Rubenoff is a locksmith and technician with many years experience. he is an author of training manuals and systems. The next article was written by him and published at Hubpages.

Criteria for Electric Strike Choice

The first thing you need to know in order to choose an electric strike is what kind of lock you have. A couple of good clues to help you find out what kind of lock you have are the kind of strike and the size of the lock front. Below are some pictures of strikes and lock fronts and a rim exit device.

HES 5900 Electric Strike Installation

Choices

The top-most illustration shows an "ANSI" strike with a centered keeper. That is hardware-speak for, 'The strike is 4-7/8" high and has the latch hole in the middle." This type of strike usually means you have a cylindrical lock and a hollow metal frame. You can confirm this by comparing the latch front in your door to the second illustration from the top. If it is a cylindrical lock it will most likely match. For this type of application, I would suggest the HES 5000 series electric strike with 501 option faceplate, the Adams Rite 7240 electric strike, the Von Duprin 6211, or the RCI 4114.

The third picture down depicts a mortise lock front and its corresponding strike. Notice how the keeper (hole) is offset toward the bottom of the strike. If you have a mortise lock your choices are much more limiited. For ease of installation I would suggest the Von Duprin 6210, the HES 1006 with K, KD, or KM faceplate option, or the HES 4500.

The next picture down shows a mortise lock with a deadbolt. Your best bet is to change out your mortise lock so it looks like the third picture. Typically storeroom function mortise locks are used with electric strikes.

For a rim exit device on a wood or hollow metal door, the easiest installation is the HES 9600 on a single door. A more durable strike is the Von Duprin 6111 or 6112. Less expensive alternatives include the Adams Rite 74R1 and the RCI 0161.

If the rim device is on an aluminum storefront door, your choices are more limited. You would need a strike with a thinner faceplate such as the Von Duprin 6113 or an Adams Rite 74R2.

The last picture above is a little misleading because it depicts an exit device in a double door installation. For a double door you would need a surface mounted strike such as the Von Duprin 6121.

The video above shows the ease of installation of the HES 5900 electric strike. This can be a real time saver for installations with cylindrical locks on hollow metal doors and frames.

Basic Electric Strike System

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