New at CLK Supplies: Tell MFG Commercial Hardware and Where It Fits on Your Jobs
Most commercial work isn’t glamorous. It’s an office manager whose storeroom lever droops like a broken wing. It’s a school that wants classroom doors lockable without a teacher stepping into the hall. It’s a closer that’s been leaking on the same door since before anyone in the building was hired. Hardware for those jobs needs to install without a fight, key into the system the building already has, and hold up long enough that you aren’t the one getting the callback.
That’s the space Tell Manufacturing fills, and it’s why we’ve added a new run of Tell commercial hardware at CLK Supplies: Grade 2 levers, Grade 2 deadbolts, Grade 1 door closers, and a Grade 1 rim exit device. Here’s how we’d think about each one, and where it makes sense on a job.
LC2600 Levers: One Look, Every Door in the Building
The Tell LC2600 Series is a Grade 2 cylindrical lever built for steady commercial use. It drops into a standard 161 prep, and the lever is non-handed, so you aren’t hauling a left-hand and a right-hand of every function. Most versions take a Schlage C keyway cylinder that you can rekey into an existing system in the shop.
What really makes the series useful is how many functions it covers. The same Cortland lever and rose come in passage, privacy, entry, office, classroom, storeroom, exit, and dummy trim. So when a client wants the whole floor to match, you can do the hallway closets, the restrooms, the private offices, and the supply room with one hardware family. Satin chrome is the standard finish, and several functions also come in oil rubbed bronze for wood doors or warmer interiors.
Picking the function is really just one question: who needs to get in, and who needs to get out? A storeroom function locks every time the door closes, which is the point on a supply closet where nobody remembers to push a button. An office function lets the occupant lock up from inside and leave with it locked. A classroom function keeps the locking in the keyholder’s hands, with no button for students to play with. And on every one of those, the inside lever always lets people out.
Classroom Intruder: The One Schools Keep Asking About
A standard classroom lock has one awkward flaw. To lock it, someone has to open the door and turn a key on the hallway side. In a lockdown, that’s the last thing you want a teacher doing. The classroom intruder lever adds a keyed cylinder on the inside, so staff can lock the outside lever without opening the door, and anyone in the room can still walk right out. If you’re quoting a school retrofit, this is usually the function the project is built around. Just confirm the district’s keying plan first, since there’s a cylinder on both sides.
Clutch Levers for the Doors That Take a Beating
Some doors get hung on, kicked, and pried at. A rigid lever on one of those eventually sags or snaps internally, and you’re back on site. Tell’s clutch versions let the locked outside lever spin freely under force instead of fighting it, so the internal parts survive. We carry clutch models in the entrance, classroom, and storeroom functions. If you’re replacing a lever that clearly lost a fight, go with the clutch.
SFIC or Conventional?
If the building already runs small format interchangeable cores, several LC2600 functions come SFIC-prepped with no core included, such as the SFIC entrance lever. Drop in the customer’s existing 6- or 7-pin core and the new hardware joins their system without re-pinning anything. If the building runs a Schlage C system instead, use the conventional cylinder versions.
A Word on Institution and Exit Functions
Two LC2600 functions need more thought before you install them. The exit function has a rigid outside lever and no cylinder at all. It works well on back-of-house doors that should let people out and never let anyone in.
The institution function is a different story. Both levers stay locked, so it takes a key to get out. That’s only allowed in specific settings like healthcare, behavioral health, or detention, and only with sign-off from the local fire marshal or building official. Don’t put one on a storeroom because a customer wants it to be “extra secure.”
DB2000 Deadbolts: A Solid Grade 2 Add-On
When a door needs more than a latch, the DB2000 Series is Tell’s Grade 2 commercial deadbolt. It throws a 1” stainless steel bolt with a roller bar inside, which spins against a hacksaw or reciprocating-saw blade so it’s much harder to cut through the gap between door and frame. The conventional-cylinder models have an adjustable backset, they fit a standard prep, and we carry them in satin stainless, oil rubbed bronze, and matte black, plus an SFIC version in satin stainless.
One thing to watch: the DB2000 is listed for doors up to 1-3/4” thick, while the LC2600 levers go to 2”. On a heavier door, check the deadbolt before you assume both will fit.
The double cylinder version is for doors with glass near the lock, where a thumbturn would be easy to reach from outside. Many codes restrict double cylinder deadbolts on required exits, though, so check before you put one on a door people need to get out through.
Door Closers: Usually a Retrofit Job
Most closer calls aren’t new installs. Someone wants the old leaker gone, ideally without new holes in the door. That’s where Tell’s Grade 1 closers earn their keep. All three series are non-handed and come with hardware for regular arm, top jamb, and parallel arm mounting, so one box covers most setups.
The 900 Series is the top of the line, and Tell lists it as hole-for-hole with the LCN 4040, which you’ll find in plenty of schools and hospitals. The 800 Series is a full-cover closer for offices, storefronts, and corridors, and also comes in matte black. The 600 Series is a heavy no-cover closer with a 3-6 spring range, aimed at exterior and service doors. Identify the closer coming off the door before you order. Matching the hole pattern is what turns a closer swap into a quick job.
All three have adjustable spring power, which makes stocking easy. It also means the closer is only as good as its setup. Set the spring for the door, then dial in sweep and latch speed so it closes firmly without slamming.
Hold-Open Arms, and Where Not to Use Them
If staff keep wedging a door open, a friction hold-open arm or a dead-stop hold-open arm is the better fix, and the dead-stop also keeps the door from swinging into a wall. Tell lists these arms for its own 800 and 900 Series closers. The big caveat: a fire-rated door has to close and latch on its own. Don’t put a mechanical hold-open on one.
8300 Rim Exit Device: Simple Panic Hardware
For a back door, warehouse exit, or any door that needs one-push egress, the Tell 8300 Series is a Grade 1 surface-mounted rim device. There’s no mortising, the rail can be cut down for narrower doors, and you can dog it open during business hours. If people need to get in from outside, add the CTL881 lever trim. Its Cortland lever matches the LC2600s on the rest of the building.
The model we stock isn’t fire rated. Tell makes a separate fire-rated version for labeled doors, and fire exit hardware can’t be dogged. Read the label on the door before you pick one.
Worth Having in the Van
The appeal of this line is less about any one product and more about consistency. One lever family covers nearly every room. The closers line up with the hole patterns you already see in the field. And most of it keys into what the building already runs. That means fewer special orders and fewer return trips.
Take a look at everything Tell we’ve added, along with the rest of our newest products, on the What’s New page.