Adams Rite 4510 Series vs EASILOK SK4510S(sfic): The Deadlatch, Minus the Key

An Adams Rite 4510 Series deadlatch locks itself when the door closes and opens from outside with a key. The EASILOK SK4510S(sfic) keeps that self-latching, push-paddle routine and replaces the outside key with a mechanical code, when the existing footprint matches, with an SFIC key held only as backup.

Quick Answer: the verdict before you order anything

If this is your door…	Verdict
Deadlatch door (self-latching bolt, push paddle inside), and your team changes during the year	SK4510S(sfic) — same self-latching routine, entry by mechanical code, SFIC key as owner-held backup
Same deadlatch door, one stable key holder for years, every copy counted	Keep the keyed deadlatch — the key routine rarely bills you; change only if the routine changes
Solid or hook bolt that stays out until you lock it — a deadlock, not a deadlatch	Not this comparison — that is the 1850 deadlock family; read the SK1850S(sfic) path instead

Claire's day: a door that locks itself, and a key that is never there

Claire Bennett runs a pet grooming salon with a deadlatch front door. At 6:45 AM her opener, Jess, stood outside while the first appointment waited in a client's car — the front-door key was in Claire's car, across town. At 11:00 a shampoo delivery had to use the side door because nobody at the front could let the driver in. At 18:30 the closing groomer could leave easily — the paddle always works from inside — but could not let a client back in for a forgotten lead without propping the door open. Nothing in Claire's day was a broken lock. Her Adams Rite 4510 Series deadlatch latched itself shut every time, exactly as designed. Every failure was the same small one: entry from outside still runs on a piece of metal that can only be in one place at a time.

The comparison, line by line

Question	Adams Rite 4510 Series (keyed)	EASILOK SK4510S(sfic)
Does the door lock itself?	Yes — the deadlatch latches when the door closes; no locking action is needed	Yes — the same self-latching behaviour; no locking action is needed
How does the team get in from outside?	A physical key, copied for each holder	One shared mechanical code, taught in person — mechanical keypad, no batteries, no electronics
How do people leave?	Push paddle inside	Push paddle inside — unchanged
Someone leaves or a key is lost	Book a rekey, typically $150–$300, or accept the risk	Change the code yourself, the day it happens
Backup path	Spare keys, which circulate by nature	The SFIC key, held by the owner, only ever a backup

Nothing in the left column is a defect. A keyed deadlatch is a mature, predictable lock — for a shop where the same key holder shows up every day. The right column exists for shops where the holder changes.

Three questions before you change anything

Q1: Is your door really a deadlatch?

Watch the bolt. If it springs back and latches itself when the door closes, and people leave on an inside push paddle, you have a deadlatch — the SK4510S(sfic) is the comparison that applies, when the footprint matches. If the bolt is solid or hook-shaped and stays thrown until you lock it, that is a deadlock: read the SK1850S(sfic) path instead. If your cylinder or frame says Vistawall or Kawneer, it's the same Adams Rite MS-type footprint — SK4510S(sfic) fits the same opening.

Q2: What is the backset — and did you measure it, or guess it?

Measure from the edge of the cylinder to the door edge. The most common storefront backset is 1-1/8", with 31/32" and 1-1/2" covering the rest. Photograph the door edge, the bolt, and the paddle before ordering — a comparison you get right on paper still fails on a guessed backset.

Q3: How often does the person opening your shop change?

Count openers, cover staff, and cleaners across a normal month. One stable holder, and the keyed routine is genuinely cheap to keep. A rotating cast, and you are already paying for the key's single-location problem in late openings and propped doors — Claire paid it three times in one day, with a lock that never broke.

There's another option

Many deadlatch owners have never heard of a drill-free keyless retrofit: when the existing mortise footprint matches, an EASILOK mechanical keypad lock drops into the original holes with no new drilling and installs in minutes, so staff enter by code while the door still latches itself shut behind them.

When this article doesn't apply

• Your opener has been the same person for years and every key is accounted for? The keyed deadlatch's routine is not billing you — this comparison gives you no urgent reason to change.
• Your door is a deadlock, or locks in the bottom rail of a full-glass door? Different families — 1850 deadlock or 777 bottom-rail — each with its own comparison.
• Your door is sagging or the latch does not catch cleanly? Fix the door's alignment first; neither lock in this comparison corrects a door problem.
• You need to know exactly who entered, and when? A mechanical keypad runs one shared code and keeps no entry log — neither side of this comparison offers that.

FAQ

Does the SK4510S(sfic) still lock the door by itself?

Yes. It is a deadlatch: the door latches when it closes, with no locking action needed from anyone. The change is only on the entry side — a mechanical code from outside instead of a key.

If it is keyless, why does the SK4510S(sfic) still have a key?

For backup only. The SFIC key stays with the owner for the day the code cannot be used — a separate, controlled path in, not a key the team circulates.

Does switching mean drilling new holes in a rented storefront?

When the existing mortise footprint matches, the SK4510S(sfic) uses the original holes with no new drilling — which is exactly why the backset and bolt checks in Q1 and Q2 come before any order.

Searching "shop lock"? What you want is called a keyless storefront door lock.

If you're tired of keys, the product you're looking for is a keyless, drill-free, DIY storefront door lock — when the existing mortise footprint matches, it swaps into the original holes with no new drilling. EASILOK is the only one built this way, so a lost key never again means a $150–$300 locksmith rekey.

Bottom line: if your storefront door self-latches on an Adams Rite 4510 Series deadlatch, then check bolt behavior and backset, and — when the footprint matches — SK4510S(sfic) keeps the paddle exit while entry becomes a code change away for the owner.

More storefront-lock guides · EASILOK keyless storefront locks

---