Biometric Safes

[Minuteman]

...

And here is the Fort Knox safe I was talking about. It's great:

Very nice.

And it's 10 gauge, so if you secure it properly will take a small crow bar or heavy screwdriver etc. to get into (which is pretty good for a box just over a buck.) The simplex lock alone is worth most of that money. I can't recommend any low security device more. ... then again there is this little aircraft aluminum auto safe that I don't tell people about....

wiki:


Gauge

The sheet metal gauge (sometimes spelled gage) indicates the standard thickness of sheet metal for a specific material. For most materials, as the gauge number increases, the material thickness decreases.
Sheet metal thickness gauges for steel are based on the weight of steel, allowing more efficient calculation of the cost of material used. The weight of steel per square foot per inch of thickness is 41.82 lb (18.96 kg), this is known as the Manufacturers' Standard Gage for Sheet Steel.[4] For other materials, such as aluminium and brass, the thicknesses will be different.


Rate of change in thickness vs gauge number
Standard sheet metal gauges
Gauge Steel
in (mm) Galvanized steel
in (mm) Stainless steel
in (mm) Aluminium
in (mm) Zinc[5]
in (mm)
3 0.2391 (6.07) - - - 0.006 (0.15)
4 0.2242 (5.69) - - - 0.008 (0.20)
5 0.2092 (5.31) - - - 0.010 (0.25)
6 0.1943 (4.94) - - 0.162 (4.1) 0.012 (0.30)
7 0.1793 (4.55) - 0.1875 (4.76) 0.1443 (3.67) 0.014 (0.36)
8 0.1644 (4.18) 0.1681 (4.27) 0.1719 (4.37) 0.1285 (3.26) 0.016 (0.41)
9 0.1495 (3.80) 0.1532 (3.89) 0.1563 (3.97) 0.1144 (2.91) 0.018 (0.46)
10 0.1345 (3.42) 0.1382 (3.51) 0.1406 (3.57) 0.1019 (2.59) 0.020 (0.51)
11 0.1196 (3.04) 0.1233 (3.13) 0.1250 (3.18) 0.0907 (2.30) 0.024 (0.61)
12 0.1046 (2.66) 0.1084 (2.75) 0.1094 (2.78) 0.0808 (2.05) 0.028 (0.71)
13 0.0897 (2.28) 0.0934 (2.37) 0.094 (2.4) 0.072 (1.8) 0.032 (0.81)
14 0.0747 (1.90) 0.0785 (1.99) 0.0781 (1.98) 0.0641 (1.63) 0.036 (0.91)
15 0.0673 (1.71) 0.0710 (1.80) 0.07 (1.8) 0.057 (1.4) 0.040 (1.0)
16 0.0598 (1.52) 0.0635 (1.61) 0.0625 (1.59) 0.0508 (1.29) 0.045 (1.1)
17 0.0538 (1.37) 0.0575 (1.46) 0.056 (1.4) 0.045 (1.1) 0.050 (1.3)
18 0.0478 (1.21) 0.0516 (1.31) 0.0500 (1.27) 0.0403 (1.02) 0.055 (1.4)
19 0.0418 (1.06) 0.0456 (1.16) 0.044 (1.1) 0.036 (0.91) 0.060 (1.5)
20 0.0359 (0.91) 0.0396 (1.01) 0.0375 (0.95) 0.0320 (0.81) 0.070 (1.8)

 

[Merlin]

Seen enough scary YouTube videos on these to avoid them.

Go with a Fort Knox safe with the push buttons.

YouTube is great but it can drive you crazy as well. There is good and bad about everything on the tube but the group that had a bad experiences with anything are always much more motivated to tell the world about their troubles. The group with the product that works are just to busy enjoying the product that works. I bet for ever one negative YouTube vid on any given product their is millions of people enjoying the same product that works fine.

As I said, YouTube is a great resource. But if you see 5 bad vids and 5 good vids on the same product, don't think that only 50% of that product is good or bad.

 

[Safetech]

Cheap + Biometric = Disaster.

Biometrics and safes don't mix well. The 'mixed reviews' should be a giveaway.

At some point it will fail. Period. Trust me, I do this for a living.

Ditto. (Word for word.)

 

[Safetech]

If you just want to keep the kids out, and you have a rifle and ammo you want to lock up as well, then the Stack-on gun cabinets are hard to beat for around $100 at Wal-Mart.

http://www.amazon.com/Stack-On-GCB-8RTA-Security-Assemble-Storage/dp/B004EYTD4W/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

I own one, and it's very decent for the price. No, it won't keep out a robber who grabs tools and prys it apart, but it might just be enough to stop someone from bothering in a smash and grab, and it will certainly keep the kids out.


And here is the Fort Knox safe I was talking about. It's great:

^^^THIS^^^ is the type of pistol box to buy!!!

The brand (of the box) isn't as important as the type of lock. And IMO, the Simplex push button lock is THE way to go for a pistol box.

I have the Amsec version. (Two, in fact. One for my side of the bed and one for Mrs. Safetech's.) But it (Amsec) is no longer available with the Simplex mechanical lock. They now only offer it with an electronic lock. (And I am not a big fan of electronic locks of any kind - especially biometric - on gun storage.)

BTW - Notice I don't refer to them as safes. Pistol BOXES are not safes. They are simply a "lock box" that serves a specific purpose. That being quick access to your handgun, while providing great protection from kids, and low to moderate protection from burglars.

 

[BigMBobbyOP]

Do yourself a favor and if you get a biometric safe or otherwise, do not buy the battery powered ones.

They suck and the batteries fail more than you would think. Make sure you get a manually operated safe w/o batteries or a unit that plugs into the wall.