Safes: go electronic?

[ShallNotInfringe]

Shopping around for a safe.

Better to go with an electronic one or traditional combination lock/wheel mechanism?

Maybe I am old fashioned, but worry about reliability on electronic ones.

Advice/suggestions solicited.

 

[50bmg]

The electric lock is best for quick access. The downside is longevity. Most safe specialists ive spoken with prefer a good mechanical dial over the electronic one.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

Thanks. Ok, so there's the trade. Getting in fast versus keeping/using it for a long time?

So I wonder what the mean time to fail is on the electronic ones.

I don't intend to ever replace it, but want to have fast access. Hey, I want it all.

 

[Boom Boom]

Expect a ten to fifteen year lifespan for electronic. Even a halfway-decent dial will last multiple lifetimes. Electronic is fast. Dial is reliable and doesn't depend on a battery. You have to pick your poison.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

Expect a ten to fifteen year lifespan for electronic. Even a halfway-decent dial will last multiple lifetimes. Electronic is fast. Dial is reliable and doesn't depend on a battery. You have to pick your poison.

Are there any that double as a box spring?
... that takes the trade off the table.

These new bills are pissing me off.

 

[wesser1]

I'm going to go ahead and "hijack" this thread rather than creating a new one since we're already talking about safes. My wife and I are going to be losing 20% of our pay due to Obama. I'm in the market for a safe for my 4 long guns. My budget is limited to in the area of $300. I could probably talk her into a little more, but not much. My intent is primarily to prevent guests from having quick access to my guns, and to "deter" any intruders. And by this I mean that I know I cannot get an impenetrable safe, but I'd like one that looks intimidating to a common thief that they may pass up in the event they are burglarizing my home when I'm at work. I can bolt this safe into the walls on two sides since it'll be in a closet, which I figure will help to deter the flip and pry methods to an extent.

Any recommendations on a safe that fits these needs?

Edit: My guns are current locked in individual carry cases, which doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy because they're easy to carry out of my home and break open. I need a "safe" or sturdy lock box ASAP.

 

[Boom Boom]

And by this I mean that I know I cannot get an impenetrable safe, but I'd like one that looks intimidating to a common thief that they may pass up in the event they are burglarizing my home when I'm at work. I can bolt this safe into the walls on two sides since it'll be in a closet, which I figure will help to deter the flip and pry methods to an extent.

Any recommendations on a safe that fits these needs?

The first thing many thieves look for is a lightweight, dirt-cheap rifle safe. Bolt it to the walls and, if they can, they will quickly knock out the walls, pick up the safe, and run. Even if they cannot take a cheap safe, if they have a crowbar, they will pry it open in seconds and take your firearms.

Given your budget, I think a better approach is to hide the rifles in a creative, non-obvious place and to leave a small, reasonably-secure handgun safe in plain view near your bed. Put one or more steel bars in the safe. Most thieves will grab the bait and run. You lose the cost of the safe and steel bars, which is best viewed as cheap insurance.

 

[Merlin]

Shopping around for a safe.

Better to go with an electronic one or traditional combination lock/wheel mechanism?

Maybe I am old fashioned, but worry about reliability on electronic ones.

Advice/suggestions solicited.

Electronic is fast, but a safe is for the storage of the bulk of your guns, and not for the one gun you need in the middle of the night to protect the family.

 

[rascal]

The first thing many thieves look for is a lightweight, dirt-cheap rifle safe. Bolt it to the walls and, if they can, they will quickly knock out the walls, pick up the safe, and run. Even if they cannot take a cheap safe, if they have a crowbar, they will pry it open in seconds and take your firearms.

Given your budget, I think a better approach is to hide the rifles in a creative, non-obvious place and to leave a small, reasonably-secure handgun safe in plain view near your bed. Put one or more steel bars in the safe. Most thieves will grab the bait and run. You lose the cost of the safe and steel bars, which is best viewed as cheap insurance.

I agree with this 99%. cheap safes are more of a burglar attractant than hiding the weapons.

The only thing is that in some cases the cheap safe, although actually creating more of a danger of theft than protecting against theft, is that they may provide you with more protection from liability. A $500 safe from Costco or Home Depot can be cut or forced open with common tools in 60 seconds, by a criminal or a teenager. But I guess in the case of a civil suit of a guest being harmed, or a suit arising criminal using your weapon after it is stolen, even though we know better, a $5000 real safe is not different from a $500 fake safe.

The thing you may wish to protect absent given a variety of needs, and each person is different a) theft, b) accidents, c) kids d) liability; those different needs and methods of protecting may actually be cross purposes. as a fifth variable there is ease of SD access.

OP: I cheap junk safe will protect you against snoopy guests, although you will be advertising you have several firearms generally; it will protect you against access by (most) kids under 15; and it will afford you some liability and legal protection above having nothing. As boom boom mentioned, it could significantly increase your chance of loss from theft.

In my basement I have had at least two dozen repair men in the past ten years. several HVAC repairmen at a time, hot water heater installers, washing machine repairmen, quite a few visits from a soft water supply serviceman, electricians and in fact meter readers. Huge numbers of people probably have had various house cleaning personnel in their basements as well I have also had probably 60 different teenage friends of my kids. Lots of people could easily have over 100 people having noticed a safe.

 

[Merlin]

I agree with this 99%. cheap safes are more of a burglar attractant than hiding the weapons.

The only thing is that in some cases the cheap safe, although actually creating more of a danger of theft than protecting against theft, is that they may provide you with more protection from liability. A $500 safe from Costco or Home Depot can be cut or forced open with common tools in 60 seconds, by a criminal or a teenager. But I guess in the case of a civil suit of a guest being harmed, or a suit arising criminal using your weapon after it is stolen, even though we know better, a $5000 real safe is not different from a $500 fake safe.

The thing you may wish to protect absent given a variety of needs, and each person is different a) theft, b) accidents, c) kids d) liability; those different needs and methods of protecting may actually be cross purposes. as a fifth variable there is ease of SD access.

OP: I cheap junk safe will protect you against snoopy guests, although you will be advertising you have several firearms generally; it will protect you against access by (most) kids under 15; and it will afford you some liability and legal protection above having nothing. As boom boom mentioned, it could significantly increase your chance of loss from theft.

In my basement I have had at least two dozen repair men in the past ten years. several HVAC repairmen at a time, hot water heater installers, washing machine repairmen, quite a few visits from a soft water supply serviceman, electricians and in fact meter readers. Huge numbers of people probably have had various house cleaning personnel in their basements as well I have also had probably 60 different teenage friends of my kids. Lots of people could easily have over 100 people having noticed a safe.

All true. But 90% of the people that will break into your house in the middle of the day when your at work are just looking for things they can grab and carry out very fast. They are not bringing in tools to crack safes.

They just want things they can sell fast. In and out in 5 min or less is what most of them want.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

All true. But 90% of the people that will break into your house in the middle of the day when your at work are just looking for things they can grab and carry out very fast. They are not bringing in tools to crack safes.

They just want things they can sell fast. In and out in 5 min or less is what most of them want.

Well, when they broke into my home (quite a while ago), they literally had a party. Found food, drinks, etc. spread about and they took their sweet time finding everything. I couldn't believe some of the stuff they hauled out.

My sister in law and stepdaughter recently had her homes broken into.

SIL's scene was like mine, stepdaughter's was a quick hit and run.

 

[Merlin]

Well, when they broke into my home (quite a while ago), they literally had a party. Found food, drinks, etc. spread about and they took their sweet time finding everything. I couldn't believe some of the stuff they hauled out.

My sister in law and stepdaughter recently had her homes broken into.

SIL's scene was like mine, stepdaughter's was a quick hit and run.

The ones that lingered, do you think they were just stupid kids?

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

The ones that lingered, do you think they were just stupid kids?

Yep. They even drank all my beer!!! I had a fridge rigged up in the basement with a tap. And they made pizza. Presumably whie, they were hauling everything out.

At the time, I lived by myself and employed the $10 trick. Left it on entry table and knew i had been robbed when I opened the door. The police figure they were there for a couple of hours. There were several music selections out. Guess they decided to take the stereo last

My SIL's house was destroyed. They ransacked her entire house.

 

[safecracker]

Expect a ten to fifteen year lifespan for electronic.

You would be hard pressed to find an electronic lock that lasted 10-15 years while being used regularly.

The lifespan of electronic locks, as well as battery consumption for that matter, is generally based on usage, rather than the passage of time. For instance, if an LG Basic is installed on a gun safe that is opened once a month, it may last for decades. However that same lock installed on a depository safe in a convenience store is going to have a greatly reduced life expectancy - a few years at best before component failure. Other environmental factors, such as heat, humidity, etc., also come into play.

As has been discussed before, both electronic and mechanical locks have their inherent drawbacks and advantages. Electronic locks are great for ease of use, even in low- and no-light conditions. However they are not as reliable as mechanical locks, and when they fail, it is often WITHOUT WARNING. So the trade off is increasing ease of use, while sacrificing a degree of reliability.

 

[Merlin]

Yep. They even drank all my beer!!! I had a fridge rigged up in the basement with a tap. And they made pizza. Presumably whie, they were hauling everything out.

At the time, I lived by myself and employed the $10 trick. Left it on entry table and knew i had been robbed when I opened the door. The police figure they were there for a couple of hours. There were several music selections out. Guess they decided to take the stereo last

My SIL's house was destroyed. They ransacked her entire house.

Where the heck do you live? It seems you know way to many people that have been robed.

 

[Merlin]

You would be hard pressed to find an electronic lock that lasted 10-15 years while being used regularly.

The lifespan of electronic locks, as well as battery consumption for that matter, is generally based on usage, rather than the passage of time. For instance, if an LG Basic is installed on a gun safe that is opened once a month, it may last for decades. However that same lock installed on a depository safe in a convenience store is going to have a greatly reduced life expectancy - a few years at best before component failure. Other environmental factors, such as heat, humidity, etc., also come into play.

As has been discussed before, both electronic and mechanical locks have their inherent drawbacks and advantages. Electronic locks are great for ease of use, even in low- and no-light conditions. However they are not as reliable as mechanical locks, and when they fail, it is often WITHOUT WARNING. So the trade off is increasing ease of use, while sacrificing a degree of reliability.

IMHO I think the old stile dial locks look better. The companies that manufacture the electric locks did not hurt themselves in the process making the electric lock look good. They are a basic and plane looking as can be without any stile.

 

[Boom Boom]

I have one of these Cannon lights above my dial lock. Has a strong magnet to hold it in place. The red LED on the bottom comes on for two minutes when you press the button. Simple solution to seeing a dial in the dark. Takes a common CR2032 coin battery. Costs about $20.

 

[bbgunn177]

I got an electronic safe about 10 years ago. It has been quite serviceable. I got it for quick access, which it does well. I however wasn't as wise/aware back then as I am now. Having read about EMP (Electo Magnetic Pulse) in the past few years I have been thinking about changing to a manual lock. The last thing I want to do is break into my safe to get my gun. I don't know the likelyhood of an EMP, but if one ever happens then I think I will be screwed. If I got another one I would go manual.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

Where the heck do you live? It seems you know way to many people that have been robed.

At the time, I lived in PG county - surprise huh? Moved up-county after that (got tired of sleeping with a butcher knife)

My SIL lives in Tampa, FL, step daughter in San Diego, CA. Both of those happened in the last month.

 

[Boom Boom]

You would be hard pressed to find an electronic lock that lasted 10-15 years while being used regularly.

The lifespan of electronic locks, as well as battery consumption for that matter, is generally based on usage, rather than the passage of time.

Depends on how often it's used and the quality of the circuitry inside. If the circuitry has crappy electrolytic capacitors, it might not make it past five years. If it has ceramic capacitors, it might last indefinitely until the pads and/or underlying switches get worn out from use. But expect the worst: crappy capacitors, crappy button overlay, crappy pushbutton switches.