Sturdy Gun Safe Manufacturing

Thicker Steel, Plus A Real Fire Liner, Equals A Very Sturdy Gun Safe.

Gimmicks You Shouldn't Believe About Safes

 

  • Their NoN-Exposed Hinges-

Make sure hinges on the safes are heavy duty and allow for door removal, which is known in the industry as a "serviceable door". Don't be tricked into believing that exposed hinges are weaker or insecure. In fact, in most cases, exposed hinges are stronger and allow for easier removal and hanging of the door. Most hidden hinges are susceptible to damage simply by slamming the door open! Safes such as this should be avoided.

  • Their Double Quarter (1/4) Inch Doors-

Only one 1/4" sheet is really protecting the linkage. To get to the linkage parts, one would only need to go through one sheet of steel before getting to the linkage, and not two sheets of 1/4, because the linkage is sandwiched in between the 1/4" sheets.

 

  • Their Spoke Handle Located In The Middle Of The Door-

This gimmick is added to make the safe more attractive (customers prefer the handle in the center of the door), however, it's the most impractical place to put the handle. It doesn't allow shaft support, so they have a higher chance of getting loose an wobble in the safe. They are more susceptible of being broken into by simply beating the handle up and down until it loosens the linkage inside. To make the centered spoke handle work, the linkage parts will need to reach it. This is not beneficial because it's cluttering the safe door with a lot of moving parts. More moving parts = a higher chance more things will break.

 

  • Pictures Of Their Fire Safes That Have Been In Fires-

In 3 an a half minutes a house fire can reach over 1100 degrees and goes drastically up from there. One of the first things that burn off a safe that has been in a serious house fire is the paint and sticker decals. Next to go is the dial. This alone melts off at about 530 degrees. The handel's on safes are usually made on aluminum so this might be melted off next. Be leery of pictures that are actually showing you safes that have not been in a serious house burn downs. In reality, most house fires will not be so forgiving.

  • Their Palusol Door Seals-

When heated Palusol expands, but it shouldn't need to be heated up before there is a tight fit. The Palusol door seal is a specific size, about the thickness of 2 nickels. The door of the safe would need to fit the door frame of the safe body exactly the same every time in order for there to be no air gaps. It doesn't matter who manufactures the safe, one gasket does not fit all safes perfectly. A custom fit gasket is important because it fits the door perfectly every time, without needing to be heated up first.

  • Their 2300 Degree Ceramic Insulation-

Gun safe companies are aware of how much this type on insulation cost, but most try to cut corners by not lining the safe completely. For example, they would line the top or bottom of the safe, or just the walls. Other safe companies only give you half inch of ceramic and try combining it with sheet rock, and boast about "air gap" which is simply air space. We tried these methods out in actual house burn downs and they do not do well in real life burns.

  • Their Long Dead Bolts-

Having longer dead bolts is not as important as how the dead bolt is supported in the door. A good locking assembly could keep the door locked at a quarter of an inch engagement.

  • Their Many Moving Dead Bolts-

For example, when your looking at money vaults that are nearly the size of our 2723 safe, you will notice they have one of the highest security ratings listed at TL30, and they only have 3 locking lugs, none of which are located on the bottom or top of the door. You might wonder how is it that a safe with a lug count of 3 can be rated one of the highest in security and the answer is this: a smart locking assembly and lots of thick steel. We feel gun safes should be treated this same way. It's not the number of deadbolts that make it more secure, it's the smart locking assembly and the thick steel. Remember, doesn't matter have many thick moving dead bolts safes on the market throw out, it still wont stop a burglar from penetrating through the side if the safe if it only has 10 gauge of steel or less on the walls.

  • Their Sheetrock Fire Liners-

Some use sheet rock as their fire proofing (which they refer to by many different names to throw the customer off), made primarily for the construction of fire walls in buildings. These materials ARE NOT designed for use insulating, they are designed to block fires. True insulators, you will find, will not be any type of sheetrock/fireboard/cement.

  • Their Welds-

Some safes on the market have inadequate welding along the lock bolt assembly, even though they look like they did the trick, they wont be as strong as they claim. Your dead bolts are only as strong as the welds that hold them to the door.

  • Their Hard Plates And ReLock's-

Beware of safe companies that brag about their hard plates and relock's protecting the combination box, but say nothing about protecting the linkage leading up to the combination box. It is every bit as important to protect the key parts of your linkage as it is to protect the combination box itself. One of the primary attack points happens to be the linkage, which many manufacturers simply do not protect. The safe you buy should have a hard plate protecting the combination box as well as the independent relock. Make sure the hard plate is not welded directly on the door.

  • Their Combo Boxes-

In another effort to save money, other safe companies may not install a proper raised mount for the combination box. Instead, they simply weld the hard plate directly to the door. A weld to the hard plate can be broken much easier because of the lack of the supports strength. Some manufacturers use a hard plate that is not hardened all the way through.

  • Their Lifetime Warranties-

Gun safe companies love to tell you what their warranties cover, but what they don't tell you is you need to pay for servicing the safe every year or it's voided. Be sure to ask on your next safe purchase.