What to Know About Gun Safes with Key Backups
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- Some websites tout key bypasses (aka key backups) as an emergency safety net. What these articles fail to explain is that a key bypass makes your gun safe extremely vulnerable. Simply put, a gun safe with a key bypass is a security threat.
Learn more: bit.ly/3pLpV06
The background music is annoying.
LOL. We actually agree with you.
You can cap the reset button. China safes have their purpose. I use them for ammo and love the back up key option to remove quality concerns. The problem is warranty with electronic keypad locks. Ft Knox is the only one I know of that includes a lifetime warranty on the keypad as well as the safe.
Liberty and Champion/ Superior offer a optional lifetime warranty on their locks for $129. While the Fort Knox Lifetime warranty is standard the most affordable gun safe they offer is over $2,500 where Liberty and Champion have similar sizes for under $1,000. You make a valid case for a import safe but we have some customers who refuse to buy a Chinese made safe. It's important for everyone to know there's often a US made alternatives for a similar cost.
@@NWSafe - FTR - Plenty of Liberty safes were made in China and Liberty does not warrantee the safe for lifetime. They just provide an insurance policy against theft/fire. They know most people will never have a safe broken in to or a house fire. Getting harder and harder to find USA stuff although it looks like Liberty is making more in the USA while most are making less (Winchester, etc.)
The button doesn't necessarily have to be accessed, merely the wire that runs to it. If a thief can access that wire, they can snip it and short the two conductors together, thereby simulating a button press.
Seems like you could just unscrew that red button and just let the wire and button hang inside the safe door or just cut the wire to it.
Excellent presentation... The best example I've seen yet on just how flimsy the security is on those $500.00 to $1000.00 gun safes, the majority of them, made in CHINA & bought from the big box stores & generally speaking most are level 1 safes, i.e. you get what you pay for... I'm in the market for my 1st gun safe & I will spend up to the $2500.00 mark to get that lifetime security, i.e. the Liberty Colonial gun safes are level 4 safes, i.e. double anti-drill plates, Sargent & Greenleaf metal dials, 12 gauge ( 1 ) piece steel body, including the door that houses 4" levers on both sides & the top & bottom @ 1/4" thickness, if a pry is attempted, the door goes into double lockdown, the crooks aren't getting in that way, it slows them down, the safe is too heavy to simply drag it outside, typically they give up & grab whatever else they can find & flee, i.e. get out of Dodge & head for their nearest drug dealer to get re-supplied for their next injection, done...
Once again, a very good presentation here & I thank you,
Bill... :~)
Thank you Bill. We appreciate your feedback and let us know if you have any questions as you continue the search for your next safe.
I'm not condoning crime or anything but If you have a warrant served on you, liberty will give the government the passcode, so is it really better?
What you need to know? Know that Ross sells an electronic lock with a Bramah key backup, on a magic module footprint.
Yes they do but we haven't seen them make a U.L. Listed lock in that configuration. Do they have a UL Listed lock that has a key backup, on a magic module footprint?
Just to confirm, are you saying, "A UL listed lock"? (Oh, yup, nevermind, just reached the part where you show the "UL Listed" label)
Great video. Thank you for the clarification
how do you figure out what your safe has for the bypass locks and wither its UL listed or not? I have a sports afield instinct sa12-ff 12 gun safe.
Your instructions will help indicate the features but we can verify the Sports Afield Instinct is a NON UL Listed electronic lock with bypass keys. We're not aware of a Sports Afield Safe in production that has a UL Listed Lock.
Just got a Remington Safe. Followed the instructions to set a new code, it locked me out. Trying to use the key, key will not turn even with needle nose pliers. Their help number says they are closed, assume for the week end.
If you're looking for help before Monday when Remington opens from a safe tech in your area I'd recommend using the SAVTA Tech Search: www.savta.org/savta_tech.php
@@NWSafe I just made a video for them and contacted via Remington's site. I had to make a video since I just found my phone in the washer machine. Anyway I got it open with the advice of a guy on a forum who said to push agains the door and lock turning hardware and by some miracle it came open! This tells me it's either the lock or pins sticking. Explains why the key did not work either. Damn lighting in side the safe stopped working too.
Which model did you get? I’m expecting a Nitro to be delivered and in a few days and tbh I’m a little about the build quality and reliability. I just found out it was manufactured in China by Sports Afield.
Thx!
@@Peckerwood88 I got the Nitro too. some adjustments with a screw driver fixed the issue. Build and design is good, far more solid than the stuff liberty puts out. The locking mech is not smooth however and probably won't ever be. Test the door before closing. There is a small rod on the side of the door that pushes in when closing. you will have to depress that or have a buddy do it to test. if it's tight and rough when opening loses the screw a tiny bit at a time along the inside edge of the door frame till it's better. when done line the bottom inside with electrical tape. my shotgun kept falling out and getting marked up cause unlike most safes there is no padding on the bottom and the edge is sharp.
If you made the mistake of buying a safe with the key backup can you have it changed to an S&G mechanical lock?
In many cases yes. It's best to check with your local safe specialty retailer or Safe Technician.
I'm going to assume Wasatch safes use the cheaply made one.
Correct. The use a cheap lock with a key back up.
Do the key backup locks use a "one size fits all" key like a riding lawn mower. Or are the keys bitted different for each safe
Bitted for each safe to an extent. There appears to be less than 1000 keys but unfortunately the key number is listed in the safes serial number, which is a security concern. The key numbers at least appear to be random allocation.
@NWSafe Is there any other option for a customer nervous that the lock will fail some day, and be locked out? We had several safes at my army unit. I've seen both epectronic and mechanical safe locks fail and it was a huge pain when it happened.
Are the any good safes with a key on the market?
@NWSafe I bought the same safe my parents did like 3 years later. My key backup fits there's and vice-versa. Lol
saved me from buying a steelwater on sale....thank You
Steelwater uses the magic footprint and has a bypass key. Not the solenoid bypass. Best of both worlds
Can you tell me if Winchester safes use UL locks?
Yes. Every current production Winchester Safe I’ve seen with a mechanical dial or electronic lock has a UL listed lock.
@NWSafe Sweet thanks!
So how do you get into your safe when the battery dies or the electronics take a shit on you?
It depends on how long the issue was allowed to go on before contacting a repair technician. Often a technician can troubleshoot or use a few tricks to get the lock to open on last time so a new lock can be installed. Worst case scenario a technician will have to drill the safe open. However, this isn't something that is exclusive to standard dial or electronic locks. We see plenty of "dual entry" locks that have a catastrophic failure that require a technician to drill open for repair.
Any recommendations for a new pad and solenoid for an EGS14 electronic safe. its just an irritating safe IYKWIM
Our 3 favorite locks are the Securam ProLogic, ScanLogic or an S&G Titan Pivot Bolt
@@NWSafe Are they compatible with a EGS14?
@@chriskeelor799 Yes, If you’re referring to the Stealth Safe Brand model EGS14.
@@NWSafe Do you sell these or just promote?
@@chriskeelor799 If you’re in the PNW our tech can install one. If you’re out of that service area I’d recommend reaching out to a local safe retailer.
How are the Wasatch safes in your opinion BJ's sells them ? They seem pretty solid
We don't have any in person experience with the Wasatch Safe since BJ's doesn't have any stores on the West Coast. It appears to be a rebranded import product from a larger manufacturer. Also, there is no technical information about the lock on the website. It just says "Electronic" so it appears like the locks isn't from one of the top manufacturers like S&G, Securam or even LG or NL. If you look at the front of the lock keypad at the 6 O'clock position it will typically have the mfg. name. If one of the above is one there it's a good sign.
How about the Cannon brand safes?
Depends on the series but most Cannon safes we've seen as of late haven't used a UL Listed lock.
Made in CHINA as are the Winchesters, typically level 1 security if that even, once again, you get what you pay for, please read my comment above...
Bill... :~)
Does sports afield have ul
Not that we've seen and we repair one almost weekly.
Your saying someone can get my safe door open, pull my door cover off, push the button in Or hit my red reset button, enter my code then their new code so I should be worried?
Oh my, almost scared me into buying a really expensive safe...Holy shitiholy who knew!
No, we're saying thieves have gotten drill specs for that red reset button off of display safes and bypassed the lock that way. This isn't about buying a really expensive safe, it's really about buying the right safe because you can get a good UL listed lock at the same price point as a safe with a cheap lock.