During the SHOT show in January, SentrySafe gave away 40 pistol safes to Twitter followers that tweeted their contest. While I don’t own a pistol, the safe looked like it could be used for much more than firearms, so I entered. To my surprise, I won one. Given my recent non-fishing related posts, I thought I would keep with the theme and do a review of the safe.
I was familiar with the SentrySafe family of products as I’ve owned both the Fireproof Security File and the smaller SentrySafe 1100 Fireproof Safe. We gave away the security file when we got a bigger safe and this new pistol safe replaced the smaller 1100 model.
My first impression of the safe is that it was very solidly built, as all SentrySafe products are. It is made of heavy steel and very heavy for its size. It has an electronic keypad, which I really like, and a backup key if the keypad runs out of batteries.
The safe comes with two bolts and two anchors. A pair of holes is already drilled into the bottom and the back of the safe so you have two options for securing the safe to an immovable wall or shelf (see picture below).
The electronic keypad is powered by a single AA battery and has good feedback. An audible beep sounds and the right most yellow LED turns on each time you press a key. When you enter the code successfully, a success tone sounds and the left most green LED goes on for four seconds to give you time to turn the latch. If you enter the wrong code, the beep goes off 5 times with the yellow light in sync.
The keyhole for the backup key is hidden nicely behind a removable piece of plastic that blends into the keypad. It actually took me a few seconds to find it. It removes easily when you need it.
The security of the safe should not be in doubt when you get a look at the lock bolts. Proportionally, they are the size one would use for a bank’s walk in vault. It would take some doing to cut through them.
I’ve already filled my safe with passports, jewelry, and other important documents. It’s a nice step up from the 1100 model safe which is more for fire protection than security. I’ve attached mine to the wall and I’m confident it will keep my valuables safe.
I’m not sure how much my exact model goes for, but I found the comparable X055 model at Amazon for less than $70. It’s well worth the money for peace of mind.
[Disclaimer: I won this safe in a SentrySafe giveaway with no expectation of doing a review. The safe was sent to me free of charge and I have no relationship with the company or any of its affiliates.]
Oh yeah. I’ve been meaning to get a fire-proof safe for a while now. Like 10 years! This one doesn’t look waterproof. Is it?
I would have to say no, it’s not waterproof because the door doesn’t have a seal. But you’re not taking it with you fishing, are you?
Noooo. But if you have things that need to be protected from fire, then you need to make sure they’re protected from all the water the fire department is going to use to put it out.