Top 3 Best Home Safes Under $400

Overview

Home safes under $400 are nowhere near as good as higher priced options. Most models in this category are not meant for real burglary protection and feature un-rated Solenoid electronic locks or un-branded mechanical locks, no hard plate, no re-locker and are purely for fire protection. I highly recommend moving up to the next category of UL RSC rated home safes. With that said, $400 is all some people can afford and that’s why I’ve compiled this list of the Top 3 Best Home Safes Under $400. While they don’t boast high security ratings, they have solid fire ratings, offer some security and have excellent warranties.

Lock – Top 3 Best Home Safes Under $400

First and always most important for any home safe is the lock. All three of these home safes feature un-rated locks from China. There are no home safes under $400 that feature UL rated locks. Again, I highly recommend you look for a safe with a UL Rated lock. UL certifies that the locks are secure, durable and long lasting.

Sanctuary Platinum and Diamond Home Safes – Solenoid Electronic Lock

Sanctuary uses an un-rated solenoid electronic lock with two fail safe override keys included for emergency use. I do not recommend un-rated electronic locks but with the included key override, you’ll always be able to get into the safe and if anything goes wrong. Also, it is covered by the Sanctuary comprehensive lifetime warranty so if it fails, they will replace the lock at no cost to you.

Sentry SFW Home Safes – Un-Rated Mechanical Lock

SentrySafe uses an un-rated mechanical lock. Normally, I would never recommend an un-rated mechanical lock and while it doesn’t compare to a UL Rated high security mechanical lock, for the price it is far better than competing products. They exclude the key override on this model which makes it significantly more secure. I recommend keeping this lock in a cool dry place as humidity can damage the inner workings of the mechanical lock and these Sentry safes use a wet fill for the fire insulation material which makes them especially susceptible.

Burglary Rating – Top 3 Best Home Safes Under $400

California has set the standard for ratings when it comes to inexpensive home safes. Sellers must send four home safes to a testing agency in the US where they do a torture test. This includes attacking it with several different tools including grinders, saws, screwdrivers, hammers and more. Once approved, the test results and two of the safes are sent to the California Department of Justice where they review all of the data and provide a pass or fail result. Once passed, it’s added to the roster of approved firearm safety devices for sale. All in all, Sanctuary took the time and spent the money to get all of their home safes approved for sale. SentrySafe did not submit their safe for testing.

Security – Top 3 Best Home Safes Under $400

When it comes to security, the Sanctuary Platinum and Diamond home safes are built much stronger than Sentry models. Sanctuary uses 16 gauge steel in both the door and body and a thick military style locking bar that has a larger surface area than the traditional round bolts. Sentry uses 18 gauge steel in both the door and body as well as 1″ round solid steel locking bolts. 16 gauge is not very different to 18 gauge, they are both very thin and far too easy to break into. Again, I highly recommend going with a UL RSC burglary rated home safe.

Fire Rating – Top 3 Best Home Safes Under $400

When it comes to the fire ratings of the Top 3 Home Safes Under $400, they actually excel. Sanctuary uses gypsum fire board for the fire insulation material and features a 120 minute fire rating on the Platinum series as well as a 90 minute fire rating on the Diamond series. Sentry uses a wet fill to achieve the fire rating and features a UL Approved 60 minute fire ratings. While the 60 minute fire rating sounds inferior to the Sanctuary it is actually on par if not better because it passed the UL fire test which is significantly difficult.

Water Rating – Top 3 Best Home Safes Under $400

Not only do these home safes offer superior fire protection but they also offer excellent water protection. Both Sanctuary Home Safes are water rated for 7 days in up to 2 ft of standing water and the Sentry Safe is water rated for 24 hours. This is not a common feature on home safes and requires a special seal to keep the door and bolt down holes secure.

Style and Function

Paint

All three models are finished in a textured hammer tone powder coat gray paint. It looks very nice and is so much better than the standard textured black used on most low end home safes. Hardware includes a black or chrome L-Shaped handle and overall these safes are styled nearly identical.

Interior

Another differentiator between these home safes is the interior. The Sanctuary Platinum home safes feature a high quality interior with tempered glass shelves and plush vinyl walls. The Sanctuary Diamond home safes feature a standard carpeted interior. Finally, the Sentry SFW series features a plastic interior. All three models have key hooks on the back of the door for keys, necklaces and bracelets. All in all, the Sanctuary Platinum home safes interior is far superior to the other two options.

Warranty

All three companies include limited lifetime warranties on their home safes that cover fire. All three companies also include parts and labor warranties where they will pay for a locksmith or safe technician to come out to your home and repair the home safe on site and at no cost to you. The key differentiator in this category is that Sentry only provides a 1 year parts and labor warranty while Sanctuary offers a comprehensive lifetime warranty on all components of the safe. The longer the warranty, the more the company believes in the product. It’s really that simple.

The Bottom Line

All three of these models are easily the Top 3 Best Home Safes Under $400. While the Sentry SFW Home Safes may be a lower price, they pale in comparison to the Sanctuary Diamond and Platinum Home Safes. With the comprehensive lifetime warranty, these low cost home safes can’t be beat.