Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe Review

“Love it, very nice safe at a great price. I’m pretty impressed with the Stealth gun safe I purchased. It has a lot of extra features I didn’t see included on safes like this one such as the outlet and molle organizer, they even included all the accessories with it which I thought was a nice touch. The overall quality is pretty apparent, they left no detail unfinished and the paint is my favorite part, the pictures online don’t do it justice. I don’t even know how to describe it but it looks very durable, the black on black look is awesome! Very happy with my purchase and would order a safe from Stealth again in a heartbeat!”

Jason from Amazon.com

Stealth Safes have been manufacturing high quality safes for over a decade now. They are based out of California and like many manufacturers import globally and produce in the USA. They use the highest quality locks in the industry, include most accessories standard and provide lifetime warranties on all of their gun safes. In this Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe Review, I will help you understand why the Essential Series is my absolute top pick for an entry level gun safe.

Lock – Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe

NL UR-2020 High Security Electronic Lock

First and always most important for any safe is the lock and Stealth went with the best, the NL UR-2020. This is a UL approved type 1 high security electronic lock and very high quality. If you go back and read any of my reviews, you’ll see I constantly tell everyone that a UL rated lock should be the minimum you look for and the best brands are NL, S&G and Securam.

What makes this lock so great is the engineering behind it. It is actually half the size of a traditional lock which allows it to be hidden away from the spindle hole and creates a smaller and more difficult point to hit during a drill attack. It also features over 1 million possible combinations and the keypad includes a red light that makes it easy to see in the dark. The 9 volt battery is replaceable from the keypad, outside of the safe.

S&G High Security Mechanical Lock

The second lock option available is the S&G mechanical lock. This is a UL Approved Type 2 high security lock which is one level below Type 1 electronic locks. S&G makes the highest quality mechanical locks in the industry trusted by the U.S. Military. This lock is designed to last forever and uses the traditional 3 number combination with 1 million possible combinations. Many people like this lock purely due to the fact that it has no batteries. Please note, this lock option is only available at Dean Safe and not available on Amazon.

NL Doomsday High Security Redundant Lock

The final lock option available is the NL Doomsday Redundant Lock. This lock is UL approved type 1 high security but features both electronic and mechanical access. The top of the lock features a 10 button keypad that has the same security level and features as a standard electronic lock but then combines it with a mechanical dial in the center of the lock. This effectively gives you the best of both world, convenient fast access when you need it via the electronic lock and a mechanical back-up for emergencies. I highly recommend this upgrade. Please note, this lock option is only available at Dean Safe and not available on Amazon.

Hard Plate and Internal Re-Locker

All three lock options are protected by both a hard plate and internal spring-loaded re-locker. The Hard plate is a piece of hardened steel that absolutely destroys drill bits. In addition, the internal re-locker fires if the lock is punched through securing the bolts in place. Both of these are essential security features and included on this safe.

Burglary Rating – Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe

Let’s start with it’s CA DOJ, California Department of Justice, approved status. California has by defacto set the standard for ratings when it comes to inexpensive gun safes. Sellers must send four gun 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, Stealth took the time and spent the money to get all of their safes approved for sale. So how did they accomplish this feat?

Security – Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe

First, they started with a 14 gauge steel door and body. Most of the safes you will find in this price and quality range will have 16 gauge steel.

Next, Stealth adds four active 1″ solid steel locking bolts on one side of the door and four 1″ solid steel deadbolts on the hinge side. This ensures that even if you were to saw off the hinges, the door would remain locked because it has bolts on both sides.

Fire Rating – Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe

Next, the Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe is fire rated for 30 minutes at 1200 degrees. Nearly all of the so called “safes” in the price range, are not actually safes, they are cabinets and have no fire rating at all. This includes products from Barska, Secure-It and many of the Chinese brands on Amazon whose names are unpronounceable.

Add in the Palusol fire expanding door seal and this Stealth Gun Safe will be able to survive the standard house fire that burns for 20 minutes.

Style and Function

When it comes to the finish and interior features, the Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe stand outs even more. It has a high quality and durable paint job that can be described as a crinkled matte black and black 3-spoke handle. Typically you’ll only find the textured black powder coat on these types of entry level safes that shows fingerprint smudges and wears out rather quickly. This paint is built to last for decades and gives the safe a tough look and feel.

Once open, you’ll see a molle door panel organizer on the back of the door with all the accessories included that allow you to store your pistols, magazines and other small items on the back of the door. Also included is an electrical outlet that adds power to the inside of the safe. This can power a light kit or dehumidifier without batteries.

Warranty

Now the final feature I want to point out on the Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe is that is is backed by a lifetime warranty against break-ins and fire as well as a 2 year parts and labor warranty. Stealth will pay for a safe technician or locksmith to come fix your safe on-site and at absolutely no cost to you. In addition, they don’t require you to ship the safe back to the factory for warranty either. All in all, this is a high quality warranty provided by a reliable company.

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the Stealth EGS23 Gun Safe to store my valuables? If I was in the market for an entry level 23 gun safe, yes I absolutely would. With the UL rated lock, hard plate and internal re-locker, this gun safe is built much stronger and is loaded with many more features than the standard entry level gun safe. Finally, it’s sold by a reliable company with one of the industries best warranties. All in all, the Essential series is my top pick for an entry level gun safe.

Where to Buy?

There are two main options on where you can buy a Stealth gun safe: Amazon or Dean Safe. If you check the seller on Amazon, you will find that it actually sells and ships from Dean Safe. So, ultimately you are buying it from Dean Safe either way. The benefits of buying from Dean Safe are that you can have it shipped same business day at no extra cost, upgrade the lock, add a dehumidifier and light kit to the order for a discounted rate, have a customized combination pre-set before shipping, get financing and get instant communication without having to go through Amazons system. You are also supporting an American small business. All things considered, I recommend you buy direct from Dean Safe.