Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe Review

***Kodiak Has Made New Updated Models with the Revolutionary SAFEX Locking System. See the New Model Here.***

Kodiak is a brand owned by Rhino Metals that they use to designate their imported products. This gun safe is made in China but is so much better than the standard imported Chinese quality. With features like a UL Rated High Security electronic lock, heavy steel construction at 258 lbs and an 18 gun capacity, the Kodiak KB5520ECS is easily one of the very best value gun safes money can buy.

Lock – Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe

First and always most important for any safe is its lock. The Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe comes standard with the SecuRam Toplit high security electronic lock. This lock is tested and approved by underwriters laboratories, UL, which is an independent testing agency. They verify the security and reliability of locks and safes.

Nearly every entry level safe uses an unrated electronic Solenoid lock that is to easy to break into. This is an extremely high quality lock on an entry level safe. The lock is also protected by both a hardened steel hard plate just inside the door that absolutely destroys drill bits. In addition, an internal re-locker that fires if a thief is attempting to punch the lock through.

Security – Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe

The steel thickness on the Kodiak KB5520ECS is listed at 2 mm which is equivalent to 14 gauge steel. 14 gauge is too thin to test for the UL Approved RSC burglary rating. Instead, they tested it only as a CA DOJ Approved Firearm Safety Device. This is consistent with safes of this steel thickness and price range.

It easily passed the test and uses security features like 5 solid steel door bolts 1″ thick, anti-tamper clutch in the handle, UL rated high security lock, hard plate and re-locker. This is not a super high security safe that will stop a determined thief from entry. It will keep your firearms and valuables safe from kids and the average smash and grab break-in.

If you need a higher security or insurable safe, I would recommend checking out the Stealth UL gun safes as the mid-level and the American Security BFX gun safes for high security. See the difference below for the comparison between 14 gauge steel on this model and what 12 gauge steel looks like on the Stealth UL gun safes for example.

Fire Rating – Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe

The Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe comes with a 30 minute fire rating at 1400 degrees. This is just enough time to survive the length of the standard house fire that burns for 20 minutes. The door is fully lined with an intumescent door seal that expands to multiple times its size during a fire to keep smoke and heat from entering the safe.

Keep in mind that this is a factory test and not independently verified by a testing agency like ETL. American Security is the only safe company that independently tests their fire ratings.

Style and Function

In all honesty, I am not thrilled with the styling on the Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe. It has the standard textured black paint job that is consistent with 95% of all gun safes imported from China. In addition, they use a simple chrome drop down L-Shaped handle with plastic keypad. Overall it does feel a little cheap but then again this is a budget gun safe that is low priced.

The interior is fully lined with carpeting on a single gun rack with adjustable and removable top shelf. The back of the door features a handy door panel organizer that includes pistol holsters and expandable pockets on the bottom. Finally, one really great feature about their shelves is that they include a cut-out in the back of the shelf that leaves room for your extra long firearms.

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe to store my valuables and firearms. I think the answer to that question is that it depends. Overall, I think this is a really good quality entry level safe for the price and the UL Rated high security lock really sets it apart from all of the other entry level safes under $1k.