A relatively unknown brand in the safe industry, Vital Impact gun safes are sold exclusively at Sportsman’s Warehouse and are their private label brand. They contract other manufacturers to build safes for them and just slap their Vital Impact logo on it. Overall, these Vital Impact Gun Safes are not very good quality and there are far better options.
Lock – Vital Impact Gun Safe Reviews
First and always most important for any gun safe is the lock used. In an attempt to cut cost and have the absolute lowest prices possible, Vital Impact opted to use a low quality Solenoid electronic lock. Undoubtedly, these locks are unbranded, un-rated and prone to failure. They include a key override for when the lock inevitably fails. Finally, they do not include a hard plate or re-locker and really are as cheap as you can get.
Security – Vital Impact Gun Safe Reviews
Vital Impact Gun Safes have no burglary ratings, not even CA DOJ approval as a firearm safety device. We don’t even know if it can withstand light burglary attacks. Ideally, you want a gun safe that is UL Approved as a Residential Security Container, RSC. Because they only have a 14 gauge steel door and body, they do not qualify for the test. Next, Vital Impact gun safes use solid steel locking bolts that range in thickness.
I’m confident these could be opened with a screwdriver and a hammer. You don’t even need a crowbar. Another common weak point in these safes is the locks reset button which is just a red button inside the door that can usually be accessed with a coat wire. There are just too many access points for me to recommend these safes from a security standpoint.
Fire Rating – Vital Impact Gun Safe Reviews
Vital Impact Gun Safes use Gypsum Fire board as their insulation material. This is consistent with nearly every other manufacturer besides American Security who uses concrete composite. Vital Impact does not test their gun safes with ETL, an independent laboratory, to verify their claims. This means that they only do a factory test and we have to trust that it will actually survive. Lastly, there is no mention of an intumescent door seal and looking at the pictures, it does not appear to have one.
I would be very surprised to see these survive even the standard house fire. I would not recommend it for fire protection.
Style and Function
Vital Impact Gun Safes are finished in a variety of black powder coat paint schemes with drop down handles and 3-spoke handles. Hardware finishes vary depending on the paint scheme. The interior is standard carpeting with gun racks, side shelves and top shelves. Finally, most models have some type of door panel organizer.
The Bottom Line
The Vital Impact Gun Safes are very attractively priced but the quality leaves a lot to be desired. The safe is far too easily defeated, it has a very poor quality lock and no independently tested burglary or fire rating. There are much better options with UL rated high security locks in this category. Some examples are the Stealth Essential Gun Safes and Kodiak Gun Safes.
The reasons I like these safes better is because they come with a UL Rated High Security Electronic Lock, a much more durable paint job, Door Panel Organizers, Electrical outlet and limited lifetime warranties from reliable companies. Yes, it does cost a little bit more but it will save you a giant headache when the Vital Impact safe decides to stop opening.
