SnapSafe made their claim to fame with their modular put together gun safes that were such a unique innovation at their time. After being bought out by Hornady, they have since ventured into handgun safes, wall safes, under the bed safes and vault doors. While the majority of the products they ventured into were lackluster quality, the vault doors are quite impressive for the price and utilize a high quality lock. In these SnapSafe Vault Door Reviews, I will help you understand why they are the best budget vault doors available.
Lock – SnapSafe Vault Door Reviews
First and always most important for any vault door is the lock. SnapSafe went with the Securam Basic electronic lock which is UL approved type 1 high security. SecuRam is one of only three electronic locks I recommend with the other two being NL and S&G. SecuRam is the exclusive partner of Liberty Safe and makes very high quality locks. This model uses a metal keypad which is so much better than the traditional plastic models. It also has an inner locking battery tray that is so much more convenient to use when replacing the batteries. The lock has over 1 million possible combinations and will last for decades.
High Security Key Override
Unique to this model is a high security double-bitted key override. Traditionally, UL Rated locks can not have a key override to maintain their UL RSC burglary rating. Since vault doors are not encased on all 6 sides like a gun safe, they actually do not hold any security rating at all and SnapSafe was able to add a key override that shifts the entire locking mechanism up, allowing the bolt-work to slide through. This is quite an impressive innovation. It’s very useful if you ever need to get into your vault room in an emergency.
Security – SnapSafe Vault Door Reviews
In terms of security, the SnapSafe Vault Door is not built as secure as higher quality options from American Security, Liberty or Browning. However, considering the price of the product, it is an excellent option. It starts out with a 12 gauge steel formed door and is secured by nine 1″ steel locking bolts. The entire frame is also built with 12 gauge steel. It’s built similar to a standard construction UL RSC gun safe. There is no fire material included in the safe and it is purely a strong steel door.
Style and Function
The SnapSafe Vault Door is built very simply. It features a textured black paint scheme with chrome 3-spoke handle and keypad. There are no additional color options or features, what you see is what you get. In contrast to most other brands, all installation hardware and instructions are included. While I still recommend you hire a professional contractor to discuss sizing and installation, this is one of those products you could install yourself as it only weighs approx. 300 lbs. Theses vault doors come in two sizes and two options. Either 32 x 80 or 36 x 80, in-swing, out-swing or left hand in-swing.
Warranty
SnapSafe advertises all of their safes to have a no risk Lifetime Warranty. However, when you read the fine print, the lifetime warranty only covers material defects and workmanship. It is very unclear if that includes the electronic components. SnapSafe is owned by Hornady and Hornady explicitly states that their warranty does not cover the electronics and that portion is only covered for 1 year. I would expect SnapSafe to have the same policy despite it not being clearly outlined in their warranty information. Finally, it is also unclear who pays for shipping or if they will cover a technician to come to your home. Always read the fine print.
The Bottom Line
Would I buy the SnapSafe Vault Door to secure my valuables? Yes, I absolutely would but only for specific applications. It is not as secure as brands like American Security, Liberty and Browning, however it is only a third of the cost. It still includes a high security UL rated electronic lock, 12 gauge steel construction and steel locking bolts. With the key override, I’m not so concerned with the vague lifetime warranty as the lock can easily be replaced on your own should something go wrong. All in all, this is the best budget vault door on the market.
