Are Cheap Gun Safes Worth It? Answered

Are Cheap Gun Safes Worth It is one of the top questions asked on Google and to answer that question we first need to define what a gun safe is. Stores like Costco, Walmart, Home Depot and Amazon want to muddy the waters on the difference between a gun cabinet and a gun safe. In the real safe world, a gun safe has some minimum requirements such as a minimum of 14 gauge steel construction, at least three 1″ solid steel locking bolts, at least a 30 minute fire rating, the ability to store long guns and a lock. When it comes to deciding if a cheap gun safe is worth it for you, I think that fully depends on what you are storing inside the safe and what you are trying to protect it against. Even the highest quality cheap gun safes, will still not stop a determined burglar but if your only concern is against children accessing your guns, it could very well do the job. Cheap is also a relative term and depends on comparison and the size of the safe you are looking at. For some, cheap may mean under $500 and for others under $1,000. For the purpose of this article, I’m going to help you understand are cheap gun safes worth it, what core components you should be looking for in a cheap gun safe and provide recommendations on the absolute best cheap gun safes you can buy.

Lock

A cheap gun safe is only as good as its lock and this is a concept I try to get my readers to understand in every single article I write. That cheap gun safe can very quickly become an expensive gun safe if it uses a low quality lock. The first component you should be looking for is a UL rated type 1 or 2 high security lock. There are three manufacturers that make the best UL rated electronic locks and they are NL, SecuRam and S&G (Sargent & Greenleaf). Working in the safe industry for over 30 years, I have seen all kinds of locks and there issues, I also have connections at all three of these companies and know exactly how they handle their quality control, warranty and provide service. These three companies make locks to last for decades if not longer and go through rigorous product testing and quality control. I only recommend these brands when it comes to electronic locks and you will find them on all of the top brands in the country including Liberty, Stealth, Rhino Metals, Fort Knox and Superior. When it comes to Mechanical Locks, I recommend again making sure it is UL rated type 2 high security and is made by S&G or Big Red. These are the only two manufacturers that make long term, reliable mechanical locks. As a rule of thumb, I would stay far away from brands like LaGard, Dormakaba and anything that is unbranded or not UL rated. Most of the really cheap gun safes you will find at Walmart, Costco and Home Depot will have non-UL rated locks with a key override. These locks are Solenoid based and are easily broken into with accessible reset buttons, key overrides and other security vulnerabilities in conjunction with locks that are not reliable. These locks will inevitably lock you out and drill jobs to get your safe open will start out at around $400 making that cheap gun safe more expensive than a higher quality alternative.

Security

It amazes me how people expect to receive the highest level of security in a super cheap gun safe. When it comes to gun safes, you certainly get what you pay for and steel is a commodity that has a price. You can’t expect a 1/2″ steel plate on a cheap gun safe, the steel alone will cost more than the safe itself, however there are certain minimums you should look for in basic security of a gun safe. For example, anything less than 12 gauge steel will be pretty easily pried and if the door is large enough, the bolts can just bend and snap. So if you are looking at a safe with 14 gauge steel and only 2-way boltwork or even worse, 1-way boltwork, that safe can be pried open very easily. 4-way boltwork is significantly more difficult to pry even if the bolts are only 1″ thick and the door is 14 gauge steel but you won’t find 4-way boltwork on this type of safe with the exception of the Stealth EGS28 Gun Safe. Steelwater also offers some cheap gun safes with 4-way boltwork but they only use non-UL rated locks so I can’t recommend them. Other essential security features that make a cheap gun safe worth it are the hardplate and the re-locker. A hardplate is a thick hardened steel plate that goes between the door and the lock to provide an additional barrier for drilling. It’s important to remember that buying a safe is buying time and the more security features, thicker steel, hardplates, etc. are just increasing the amount of time it takes to break-in. A re-locker is a pin that fires if the lock is punched through and secures the bolts from retracting. These features are found on cheap gun safes like the Stealth Essential Gun Safes, Liberty Centurion Gun Safes and American Security TF Gun Safes.

Fire Rating

As described before, an additional feature that separates a gun safe from a gun cabinet is the fact that it has a fire rating. I would look for a minimum of 30 minutes fire rating at 1200 degrees in a cheap gun safe. Ideally, you would want this fire rating tested and certified by ETL or an independent laboratory but that is quite an expensive test that most manufacturers will not include on a cheap gun safe. Companies that do actually test their fire ratings include American Security, Cannon and Liberty Safe. Another critical component I see missing from many cheap gun safes is the fire seal on the door that expands to multiple times its size during a fire and prevents smoke or heat from entering the safe. This is often called a Palusol Door Seal or an intumescent door seal. Definitely check and make sure any cheap gun safe you are considering has one of these door seals.

The Bottom Line

Are Cheap Gun Safes Worth It? I hope after reading this article, you can make a better decision on if that cheap gun safe is worth it for you. By making sure it has all of the essential features when it comes to the lock, security and the fire rating, a cheap gun safe very well be a great option for you. They won’t stop a determined burglar with a saw, drills or crowbars and strong guys but they will do a great job against a smash and grab scenario or kids. I also highly recommend that wherever you place the safe, you bolt it down. This forces the burglar to open it on site and prevents them from just sliding the safe out the front door and into their vehicle. This is especially important for gun safes in the garage. Here are my top picks for cheap gun safes that are worth it:

Stealth Essential Gun Safes

The Stealth Essential Gun Safes come in three sizes including a 14 gun, 23 gun and 28 gun and have all of the essential features as described in their name. They come with 14 gauge steel, 1″ solid steel locking bolts (4-way on the EGS28), a UL rated High Security electronic lock made by NL, a 30 minute fire rating, hardplate, relocker and many accessories already included. They are CA DOJ approved for burglary and are overall the most competitively priced in the cheap gun safe category. Click the links below to check out all of the 5-Star Reviews they have on Amazon.

Liberty Centurion Gun Safes

The Liberty Centurion Gun Safes are my second pick for cheap gun safes and also come in three sizes including a 12 gun, 18 gun and 24 gun. They also feature 14 gauge steel construction, military style locking bolts, internal hinge, 30 minute fire rating, a high security UL rated type 2 S&G Mechanical lock made by S&G, hardplate, relocker, CA DOJ Approval and are made right here in the USA. They do not come with any additional accessories like a door panel organizer or electrical outlet but those can be added. The reason I call it the second best gun safe series after the Stealth is that the electronic lock carries a higher security rating than mechanical, the external hinges allow for full door opening and it comes standard with the electrical outlet and door panel organizer. I also like the paint styling and overall look/feel of the safe so much better. Click the links below to check out Liberty Gun Safes on Amazon.

Rhino RB Gun Safes

The Rhino RB gun safes are my third pick for top cheap gun safes and are very good quality. They feature a 40 minute fire rating at 1400 degrees, 14 gauge steel construction, UL approved high security SecuRam electronic lock, hardplate, relocker, 1″ solid steel bolts, CA DOJ Approval and are made in the USA. They do include the door panel but not the electrical outlet and are just a little bit more expensive than both the Stealth and Liberty safes. Overall, they are excellent quality made by a reliable company. They come in two sizes and the RB6036 is definitely the best value cheap gun safe for its size. Click the links below to check out these safes on Rhino metals webiste: