Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe Review

Hayman is most well known for their innovative floor safes in the safe industry. They made an innovative, lightweight foam body that is just as strong in concrete. Since then, they’ve moved into home safes with little success. In this review, I will explain why the Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe is a safe you should avoid.

Lock – Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe

Un-Rated Electronic Lock

First and always most important for any safe is its lock. The Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe comes standard with an electronic lock and LCD display. This lock carries no certifications or burglary ratings. I always recommend purchasing a safe with a UL Rated high security electronic or mechanical lock from NL, SecuRam or S&G. There is no second best. Unfortunately this safe does not have that and automatically moves it to my not recommended list. In addition, it does not have a hard plate or internal re-locker which are two essential security features.

Security – Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe

The Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe has no burglary ratings or testing. It is not certified by UL or even CA DOJ. This is a simple fire safe and not meant for burglary protection whatsoever. It does have three-way bolt-work but the bolts are tiny and overall not very pry resistant. I would not recommend this safe for burglary protection. Finally, they do not list or mention the steel thickness anywhere which is a huge red flag. I would estimate this safe around 16 gauge steel. For reference, 16 gauge steel is the thickness of a penny.

Fire Rating – Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe

The Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe is fire rated for 2 hours at 1700 degrees. This is the one really good thing about this safe. This fire rating is the KIS fire rating which is an independent laboratory in Korea who verifies the claims of safe companies. This rating is not as good as the UL test on American Security and Gardall fire safes but still better than a factory test. Most other companies only perform factory tests where we have to trust them and take their word for it.

An intumescent door seal is included that expands up to 7 times its size during a fire to seal out smoke and heat from entering the safe.

Style and Function

The Hayman FlameVault series are finished in a two-tone powder coat grayish paint. Hardware includes a plastic turn handle and keypad. This interior is all metal with no carpeting. Overall, I think the styling is not very good and could be much better. Finally, a counter sunk bolt down hole is located on the bottom of the safe with all mounting hardware included.

Warranty

The Hayman FlameVault series comes with a lifetime warranty on fires where they will replace the safe at no cost to you if it ever experiences a fire. Hayman also provides a 1 year warranty. Unfortunately, the warranty is very unclear on who pays for transportation. For me, that is a red flag and usually the company will only repair or replace the safe if you pay the shipping back and forth on their defective product.

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the Hayman FV-288E FlameVault Fire Safe to store my valuables? No, I would not. This safe has no burglary rating, an electronic lock with no certifications or rating and thin steel construction.

There is a safe with a UL RSC burglary rating that has even more features that I do recommend. The American Security BFS Home Safes feature a UL RSC Burglary Rating, UL Approved Lock, thick 1/2″ steel plate door, thick steel plates in the body, a much more attractive finish and is made by a reputable and long standing American company. I would recommend buying an American Security BFS home safe instead of this.