Mesa MBF3820 Home Safe Review

I’m honestly surprised Mesa is somehow still in business. They sell the lowest quality products with false advertising and have horrible reviews. The owner has been in and out of jail multiple times and if I were you, I would stay as far away as possible from this company and their products. In this review, I’ll help you understand why the Mesa MBF3820 Home Safe is a product you should avoid.

Lock – Mesa MBF3820 Home Safe

First and always most important for any safe is the lock. Mesa gives you the option of two un-rated locks. Included in the price is a Solenoid electronic lock. These locks are the lowest quality in the safe industry and can be bounced, picked and opened in a variety of ways. This lock will inevitably fail causing you to have to pay a locksmith to drill it open.

The second lock option is an un-rated mechanical lock. Whenever a lock doesn’t have a brand, this is a huge red flag. They don’t list the brand because they know it is going to fail and don’t want any calls or customer service responsibility. These mechanical locks are not built to the same security or quality standards as S&G or Big Red. It will begin to grind and eventually get stuck.

Neither of these lock options include a re-locker or hard plate which are essential security features. They actually falsely advertise this on their listings. Solenoid locks can not have a re-locker as it is not compatible with the mechanism. Don’t fall for their tricks.

Security – Mesa MBF3820 Home Safe

Another big red flag for the Mesa MBF3820 Home Safe is that it has absolutely no burglary rating or testing. Not UL, not CA DOJ, absolutely nothing. In fact, they don’t even list the steel thickness on this safe. Considering it’s weight of 140 lbs, dimensions and its supposed 2 hour fire rating, this can be estimated to be 16 gauge steel. This is the thickness of a penny for reference and absolutely not adequate for a home safe. Finally, it advertises a 1-1/4″ thick body which only comprises of the fire resistant gypsum board that offers no drill or cutting resistance.

Fire Rating

The Mesa MBF series claims to have a 2 hour fire rating at 1830 degrees. Unfortunately, this is only a factory test and not verified by any independent agency. I would not believe this fire rating for a single second. Mesa falsely advertises nearly every component of this safe and I am positive this is also incorrect. They have no reports or testimonials of their safes going through fires which is another red flag. They do seem to have an intumescent door seal that does expand to multiple times its size during a fire to keep heat and smoke out.

Style and Function

The Mesa MBF series is finished in the lowest quality textured black powder coat paint consistent with nearly every imported safe coming out of China. Hardware includes a brushed silver drop down handle and chrome keypad. The interior is fully carpeted in gray with one adjustable or removable shelf. All in all, this is a bare bones, cheap as you can get home safe.

Warranty

The Mesa MBF series is covered by their one year limited warranty. In writing, this warranty is actually not that bad. It covers the cost of sending out a technician to your location to repair the safe and includes the cost of shipping for all replacement parts. However, getting a hold of Mesa’s customer service department and getting them to actually honor the warranty is an entirely different issue. I would be very surprised if they actually follow through with the warranty and help you out. Nearly every other brand also offers a lifetime Fire warranty where they will replace the safe for you if it ever goes through a fire. Mesa does not offer this.

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the Mesa MBF3820 Home Safe to store my valuables? No, not a chance. With no security rating, thin steel construction, false advertising on nearly every part of the safe and an unreliable company for service and warranty, I would stay as far away from Mesa safe as possible.

With that said, 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.