SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe Review

SentrySafe is one of those companies that have been around for what feels like forever. They make excellent water and fire rated safes but always include a fatal security flaw and low quality locks. With a few small changes, they could easily be the top safe company in the United States. Unfortunately, they were purchased by MasterLock nearly a decade ago and began only focusing on profits instead of the customers needs and security. In this SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe Review, I will help you understand why this is definitely a safe you should avoid.

Lock – SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe

Un-Rated Electronic Lock

First and always most important for any gun safe is the lock. SentrySafe uses an un-rated electronic lock with two fail safe override keys included for emergency use. Normally, I would never recommend an un-rated electronic lock and while it doesn’t compare to a UL Rated high security electronic lock, for the price it is far better than competing products.

Key Override

With that said, SentrySafe includes a tubular key override with this lock and here lies the fatal security flaw. These tubular override keys can be picked with BIC pens, tubular lock picks and several other household items simply by inserting and twisting. These locks are far too easy to break into and ruin any potential security the product had. Being owned by MasterLock, a well known lock company, SentrySafe should know better than this and it pains me to see them go the cheapest route possible sacrificing customer security for profits.

Security – SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe

The SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe has no burglary rating and has not even been tested. They advertise this as “maximum security” and it is anything but that. It does include four 1″ live action locking bolts and a pry-resistant hinge bar. Take one quick look on Youtube and you’ll find a video showing how to break into any SentrySafe in under 2 minutes with only a hammer and a crowbar. This is not adequate for home security and these safes are made with the thinnest 18 gauge steel.

Fire and Water Rated – SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe

Fire Rating

The SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe is both fire and water rated which is not common on home safes. The fire rating is UL certified for 1 Hour at 1700 degrees which is 500 degrees hotter than the standard 1200 degree rating. It also includes an intumescent door seal. This seal expands to multiple times its size during a fire to keep smoke and heat out of the safe. This is the highest quality fire rating you can have outside of the UL 2 hour fire rating and SentrySafe is one of only four companies to test with UL. 10 out of 10 on the fire rating.

Water Rating

The water rating is ETL Certified for 24 hours in up to 8 inches of standing water. SentrySafe is now the only brand that offers an ETL certified waterproof home safe. Keep in mind that it is only 8 inches so it will not survive a full flood but is much better than no water rating at all.

Style and Function

The SentrySafe Home Safe line is loaded with features. It’s finished in a light gray hammertone powder coat finish which is both durable and sleek. It has a black L shaped handle, SentrySafe logo and dark gray keypad. The interior is soft plastic with internal locking drawer that also acts as a shelf. The back of the door features key hooks and a document tray. A motion sensor interior light illuminates once the door is open to provide instant lighting to the internal contents. It is very important to note that the interior of this safe collects moisture due to the fire insulation material. If you purchase this safe, I highly recommend combining it with a strong dehumidifier. The EVA-Dry dehumidifier uses Silica Gel to absorb the moisture and needs to be renewed every 6-8 weeks.

Warranty

SentrySafe offers a lifetime fire warranty where they will replace the safe at no cost to you if it ever goes through a fire. They also offer a 1 year product warranty where they will repair or replace the safe for defects in materials or workmanship. In my experience, SentrySafe is a long-standing and reliable company that is easy to work with and honors their warranties.

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe for my valuables? Personally, no I would not. Having a UL rated high security lock and UL RSC burglary rating with at least 12 gauge steel is the absolute minimum I would purchase.

You can refer to this list of the Top 3 Home Best Home Safes under $1,300 to see which models I recommend as best in category. All of these models feature a high quality, UL Rated high security lock and thick steel construction.