Stack-On used to be a decent quality brand making everything in USA. They began importing all of their gun safes from China, then were acquired by Alpha Guardian who also owns Cannon and GunVault. Over the years, their quality continues to decline as they product thin gauge steel gun safes with poor quality Solenoid electronic locks. In these Stack-On Gun Safe Reviews, I’ll explain why they are definitely products you want to avoid.
Lock – Stack-On Gun Safe Reviews
First and always most important for any gun safe is the lock used. The Stack-On gun safes feature the standard Chinese Solenoid Lock with key override. This is not a particularly good lock with known issues and quite easy to break into.
Because it has the key override, it does not come with a hard plate or re-locker. I consider these essential features for a gun safe in addition to a UL Rated lock made by NL, SecuRam or S&G. These locks are unbranded, un-rated and prone to failure. In my experience, this lock will inevitably fail and you will end up using the key to get in. This lock does retain the batteries on the inside so be sure to keep your keys handy when the batteries die.
Security – Stack-On Gun Safe Reviews
The Stack-On gun safes are CA DOJ approved as a firearm safety device which is not a difficult test to pass but does ensure it has the absolute most basic security features. Unfortunately, Stack-On intentionally does not list the steel thickness. Considering it’s weight, we can safely assume this is 14 gauge steel construction. Finally, the door typically features 1-way locking bolts 1″ thick which is extremely weak for a safe of this size and can be very easily opened with a crowbar.
Fire Rating
The Stack-On gun safes are typically fire rated for 30 minutes at 1400 degrees and up to 75 minutes on the total defense series. This is 200 degrees hotter than the industry standard of 1200 degrees. Also, Keep in mind, this is not independently verified by a testing agency like ETL or UL. This rating is only a factory test where we have to take their word for it. Also included is the essential Palusol Fire seal. It expands to multiple times its size during a fire to keep smoke and heat from entering the safe.
Style and Function
This Stack-On gun safe has a fully carpeted split interior with gun racks, side shelving and a top shelf. It’s finished in a textured black paint job. In addition, hardware includes a black or chrome L-shpaed drop down handle or 3-spoke handle and chrome or black keypad. I’m not particularly enthralled with the styling. All in all, it’s a very basic, cheap as you can get, gun safe.
Warranty
To my surprise, Stack-On has a warranty equivalent to Liberty Safe and Browning. They provide a lifetime warranty on theft and fire as well as defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the original purchaser. The lock and paint carry a 5 year parts and labor warranty. They will pay for a locksmith or safe technician to come repair the safe on site. In my experience, Stack-On, Cannon and Alpha Guardian are an absolute nightmare to work with. They never answer the phone, rarely answer e-mails and are not consistent with their promises. Keep that in mind if you decide to buy a Stack-On Safe.
The Bottom Line
Would I buy a Stack-On gun safe to store my firearms or valuables? No, I would not. With the low quality Solenoid Electronic lock, thin steel construction, weak locking bolts, no hard plate and no re-locker, I can not recommend this safe. While the price of this safe is unbelievably low, there is a reason for that. With safes you nearly always get what you pay for and to be perfectly honest, you’re buying a POS.
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