Top 3 Best Vault Doors

Overview

Vault Doors are extremely difficult to make and require advanced machinery and engineering know how. That’s why there are so few options in the category and even fewer high quality options. But don’t worry, I’ve tested all of these vault doors and compiled this list of the Top 3 Best Vault Doors that you can trust. All of these models have solid steel construction, high quality UL Rated locks, advanced security features and are sold by companies who actually honor their warranty.

Lock – Top 3 Best Vault Doors

First and always most important for any vault door is the lock. All three of these vault doors from American Security, Vault Pro and SnapSafe feature high quality UL Rated High Security Locks. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories and they are an independent agency that certifies that the locks are both secure and high quality. I always recommend to purchase a UL rated lock and all three of these options are very high quality. American Security and Vault Pro come standard with mechanical locks but also have the option to upgrade to a UL Rated type 1 High Security Lock which is included standard on the SnapSafe Vault Door.

Big Red Mechanical Lock – American Security Vault Door

The American Security BF Vault Doors come standard with a Big Red Mechanical Lock, UL approved Type 2. This is one of the two mechanical locks I recommend with the other being made by S&G. This high quality lock is designed to last forever and uses the traditional 3 number combination with 1 million possible combinations.

S&G Mechanical Lock – Vault Pro Titan Vault Door

Included in the price of the Vault Pro Titan Vault Door is the S&G UL Type 2 Mechanical Lock. This is one of only two mechanical locks I recommend as it is high quality, reliable and known for longevity. It uses a three number combination that rotates into the lock body on the inside of the safe. This lock is designed to last for decades and features over 1 million possible combinations. You can’t go wrong with this lock, I highly recommend it.

SecuRam Basic Electronic Lock – SnapSafe Vault Door

SnapSafe went with the SecuRam Basic electronic lock which is UL approved type 1 high security. SecuRam is one of only three electronic locks I recommend with the other two being NL and S&G. SecuRam is the exclusive partner of Liberty Safe and makes very high quality locks. This model uses a metal keypad which is so much better than the traditional plastic models. It also has an inner locking battery tray that is so much more convenient to use when replacing the batteries. The lock has over 1 million possible combinations and will last for decades.

High Security Key Override – SnapSafe Vault Door

Unique to the SnapSafe Vault Door is a high security double-bitted key override. Traditionally, UL Rated locks can not have a key override to maintain their UL RSC burglary rating. Since vault doors are not encased on all 6 sides like a gun safe, they actually do not hold any security rating at all and SnapSafe was able to add a key override that shifts the entire locking mechanism up, allowing the bolt-work to slide through. This is quite an impressive innovation. It’s very useful if you ever need to get into your vault room in an emergency.

Hard Plate and Re-Locker

All of these locks are also protected by both a hard plate and internal spring-loaded re-locker. The Hard plate is a piece of hardened steel that absolutely destroys drill bits. The internal re-locker fires if the lock is punched through securing the bolts in place. Both of these are essential security features and included on all of these Top 3 Best Vault Doors.

Security – Top 3 Best Vault Doors

When it comes to security, all three models use a variety of methods. Vault Pro and SnapSafe use the traditional single steel layers to achieve security. Vault Pro uses a full 1″ steel plate on the door while SnapSafe uses a 12 gauge steel plate door. Now this is where the American Security BF Vault Doors stand apart. American Security starts with a 1/2″ steel plate door, then uses concrete composite insulation material and an additional 11 gauge inner liner. Below is a cutaway view of the American Security BF Gun Safes which have the exact same construction on the door.

Fire Rating – Top 3 Best Vault Doors

When it comes to the fire ratings of the Top 3 Best Vault Doors, only American Security and Vault Pro have fire insulation material. Vault Pro has a 2 hour fire rating from a combination of UL Rated fireboard and ceramic wool blanket that allows it to achieve very high temperatures. Finally, American Security BF Vault Doors have a 2 hour rating due to the concrete composite material and this is by far the highest quality fire insulation material.

In addition, they all use intumescent door seals along the door frame that expand up to 7 times their size during a fire to keep smoke and heat from entering the safe.

Style and Function – Top 3 Best Vault Doors

Paint

American Security and Vault Pro both have a variety of quality textured color options and matching hardware. SnapSafe uses a standard textured black with chrome hardware.

Warranty

Vault Pro and SnapSafe include limited lifetime warranties on their vault doors that cover all components of the vault door except the lock. All three companies include 1 year parts and labor warranties where they will pay for a locksmith or safe technician to come out to your home and repair the vault door on site and at no cost to you. These are reliable warranties from good companies that keep their word.

The Bottom Line

All three of these models are easily the Top 3 Best Vault Doors in the industry. I selected each one for different reasons depending on what you are looking for. If you want the highest quality and best value burglary and fire rated vault door, the American Security BF vault doors are the clear winner. If you want the absolute thickest steel door in the industry, go with the Vault Pro Titan. Finally, if you want a low cost, budget friendly vault door, the SnapSafe Vault door is for you.