Well I'll be darned!

[Bret4207]

A couple years back SWMBO and I went looking for a small, easy to move, fire resistant lock box to put our valuables in after annual rental on our safe deposit box at the bank went up to $75.00. Went went to what passes for a dept store in this area, Tractor Supply, and somehow came home with the largest gun safe they had on hand. (It holds something like 64 guns, so there's still quite a few not in the safe!) As it would happen I went to access it one day recently and the pin pad was inop. Changed to a fresh battery and still no joy. I had visions of high dollar locksmiths having to come in or never being able to get it open. With great trepidation I dialed the Cannon help line and explained the issue. I have a new pin pad and lock enroute, no charge, and the guy told me how to remove the pin pad over the phone. Went out and followed his instructions and found broken wires which I quickly repaired and was able to open the safe! No locksmiths, no high dollar replacement parts, no fuss or muss. Not really sure how the wire broke, but my fears were for naught.

Well done Cannon!

 

[Intheshop]

Good on Cannon for having knowledgeable help on phone.

 

[Rick]

Good on Cannon. Can't say the same about Sargent & Greenleaf, they basically told me to pound sand when their mechanical lock quit on me. Had to call a safe cracker to get it open. Was quite interesting watching him work to remove the old lock, guess I'm not a thief or even think like one cause I wouldn't even have thought of what he did even though I have the same tools he used. The mechanical lock had one of the tumblers hung up and it wouldn't drop when the correct number was dialed in. Had the guy install an electronic key pad lock and no problems since.

 

[KHornet]

Glad that worked out for you Bret!

Paul

 

[freebullet]

My experience with & opinion of Cannon is great to.

My experience with sg locks is similar to Rick's. Never again on the sg lock.

The NL replacement e-lock has been flawless.

Being locked out of yer own safe can make a guy steam from the ears a bit.

 

[Ian]

Good to know. One of my "residential security cabinets" is a Cannon and I still have some anxiety about the electronic lock. Had it five or six years now, probably should change the battery.

The mechanical locks of high-end safes are very much a maintenance item, which seems both counterintuitive and dumb when the lock cylinder on a car door typically lasts for decades of bouncing around, slamming, water/snow/salt/sand intrusion and a safe lock has to be oiled something like every 200 cycles, and is usually in a very controlled, dry, low-dust environment.

 

[smokeywolf]

I've got to go in and change the combo on my S & G mechanical. Guess I'll oil it too. Only had the safe a two or three months, but you guys have me a bit worried now.
Now I'm sorry I didn't opt for the extended warranty on the dial.

 

[RBHarter]

I got that huge Cannon for Christmas also , Ms says I'm easy to shop for . Yep it'll hold 64 unless you have a bunch of straight bolts , straight pulls and side chargers .......

The book says lifetime warranty , call for a tag and send it back for repair even in case of fire and NATURAL flood . That seems like a pretty good deal to me ....... I wonder how that works out in California , Washington etc .
I'm not sure I want my safe back if it survives a fire intact just the contents please.

 

[JonB]

I don't own a safe...But after reading this thread, I have a question.

How secure is the Cannon ?
If you are able to get a "new pin pad and lock enroute, no charge, and the guy told me how to remove the pin pad over the phone."
Couldn't a clever criminal do the same?

If there is more to it, and you don't want to explain it on a internet forum, I totally understand...just tell me, there's more to it.

 

[Rick]

Jon, it's an entirely different thing to remove and replace the lock assembly with the door open than it is with the door closed. With my safe the lock wasn't working and it took a trained safe cracker with drills, picks, bore scopes etc to get the door open so the lock could be replaced. If your door is already open it's a pretty simple job to replace the lock.

 

[Ian]

A skilled person can penetrate a Cannon safe with a hatchet and a 2-lb hand sledge in about 15 seconds. Just about the time it takes to open a can of tuna. That's why I don't pretend that they're "safes", but in a different class of appliances called Residential Security Cabinets. They offer a small bit of fire protection, keep kids out, keep the usual petty smash/ransack/grab burglar out, and keep honest people honest, but don't pretend that they will protect your stuff from someone who burgles with purpose and knowledge.

 

[smokeywolf]

Jon, my RSC (Residential Security Container) is as close as they get to a actual safe. Would have cost an additional $1,600.00 to go the next step up to the class B safe. Also, the class B safe would have weighed well over a ton and could not have been placed where I wanted my safe.

The company who manufactured my safe (RSC) has my name and the serial number of my safe (RSC) on record, which allows me to call them and request a new lock.

My safe has the lifetime warranty against any defect, failure or damage caused by fire or attempted break-in. They pay for transportation from my residence to their factory and back to my residence. The warranty is transferable to my heirs.
The S & G mechanical lock is only covered for 5 years.

 

[Rick]

A skilled person can basically get into anything he wants. Few pros however are looking for the average Joes gun safe. If they have that kind of skill they are looking for a much larger payday. But yes these safes will keep out the amateur and morons looking for something to pilfer for drug money.

 

[smokeywolf]

Also bear in mind that fire ratings are grossly over-stated. All time and temperature statements are based on how much heat and how long that sustained heat takes to bring the air inside your safe up to 350* F. This is the temp at which paper starts to char. Wood and the polymers from which most of the plastic stocks are made will usually tolerate temps above 400* F, but that doesn't mean their finishes or surface treatments will still look good.
While putting flash drives, CDs or DVDs in the safe may protect them from theft, not so from fire. Not sure about flash/thumb drives, but CDs and DVDs can start losing their integrity at about 125* F.

Completely agree with Ian and Rick. A gun safe will typically just buy you time, not make it impossible for a skilled and motivated crook to crack or penetrate it.

This site has some pretty good info. http://gunsafereviewsguy.com/

 

[Bret4207]

I had to supply my name, address, etc along with the safes model/serial number along with date of purchase and where it was purchased at as a check to see that it lined up with the registration information. As far as a talented safe cracker being able to access it in nothing flat, we're kinda short on them up here. That's a lot more work than the average druggie scum sucking low life is going to do. He's going to steal my power tools or tire chains or chainsaw or even my dog before messing with a safe/gun vault/whateveryoucallit. Honestly, if this hadn't been on a half price sale it would have stayed in the store. Like I said, we went for a little lock box. We came home with something my wife has been wanting me to get for years.

I've seen criminals go to great length to obtain things. I've never, ever seen a gun safe, or any other safe, broken into. I've seen people beat on them, try and torch them open, pry them open and chisel them open. Anything requiring more than a set of bolt cutters or hacksaw and a big screw driver is a fairly good hunk of insurance. I'm sure in urban areas there are people with the knowledge and skills to open my gun safe. Out here the chance is that those people would never even look at my place, much less find the safe and get past the dogs to spend time getting a ratty old collection of mil surps and 22's.