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Ace_Inthe_O wrote:Does anyone have any experience with the Winchester line of gun safes? They are made by granite safes right here in Ft. Worth.

I bought one about three years ago. The first time that it broke was about three months after I bought it. The locksmith pretty much destroyed it getting it open, and Granite replaced the safe free of charge. The lock on my replacement safe just broke. I called Granite again and they told me that since it is now out of warranty, I'm on my own.

AFAmmo wrote:

Ace_Inthe_O wrote:Does anyone have any experience with the Winchester line of gun safes? They are made by granite safes right here in Ft. Worth.

I bought one about three years ago. The first time that it broke was about three months after I bought it. The locksmith pretty much destroyed it getting it open, and Granite replaced the safe free of charge. The lock on my replacement safe just broke. I called Granite again and they told me that since it is now out of warrenty, I'm on my own.

was it a securam e-lock? the cheaper lines all have those and im leery of them,

The first time, it was the keypad that went bad. They are plastic and made in China.
This time, the keypad still works, but the lock will not disengage.
As soon as I can get it open, I am going to have a good quality mechanical lock installed and toss the cheap electronics in the garbage where they belong.

AFAmmo wrote:The first time, it was the keypad that went bad. They are plastic and made in China.
This time, the keypad still works, but the lock will not disengage.
As soon as I can get it open, I am going to have a good quality mechanical lock installed and toss the cheap electronics in the garbage where they belong.

This is exactly why I had a mechanical lock installed on my safe. The guy selling the safe even agreed with my theory. IMHO...a digital keypad is a nightmare, just waiting to happen.

I went back and forth between an electronic and manual dial but chose the dial because all vendors I spoke with pretty much agreed that they are convienent, however it's only a matter of time before they break. On a side note, I have a few friends who's houses were flooded in MS during hurricane Katrina and couldn't get into their safes after the storm because the locks shorted out whereas the one's w/a manual lock where able to get in and save some things before it was too late.

Hello I want to offer my assistance if possible in answering any and all questions about our products. If you need support please contact us and we are more than willing to help diagnose and remedy any problems with the lock. Our phone number is (805) 988-8088 and we are located in Oxnard, California.

If you don't mind me injecting some personal views on electronic vs mechanical I would like to say that they both have pros and cons like anything. The choice should be based on what level of importance is right for you...

Personally for me (Roy) I have needs for quick access in any situation so that I can defend my home and family. This to me is the highest priority with reliability being neck and neck. I don't envision myself needing to defend myself when I can clearly see during the day time... chances are it will be at night so biometric is of course a great choice for my situation.

Doomsday preparing is not an easy task nor is it a fool proof one. Since I've been a technician at SecuRam I have noticed quite a few calls from people asking about EMPs, floods, and (insert any other possible end world situation) and my response has always been to look at what your needs are and adjust or coordinate your plan for storage accordingly. Most people usually own a couple guns and in reality could store one in a quick access biometric safe for the "I need it now" situations with the rest in a mechanical safe. This would solve both concerns of quick access and if (insert end world situation) happens then you could still access some of your firearms.

"The ultimate goal, is to achieve the right balance of authentication security without compromising the user experience."

Either way please contact me either by phone (805) 988-8088 or by email roymorris@securamsys.com if you have any questions about the quality of our products or in general to find out more about us.

can one buy just the biometric parts to replace keypad and other electronics and a swag cost estimate.

I have many goals in life with this being in the top 5!

http://www.rhinovault.com/closet_vault.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My needs are simple, and I found my barska biometric safe satisfies those needs extremely well...

http://www.barska.com/Products-Biometric_Safe.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mine is small enough that I can bolt it to the wall on a shelf, holds quite a bit of ammo and enough room for a few handguns, opens for both my wife and I every time within 2 seconds, and didn't break the bank (I got it on amazon for <$200)

They have many different sizes and a good mix of bio and non-bio safes.

I recently installed a Console Safe by Lock'er Down from Mobile Security Plus ( http://www.mobilesecurityplusstore.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) in my 2010 Chevy Tahoe. I have a review of the Console Safe by Lock'er Down on an automotive forum I post on, and the link is here if you want to read the review and see pictures from my installation: http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/sh ... hp?t=41747" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .

It's a great product that provides some protection when away from your vehicle.

Interesting thread with good information... hopefully this is the correct place to post this:

I've been looking for a small safe that could quickly secure/retrieve a carry weapon, so I decided to start doing some research into what would be the best. What I found was pretty frightening, particularly since almost all of the affected safes/manufacturers are "best sellers" at major retailers. See the video below (it is very long, if you want the quick and dirty version, fast forward to the 50 minute mark):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48HUctXZUNw

Based on this I ended up going with a Ft. Knox (Simplex locks have their own issues though).... but be very wary of thinking that most "handgun" safes (GunVault/Stack-On/Amsec/etc.) are actually secure.

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http://www.wardogsafe.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They are relatively new (2011) and specialize in under the bed safes. I have not purchased one but came across them in my research. Does anyone on the forum have one and will comment? Thank you in advance.

rentz wrote:

AFAmmo wrote:

Ace_Inthe_O wrote:Does anyone have any experience with the Winchester line of gun safes? They are made by granite safes right here in Ft. Worth.

I bought one about three years ago. The first time that it broke was about three months after I bought it. The locksmith pretty much destroyed it getting it open, and Granite replaced the safe free of charge. The lock on my replacement safe just broke. I called Granite again and they told me that since it is now out of warrenty, I'm on my own.

was it a securam e-lock? the cheaper lines all have those and im leery of them,

I bought a Winchester safe this year and am happy with my purchase. Mine came with a LaGard lock, it is an electronic but it is not plastic and it comes with a 2 year warranty on the lock itself for 2 years from the date of purchase. For an additional $75 I was able to purchase an extra 9 years worth of warranty on the lock. I'm ok with 11 years of warranty on the lock and a lifetime warranty on the safe itself. I compared it to similar priced Cannons and the Winchester wins hands down as far as build quality, features, and warranty.

RCP wrote:

rentz wrote:

AFAmmo wrote:

Ace_Inthe_O wrote:Does anyone have any experience with the Winchester line of gun safes? They are made by granite safes right here in Ft. Worth.

I bought one about three years ago. The first time that it broke was about three months after I bought it. The locksmith pretty much destroyed it getting it open, and Granite replaced the safe free of charge. The lock on my replacement safe just broke. I called Granite again and they told me that since it is now out of warrenty, I'm on my own.

was it a securam e-lock? the cheaper lines all have those and im leery of them,

I bought a Winchester safe this year and am happy with my purchase. Mine came with a LaGard lock, it is an electronic but it is not plastic and it comes with a 2 year warranty on the lock itself for 2 years from the date of purchase. For an additional $75 I was able to purchase an extra 9 years worth of warranty on the lock. I'm ok with 11 years of warranty on the lock and a lifetime warranty on the safe itself. I compared it to similar priced Cannons and the Winchester wins hands down as far as build quality, features, and warranty.

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I have the same safe. Two things:
1. Wish I had bought the larger one.
2. Wish the door organizer had been available when I bought mine.