Gun safe - electronic vs. combination (dial) lock

[Hamish]

I'm shopping for my first gun safe. Several of the models I'm looking at offer both traditional combination locks or electronic locks. There are various pros and cons to each design that I'm aware of. For example, electronic locks let you change the combination, but batteries die, and sometimes the mechanism fails. Combination locks always work, you could dial in the 1st two numbers in advance, but it is difficult or impossible to change the combination.

I'm wondering what lock mechanism THR members prefer, and am interested in opinions either way. Thanks!

 

[PT1911]

if it takes batteries and locks up all of my valuables, i am not interested.. A dial works fine for me. I have no need to change the combination.... just dont tell it to anyone!

realistically, either will serve you well, I would just prefer not to worry about the possibility of a dead battery.

 

[alfack]

I concur. Prefer dial over electric. Some will say it takes too long to get into a dial, if you need quick access to a weapon. I say you should not have your primary defensive weapon in the safe to begin with, if you are @ home.

 

[jhallrv4]

I had that very same quandary when I was (finally) buying a safe. So I asked a good friend that actually owns my favorite gunstore and sells safes. He said he personally has only one dial safe for his own, and the stores use. That's out at the clays range on the prairie. All the rest are electronic. That made my decision easy. I get into my "digi-safe" regularly, so when it sounds the slightest bit "slow", I change the 9v battery. No fear of dead battery. Besides, with the state of battery technology these days, and the fact that the battery is used occasionally for maybe two seconds at a time, I'm not concerned about a failed battery. So, basically, the safe guy uses digital. Good enough for me.
Oh, and I keep additional batteries in the house.

Jeff

 

[Lee Roder]

i went with a mechanical lock. S&G locks are an industry "standard". it's not difficult at all to change their combination. memory otoh is its own separate issue but that applies to electronic locks as well.

 

[a1abdj]

Regardless of which type of lock you choose, a UL rated lock is highly suggested.

The S&G mechanical lock design is the standard, but there are several well known manufacturers that build locks of very similar design. Any of these manufacturers' locks should serve you well.

Only counting malfunctioning locks, I probably drill open 9 or more electronic locks for every one mechanical lock. A mechanical lock usually has 20 parts or less. There can be hundreds of parts in an electronic lock. If something goes wrong with a mechanical lock, it is possible to compensate for the damage in many cases, and still open the lock without drilling. If something goes wrong with an electronic lock, your options are limited, and will possibly end up being drilled.

Electronic locks can do a lot of things mechanical locks can not, but these functions are usually business related. Unless ease and speed are absolutely required, I would suggest mechanical locks to any residential safe user.

 

[wrs840]

The answer is...

Both.

IMO, get a big safe with a mechanical dial-combination for the bulk of your collection, and a small electronic-lock one (or two) for your daily-carry and other quick/convenient-access stuff.

Which you buy first depends on your circumstances.

my .02,
Les

 

[Sock Puppet]

I prefer dial locks.

 

[jhallrv4]

This is great, and an indicator of the value of THR! A seller of safes says one thing, but the guy that has to drill the safes says another. (And my wife is from St. Charles, Mo....still calls it "Missourah", so she'll likely throw in with the driller).
This is great stuff.

Jeff

 

[valkyriemc]

"Only counting malfunctioning locks, I probably drill open 9 or more electronic locks for every one mechanical lock".

Yo. I think this says it best...

 

[rtpzwms]

I have an electronic lock on mine. I open it almost every day. With 4 years of use it has never failed. The battery is on the outside of the safe and is easily changed. It also has a lockout so if I screw up the combination it automatically locks out for a period of time.

Should it fail it can be replaced without doing significant obvious damage to the safe. And is covered under the warranty.

With electronic locks and anything that uses a membrane most users want to PUSH the buttons. This is not necessary just a light push to hear the beep. This will make it last much longer and keep it operating fine for a very long time. I also have a second safe with a electronic lock as well it is in a different location within the house. Both have worked great and I don't expect them to fail anytime soon.

I checked with my locksmith buddy (one of my best friends) who specialized in safes for over 20 years. He told me that it would take about 2 hours to open and repair to the point that I wouldn't be able to tell that he had opened it.

Buy a better safe and get a better warranty. Also check local regulations to make sure that your safe is approved by local authorities. I live in California and they have requirements in order to qualify as an approved gun container.:banghead:

I will also say this, my choice of electronic lock on my primary safe was driven by price. The model was a year old and was over 400 dollars less than the new model. I really don't think you'll have a problem with either type as long as you can push buttons without driving them through the safe.

So whatever you decide enjoy your new safe and expect it to work for a very long time.

 

[Gold]

Mechanical lock is my preferred choice.

 

[a1abdj]

A seller of safes says one thing, but the guy that has to drill the safes says another.

That's because most guys that sell safes only sell safes, and have a very limited knowledge about the product. Most of these guys are merely repeating what they have heard, or what they have read out of the sales literature.

Not much different than other products, take cars for example. What does the salesman know about the car? You would be better off talking to one of the guys in the service department.

I'm one of the rare guys that actually works on what I sell.

I have an electronic lock on mine. I open it almost every day. With 4 years of use it has never failed.

I drilled open a safe at a Dairy Queen a few years ago that had a first generation S&G electronic lock on it. I would guess the lock was +/- 15 years old, being opened multiple times a day, and restaurants tend to be very harsh environments for electronic locks.

The thing about electronic locks is that they can last forever, last a short period of time, and some are even dead right out of the box. It's a gamble, but it comes with some benefits you can't get from a mechanical lock.

Should it fail it can be replaced without doing significant obvious damage to the safe. And is covered under the warranty.

In most cases the lock is covered by the lock manufacturer's warranty, even though the safe manufacturer may be the one who takes your complaint and makes arrrangements to get your safe opened. The warranty on electronic locks is very short compared to that of a mechanical lock, usually one year.

If your electronic lock fails after one year, many of the safe manufacturers warranties will not cover it. They may do it as a good will gesture, but they are under no obligation.

With electronic locks and anything that uses a membrane most users want to PUSH the buttons. This is not necessary just a light push to hear the beep. This will make it last much longer and keep it operating fine for a very long time

The keypad can be the cause of a failure, and is easily fixed by replacing the keypad. There are all sorts of things that can cause an electronic lock to fail, many that are outside of your control regardless of how gentle you are. Of course being rough on a lock can cause problems as well.

 

[ttheel]

I have been considering this very question for some time. After much research I believe I have decided to go with the combination lock. Any electronic equipment is prone to failure at some point. I just dont want to have to deal with the inevitable at some point.

 

[Justin Holder]

I prefer the electronic lock so that's what I have.

Still on the original battery after 3 years of daily use.

 

[FAS1]

I still haven't warmed up enough to the electronic/biometric locks yet to own any. No complaints from me with my mechanical locks that I own.

 

[Guns and more]

Combination locks always work

Not true. Anything mechanical is subject to failure.
I paid extra for an electronic lock. I figured I can open it in 3 seconds, and I'd be much more likely to use the safe, than just leave it open or closed. I know in the dark, I'd never open a dial under pressure.
I suspect mechanical locks have fewer failures, but for me (knock on wood) I love the electronic.
Maybe I should change the battery.

 

[a1abdj]

Not true. Anything mechanical is subject to failure.

This is true. As far as mechanical locks go, one of the main causes I see of lock outs are lack of maintenance. The second most common cause that I see is tampering by the owner.

These locks are not very complex, but they do have moving parts and springs inside of them. General maintenance, which includes inspecting the lock, will often find worn or damaged parts before they cause a problem.

 

[Vector]

Just in case your concern was like mine let me pass on this info I got directly from a manufacturer.

I was afraid that if the battery went dead, it would lose my combo and I would be stuck. As it turns out if you battery goes dead on the keypad, the combo is still locked in the internal mechanism and does not disappear. So all you need to do is replace the 9v battery and you are back in business. Mine also has an audible alert when the battery is getting low. In three years of ownership I've only replaced the battery once out of need(i.e. warning signal).

Also one of my friends who is always worried about killer communist zombie scenarios warned me about electronic locks being susceptible to EMP's during a nuclear attack. My first logical thought was that if a nuke landed close enough to send out an EMP that affected my safe, I'd have bigger things to worry about such as if St. Pete would let me through the pearly gates.

Regardless, the manufacturer I spoke with said that the mechanism that would potentially be affected by an EMP was behind both steel and sheetrock, so it would not likely be affected.

 

[heeler]

When I ordered my Amsec BF last year I told the sales guy I only wanted the spinner combo lock and he actually tried to convince me of what he considered the error of my thinking and that practically every customer that has ordered from them gladly spent a little more for the electronic lock.
Well,I gladly ordered the Amsec with the spinner anyway.
It takes me between 12 to 15 seconds to open my safe.
It took me about 5 seconds to open the electronic safe.
Big deal,so I saved myself 7 to 10 seconds.
As a building engineer in a large commercial building I have seen so many electronic boards on brand new state of the art high dollar modern HVAC units fail in the last year or go completely on the fritz that I personally would be very wary of anything that I was locking away that I needed to retrieve right away being secured with an electronic lock.
It for me just is not worth the few extra seconds it's saves me.

 

[a1abdj]

Regardless, the manufacturer I spoke with said that the mechanism that would potentially be affected by an EMP was behind both steel and sheetrock, so it would not likely be affected.

Which goes to show that the manufacturer has no idea what they're talking about. Unless your safe is in a faraday cage, or perhaps turned into one itself, electronic locks will fry.

This isn't uncommon, especially with gun safe manufacturers. I once asked one of the major gun safe manufacturers for a schematic showing the position of their ball bearing hard plate. They faxed me a copy of a page out of a book written by another safe tech that I know. Apparently he knows more about their safes than they do.

 

[Keizer]

I love the electronic key pad on my Amsec. I guess I would rather have a dial because of reliability, but man is the electronic key pad fast and convenient. I haven't had a single issue with it.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I also sell and service safes. My personal safe has an electronic lock. I pretty much always suggest going with a mechanical dial to my customers.

I've read, with some amusement, some of the comments posted above. Electronic locks come in several different varieties and price points. Some import cheapies do not have a burn-in memory for the combination. They use a capacitor to provide bleed current to maintain the combo while the battery is changed. Exceed the time the capacitor can do that & the combo wipes. Perhaps there's a factory default combo, and maybe there isn't. It's always a very good idea to check before buying & determine if the battery is located internally or externally. Better electronic locks are either external battery or have a power access point.

Which is not to say that all mechanical dial locks are wonderful. A good LaGard or S&G unit will likely give multiple decades of reliable service. However, people who try to change the combination themselves usually provide me with the necessary to afford a new toy. OTOH, there are cheap RSC's coming into the country with wheel-pack locks that are just that: cheap. The warranty station is usually located in the PRC, and good luck with that. I've also been asked if I can retro-fit the RSC with a good mechanical lock. The answer being "yes", but by the time you pay for it, you coulda bought a much better unit to begin with.

900F