cannon 24 gun safe

[lonewolf73]

I would not recommend anyone to purchase one of these safes I purchased one in Dec 2012 an my electronic key pad just went on junk mode today 10/02/2014 when contacting cannon about it they agreed to send me a new one an said to find a locksmith to open it an replace it at my cost which I said that was bs cause they only warranty there $10.00 lock for 1 yr but will give u a new safe if someone knocks it off or attempt to break into it free of charge an will pay for a locksmith to open it for u free of charge SHAME ON CANNON GUN SAFES FOR SUCH BAD WARRANTY ON CHEAP PARTS so if u have bought one an have had same problem need to contact better business Bureau an have them make cannon stand behind safe for faulty parts

 

[sauer1911]

Its the electronic keypad, not the safe.

I had the option for electronic or combo tumbler. i chose the combo tumbler. Any time you put a battery operated system in play, it will eventually fail. Or run down.

How do you open the safe if the batteries go low or fail? The Combo will never fail.

The same goes for scales, calipers, et al.

Take a few minutes to keep it simple.

be safe.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Anything can fail....

 

[tnxdshooter]

Bought me a challenger 24 gun made by champion a few months back. I purchased from champion for 99.99 a lifetime replacement warranty on the lock. This i'm not real concerned if it goes out.

 

[GBExpat]

Both of my big gunsafes sport combination tumblers. I did not trust electronics to reliably do the job.

 

[herrwalther]

I have an electronic lock on my Winchester safe. I wish I had gotten the combination lock instead. No problems as of yet, just too many horror stories.

 

[PistolPete45]

I also have a Cannon Electronic pad and all have replaced the battery once in 12 years Come to think of it I might just change it out this weekend . I am very happy with mine Do not recall the number of guns it said but it is a big one just under 800 pounds . Never had a lick of trouble out of her .. things may have changed over the years with so many things coming from China. My key pad has never failed The one I bought was about a 2000 or older .. The safe these guys hauled to gun shows to show older pin striping then the new safes at the time. I got a deal , drove her home and we are living happily ever after .

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I'm a recently retired locksmith who specialized in safes and safe sales when I worked. Saying all electronic locks are suspect and all mechanical locks are good is an excellent example of being waay too simplistic. If you keep firmly in mind that in most cases you get what you pay for, you can determine what's likely to be good quality merchandise and what's likely to give you trouble.

Today's "safe" market is directly driven by price point. And that directly influences the quality and durability of the parts and materials used in building the unit. Because of the lowest price sells best market, an extremely large number of security containers sold today are made offshore. In my experience, offshore electronic locks aren't a good bet for a long trouble-free life. However, the mechanicals aren't the best either. In that field, many of the price-point makers use a wheel-pack lockset made as inexpensively as possible. Our shop charged more for changing the combo on one of those P.O.S.'s than we did for a good LaGard or S&G mechanical. And, you can't pick your new combo with them either, you're stuck with a limited number of reposition combinations. Therefore, if you have a problem remembering the new combo, well that's just tough.

Here's another thing to keep in mind. As far as I know there's no law at any level that mandates just what a safe is. In other words I can tape six of my old business cards together, put a bent pin across the corner, and sell it to you as a "safe". Pay attention to the labels on the inside edge of the door. If one of them does not say in some form that it's a U.L. Residential Security Container, then it's not passed any tests and should be considered little more than a sheet metal wall locker. RSC's can be good units for specific security requirements. But, many of them are also built to market demand, and you get what you pay for. With RSC's, find the ones that have the features you need, at the best price, and do your comparison's there. Upper end RSC's tend these days to bump up against the price of a true safe. True safes offer a large difference in protective ability. The minimum build to qualify as a U.L. rated safe is quarter-inch steel plate on all six sides. Most safe makes that offer product to the general consumer market go well beyond the U.L. minimum in their construction standards. But, not only do you pay for it, you get what you've paid for, ie., far superior theft and fire protection.

Beware of offshore locks that look as though they have the LaGard or S&G logo on them, the locks are not the quality of what they are trying to make you think they are. It's a sad fact that these days the "Let the buyer beware" quote is absolutely something you should have in mind when going shopping for a "safe".

900F

 

[dragon813gt]

Heard this story to many times. Which is why I went w/ a Cabela's branded Liberty w/ S&G mechanical lock. This container was built for a price point. The steel is marginal and there is play in the door. Even the lock is marginal. You don't have to land directly on the number and you can feel it loosening and tightening up as you rotate it. But for less than $1,100 it offered the best value for my needs. I don't have $5k for a real safe at the moment. W/ all electronics it's not a matter or if they will fail, it's when. Mechanical locks aren't 100% either but their failure rate is fairly insignificant.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

Not all electronic locks are bad. I have one on my personal safe, but it's a LaGard and one frequently seen in banks at that. I've seen very few problems with the LaGard Basic electronic, and virtually none with the model 33E which has been replaced with the newer model 39E.

A wheel pack mechanical, rather than an S&G 6730 type, is perfectly able to fail in fairly short order also. In Dragon's case, the tight/loose is quite likely the result of the dial being banged against something, probably in shipping or installation, and the spindle is bent. Furthermore, I'll strongly suggest that he gets it looked at soon. If the spindle's bent and the dial is sloppy about what number(s) allow working the combo, then the retainer may be working loose. If it gets out, you've got a problem and the locksmith that fixes it gets to buy a new toy - on your dollar. In other words, it's Friday, don't wait till Monday to make the call.

900F

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Good to here about the LeGard Basic being good. It is what's on my Browning. It going on ten years old and gets opened 3 or 4 times a day.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

Another thing about the American made quality electronic locks is that they have the battery(s) in the dial. Also, they do not rely on a capacitor to keep the "brain" alive when changing the battery. You could take the dial off the safe and travel around the world. When you came back, reinstall the dial, put fresh a fresh battery in and open the safe.

S&G did have problems with their older 6120 series electronic locks. However, I'm told that that series has been replaced with a new design, but I have no feedback on it.

900F

 

[sauer1911]

It is alot simpler to stick with a basic combo style lock. No electronics to melt, no batteries to worry on.

Its kinda like this guy I work with, he has a new Tesla electric car. Everytime he shows up he needs to plug it in.

I told him my new VW with a Turbo diesel gets almost 50mpg and NEVER needs to be plugged in. After about 7-800 miles I stop for about 3 minutes fill it up and go again! At about a third the cost of his "cutting edge" technology.

Electronic keypads are for those who want quick and easy. i'll take a few seconds of my time to turn the dial.

be safe

 

[KirkP]

Or is he smarter than everyone? Everyone else pays to fuel his car, not pay a20% premium for diesel over gasoline?

 

[sauer1911]

Well, I guess what I was shooting for was tried and true technology.

VW makes a TDI engine that they have made for ever. It is simple tech, tried and true, getting cleaner everyday.

To build a Telsa or any other Hybrid type car, you have to mine the precious metals in one country, ship it to another for processing/manufacturing, then ship it again to a country for installation into cars, then ship AGAIN to the consumer.

VW is the largest diesel engine builder in the world, parts are everywhere!

Eventually, some day the batteries will be built in nevada, but the raw materials will still have to travel to be made into batteries.

Is he SMARTER than everyone else, no he's very cheap, and soon you will have to use a meter at home and elsewhere to charge up. The cost of Auto electricity will be more than for your home. Government will catch up soon.

What would you call someone who takes from you or others and doesn't pay for it? Smarter would not be my choice.

be safe

 

[KirkP]

Sarcasm,no offense meant

 

[sauer1911]

no worries, I sometimes have a shorthand in my own head as to what I am alluding to.

If I sounded aggressive, I was not. My apologies. All is good.

be safe.

 

[CB900F]

Sauer1911;

Have you checked to see what a new key for your VW is gonna cost? If not, you're probably in for a surprise.

900F

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I don't know about a VW key, but a Mercedes key set me back 35 bucks 5 years ago.

 

[sauer1911]

What the cost of my VW key is to this post about Safes is beyond me.

But what I do is take the extra key that came with the car, and put it in my
Combo dial faced safe!

Come to think of it, I have never lost my key, in a VW, MBZ, or A BMW.

In any event the key would probably be a few hundred, I dont know, never came to mind.

I dont mind the extra few moments it takes to safeguard stuff.

Most of the time, the simpler, the better.

be safe

 

[hoghunting]

I would not recommend anyone to purchase one of these safes I purchased one in Dec 2012 an my electronic key pad just went on junk mode today 10/02/2014 when contacting cannon about it they agreed to send me a new one an said to find a locksmith to open it an replace it at my cost which I said that was bs cause they only warranty there $10.00 lock for 1 yr but will give u a new safe if someone knocks it off or attempt to break into it free of charge an will pay for a locksmith to open it for u free of charge SHAME ON CANNON GUN SAFES FOR SUCH BAD WARRANTY ON CHEAP PARTS so if u have bought one an have had same problem need to contact better business Bureau an have them make cannon stand behind safe for faulty parts

So this is your first and only post so far, did you join just to make a complaint???

 

[Zebraranger]

Heard this story too many times.

Same here.
This is why I also went with the rotary mechanical combination lock. It might take a few seconds more to access, but I've never had one fail. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen a post of one failing.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

so if u have bought one an have had same problem need to contact better business Bureau an have them make cannon stand behind safe for faulty parts

The BBB is not a government agency. The are a private association, or basically a club that rates members and mediates disputes between members and disgruntled customers. I don't believe Cannon is a member.

 

[enine]

My Cannon safe is probably 5 or so years old now with a spin dial on it. I open and close it probably once a week so swap out my backup hdds.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Gun safes are not cheap. But then again, in the last 12 months I've added about $2,200 worth of handguns to the family collection in the form of two purchases. And this doesn't include the cost of ammunition and other accessories, either, which (given the quantites of two new calibers of ammunition I purchased initially) adds up to about $3,000.

Though I do agree that, in principle, there is a point where one can say that purchasing a four-figure safe for just a couple firearms just doesn't make sense...at some point down the line enough purchases start adding up to values that make the cost of a safe fractionally insignificant overall.

We currently have 7 long guns and 5 handguns. In the next year or so, I anticipate adding another long gun and handgun to the collection.

So I'm personally in the market for a decent safe in the next year or two and I'm going to budget $2,000 as a baseline for it.

I suppose there are people out there who will say "Gee, it's nice that you have two grand to budget for a safe, but I don't."

Well, right now I DON'T have two grand...I said I'd budget two grand, which means I have a long term goal to put that financial resource aside by some means. Might be overtime, might be cutting back elsewhere, might be something psychological (like every time I buy a box of ammo, I'll put an equal amount aside in the safe fund).

The point is to give myself a working fund that I can base my shopping around, which can be adjusted up or down at the time I finally make my purchase.


@ CB900F:

Given a working budget of $2,000, what would you recommend? I'd be shopping for a 24-30 gun safe, preferably with an electronic lock. I've read several of your postings on safes and, while a make and model recommendation would be nice, I'd really appreciate an insight into what positive and negative characteristics to look for in this price range when I'm shopping.

Keep in mind, once I've reached my budget goal I won't have a problem upping the final price somewhat if necessary.


And here's another question: suppose I find a pretty good deal on a safe with the size and physical qualities I am looking for. What kind of expense would I be looking at should I decide I wanted to change/upgrade the electronic lock?