But they're NOT really a hide-in-plain site item.
These are like your car door lock or your front door lock. It keeps honest people honest, but is totally inadequate for security. Hence, it's wise to have additional protection (car alarm, front door brace mechanism, etc.).
While thieves come in all varieties, any decent thief, in addition to dumping all your clothing drawers and kitchen, tossing your mattress, and dumping your book-case - he will knock everything off your walls looking for hidden safes or hidey-holes like these. Thieves also target vanity mirrors for prescription drugs.
As soon as that shelf clangs on the floor, you'll have wasted your $500 or whatever this costs.
The key is also problematic. What if you have misplaced the key?
In just a few moments of thinking, I have come up with about 10 ideas that are better - either much less expensive, and/or better security. Of course some options are different if you have kids in the home so use caution.
For instance, for about $5 in materials, you could cut out a rectangle between the drywall studs, build a small pine box, with small compartments, and insert it in the wall wherever you'd like. Then hang a picture over it.
A couple bicycle hooks installed under the kitchen table. Excellent concealed place for a longgun. Or a small wooden shelf or box under your dining room chair, perfect for a handgun and spare magazine - materials would cost almost nothing. A small lock and key would cost a few dollars.
I've got a corner shelf unit covered in pictures that was $100 - it has a well concealed drawer perfect for a handgun.
