Sentry Safe Quick Access Pistol Safe REVIEW
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The United States Constitution is one of the most influential documents of modern times. Within it, we are granted the right to freedoms that were previously only a dream. Lately, the second amendment, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” has been under fire. I am a firm believer in the second amendment and practice my right to carry firearms. Now, I am not a hothead, looking for trouble or a person who wants everyone to know what I have at any given time. You have seen those people and they are truly obnoxious at times. I feel a majority of the people are reasonable individuals who are interested in and follow the law. Unfortunately, accidents do happen.
According to nyagv.org, guns in the home are 22 times more likely to be involved in accidental shootings, homicides or suicide attempts. Furthermore, during the period of 2005–2010, there were an estimated 1,300 victims of unintentional shootings under the age of 25. Unfortunately, when you compare states with more gun ownership to those with less, there was a reported 14x higher mortality for children aged 5–14, and a 17x increased rate for children aged 0–4. Even more disturbing, 33% of U.S homes contain a gun and half of these do not lock up the guns. According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, “31% of accidental deaths caused by firearms might be prevented with the addition of 2 devices: a child-proof safety lock and a loading indicator.”
According to a summary on everytownresearch.org, parents underestimate their children’s knowledge of gun location. Many states require gun locks to be sold with firearms. Outside of not having a firearm in the home, the safest firearm is one that is in a safe, unloaded, trigger guard/cable locked. It is true that for full safety, you lose the ability to have quick access for protection. For me, I prefer to have my pistol in a safe like Sentry Safe.
The product is very heavy and appears to be well made. The top of the safe displays the “Sentry Safe” name clearly in a light gray color. The black coloration of the safe is homogenous and a matte coloration. Along the front, at least on this version, is a leftward fingerprint sensor and #4 1/2″ buttons. Locked inside of the door is a bag containing 2 keys, installation hardware and the manual to the safe. Flip the safe over and you will notice that there are #2 1/4″ screw holes, to lock the case down to a surface. Inside of the accessory bag, you are given #2 washers and #2, 1 3/4″ screws.
The buttons and finger sensor will not work out of the box. To open the safe, insert the key into the lock along the front right of the safe. There is a notch in the keyhole and a corresponding notch on the key. Insert the key, turn clockwise and you will hear a hydraulic piston noise. For you Star Trek Fans, it will sound like the door opening sound form “Star Trek, The Next Generation.” The internal dimensions are roughly 10″ by 6 3/4″ by 1 3/4″ and felt lined. Along the inside, front, right, of the safe you will find the battery panel. Pull this away and then slide out the battery holder. It is tethered, via wires, at the right most edge. It will require #4AA batteries, which are easily installed. Behind the battery holder is a very small blue button, that is used to reset/program the keys. To start, all of them have the same program code of 1, 2, 3, 4, 1. If you hold the little blue button for 3 seconds, the LED around the keypad buttons will flash 3 times. You can enter a cod of 4, 5, or 6 digits. If you enter a code less than 6 digits, wait 10 seconds for the LED to flash 3x again.
Next, hold the little blue button again and swipe a finger on the fingerprint sensor. Put the pad of your finger on the flat part and pull downward. You do not have to press hard for this to work as it is not a button. You will have to swipe your ginger across the scanner about 10 times. When enough scans are done, the LED around the buttons will flash green 3x. Now use a second finger. I chose my pointer finger then middle finger as my initial test. To erase the fingerprint, hold the little blue program button for 3 seconds and then swipe your finger just once and wait 10 seconds. To program a second set of fingerprints, follow the same above commands, Before entering a code, push the blue button for another 3 seconds. The green LED will flash 3x again. Swipe a finger ~10x then immediately swipe a second finger. This device can store 2 fingers from 2 users. You can erase the second user’s fingers by holding the reset button for 3 seconds and you will see the keypad flash 3x. Press the button again until you see the second round of 3 flashes. Swipe a finger once and wait 10 seconds.
It is important to note that loss of power will not erase the codes. I removed the batteries, left the device overnight and put new AA batteries into the machine. The 6 digit code I chose and the fingerprints for myself and my wife were accurately and safely secured. To open the safe, push a single button, any of them will do. You can then either enter your preset code or use one of your two preset fingers to unlock the device. If you accidentally use the wrong code or fingerprint 5x there will be a flashing RED LED and you will be locked out from any further attempts for 2 minutes. You can either wait for the 2 minutes to occur or utilize the included quick access keys.
The Pistol Safe is designed to be mounted horizontally. My only complaint is it is large and heavy and I have not yet found the best place to mount it. I like the idea of a drawer safe, but it may take up too much space. It is too obvious to place on a desk and will not work on my carpeted floor. For now, I have placed it in my closet hidden on my wire shelf under my clothing. I may attach it in my drawer with 3M tape as the screws will not seem to work through a drawer. My favorite features include the single-handed access, the quickness/quietness of the gas strut, hinges are hidden to prevent prying and the inside components are quite roomy. As stated, It is not solely that the safe opens quickly, it is also incredibly quiet as well.
To test the access, I had my children (8-year-old and 5-year-old son) attempt to get into the safe. The finger print scanner worked wonderfully, was very sensitive and incredibly selective. I did set up the safe for both my wife and myself. We both used our left index and middle fingers for the testing. Neither of our right hands worked to open the safe. Neither of our children’s hands worked to open the safe. The door opens incredibly quickly to provide ready access to your firearm. Sentry Safe provides another feature that you may not even realize that you need. When you press the button presses to make no noise. This is known as a zero feedback system. I absolutely love this device and rate it at 5/5. Perhaps this will be the device that will help you to protect your home from invaders and from unwanted firearm access. Serving dual roles, it is hard to find an argument to not buy this device.
BUY FROM AMAZON
Learn more about them at Sentrysafe.com.
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Originally published at macsources.com on February 27, 2017.
