Buying Liberty Safe - Mechanical or Keypad?

[thorborg]

Kelly Johnson and the Skunk Works designed the SR-71 Blackbird in 1964 with slide rules. I doubt the machine ever suffered from any "software failures" that kept it out of action...

I started my life with slide rules. I welcomed computers as did all others I would presume.

 

[nvshooter]

I started my life with slide rules. I welcomed computers as did all others, I would presume.

No question computers opened-up new engineering possibilities about which slide rules could never even dream. But for something as simple as a mechanical combination lock on a gunsafe versus a digital lock, I'd go with the mechanical. Chances are that Steve McQueen is not going to break into your garage and cut open your safe with the "burning bar" he used in whatever was the name of that movie...

 

[Stomper]

How do you guys with multiple mechanical safes remember the combos? I loaned one to a friend years ago and have since forgotten. May as well just be his, but all the same.

I have three mechanical combo safes. In addition to having the combos on a "notepad" on my phone I keep the combos hidden close by in case I have a brain fart and can't remember the combo.

If I were to lose my phone or something, in one room in TEENY TINY writing on the top edge of a picture frame is the combo for the safe in that room. In another room I have it written in TEENY TINY writing on the top of the door frame molding.

I also leave two of them with the first two numbers already cycled and merely have to turn the dial in the correct direction to the last digit on two of the safes, and the main safe combo is burned into my memory since I access that one all the time.

Easy-peezy!

 

[pop]

How do you guys with multiple mechanical safes remember the combos? I loaned one to a friend years ago and have since forgotten. May as well just be his, but all the same.

Just like nature... there is always a fix to a poisonous plant nearby... poison ivy has a naturalizing plant within feet for example.
Contain the combo info. nearby. With a decal printer print the combination within a fake address for, say, a cabinet or refrigerator. EXAMPLE: acme shelves 240011 E.main phoenix, az 85001. TIP:If your # is 5 digits look it up as a zip code and you can remember (decal print) the state/town on the side/bottom of the safe ect..

 

[Azgunsmith]

I have three gun safes and the two digital safe keypads have failed. The one cost me $450 to have the safesmith come out and break into the safe with a digital unlock tool. They install a dial in that safe to replace the keypad. While he was there he replace the keypad with a dial on the other safe with the digital. And yes they are all set to the same combination. In fact I have a brand new keypad with the lock that was sent to me by the safe company to replace the keypad started to get dodgy. Never had a chance to install it as it failed two days later.

 

[billdeserthill]

You can get a digital combo safe lock that also has a built in dial

 

[Whisky Tahoe]

I picked up a Canon safe that had a digital lock and while the concern about batteries vs dial is valid, I must say that digital is very convenient.
The electronic locks do a good job of warning you that the battery level is getting low. Use good batteries and replace them on a regular schedule.

I probably will continue to get electronic locks when buying a new safe. Used, I would probably prefer dial except it is more difficult to change the combination on a dial. Rather easy with a digital.

 

[pop]

Here is a nice diital keypad with a mechanical dial backup. Not sure why but this model has been discontinued.

 

[Azgunsmith]

I have a brand new digital combo lock for a American Eagle by Canon safes (its used an about half of the safes sold in the US.) I bought it thinking I would replace the lock prior to its failure. Before I got it in, the digital lock on the safe failed. What happens is the keypad fails to communicate with bolt, unless the bolt receives the correct signal it wont unlock, even if you install a new keypad unless the pair has been set up together it wont open. The safe/lock smith told me is what happens is the keypad logic gets fuzzy due to the only 6 keys are used over and over. Then when the lock starts to act up the owner presses the keys more firmly causing more problems due to the increased pressure. He told me that for someone like me who used that safe for customers guns that it got opened more times in a day than more owners would use it in a month thus the early failure. (Yes, the bolt was turned to keep the safe closed as the door would slowly open and causing me to shut it all the time.) A cure for this to happen to yours it to change your combination every 6 months if your usage is like mine. Now with the dial I can close the door all day and until I spin the dial nothing happens. So I'd sell it for less than it cost me as I dont need it in my life, it was never installed. $75.00

 

[billdeserthill]

I have three gun safes and the two digital safe keypads have failed. The one cost me $450 to have the safesmith come out and break into the safe with a digital unlock tool. They install a dial in that safe to replace the keypad. While he was there he replace the keypad with a dial on the other safe with the digital. And yes they are all set to the same combination. In fact I have a brand new keypad with the lock that was sent to me by the safe company to replace the keypad started to get dodgy. Never had a chance to install it as it failed two days later.

For $450 I'll assume your lock guy had to drill open your safe & it took him hours to do so. As a locksmith myself, I'm often shocked by the prices other locksmiths charge

 

[Azgunsmith]

Bill, between the service call, cracking the old digital system, the new lock and installing it I felt that wasn't to bad. He didn't have to drill it so I think it came out about right. I had a quote from a guy I knew who quoted me $200 for a S&G dial and service call and install it prior to the failure. Now if you can do that for that kind of money I'm looking at another gun safe that has a digital lock on it and it's going to be changed send me your contact info. BTW for the second safe he charged me $175 but he never had crack that safe just swap the internals out. Jon

 

[billdeserthill]

Bill, between the service call, cracking the old digital system, the new lock and installing it I felt that wasn't to bad. He didn't have to drill it so I think it came out about right. I had a quote from a guy I knew who quoted me $200 for a S&G dial and service call and install it prior to the failure. Now if you can do that for that kind of money I'm looking at another gun safe that has a digital lock on it and it's going to be changed send me your contact info. BTW for the second safe he charged me $175 but he never had crack that safe just swap the internals out. Jon

$200 to install a S&G lock sounds reasonable, especially including the service call

 

[Jory45acp]

I prefer a keypad but went with mechanical because I was worried about a potential failure

If electronics are involved failure is not a matter of IF but WHEN. I'll stick to gears and hard shiny things until we get the force field option powered by plasma trans-conductive demodulated hi-lo pulse matter synchronized duo beta cross main buullsheetium generator.

 

[billdeserthill]

If electronics are involved failure is not a matter of IF but WHEN. I'll stick to gears and hard shiny things until we get the force field option powered by plasma trans-conductive demodulated hi-lo pulse matter synchronized duo beta cross main buullsheetium generator.

You can now have both, an electronic safe lock that is also a mechanical safe lock

redundant safe lock at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[Dodgeram2021]

I prefer a key pad

 

[Jory45acp]

With all the recent issues involving Gov't intrusion and electronic codes being handed over, I just have a hard time going with electronic entry. I have had dial locks on all my safes for 30+ yrs and it still only takes seconds to get in, it's just not that difficult I feel. In the end if the Gov't the entity trying to gain entry though they will get in one way or another by force if needed, that is the brutal reality. There was a video briefly on TubeofU's about devices from China that were being sold on their Alibaba that bypassed electric locks on some models but it was removed after complaints. If it's electric it can be beaten but will average quick smash and grab criminals have this ability..unlikely.

 

[casualshooter]

If it's either/or, I'd go mechanical unless you need quick access - but for that I'd use a small quick access safe anyway.

 

[Sunky Heribeck]

I have 2 safes, one Liberty and one Browning. Both are keypad and have had no issues with either of them.
The Liberty is about 4 years old and the Browning is over 20 years old.
The two main reasons I like keypads are I can set them to open with the same or different access codes and they are much easier on aging eyes.
Both are used for secure storage, not emergency access.

 

[greensprin6]

I like the mechanical dial but sometimes I forget the code and that sucks

 

[Azgunsmith]

I've always worked where the building were secure but some had really value guns in safes. We had a digital key pad fail on two safes where I worked. I have one mechanical dial safe, never has been an issue. The other two safes are digital. One safe the keypad outrightly failed. Had the safe guy come out and after an hour of messing with his digital lock pick the handwheel turned. New S&G dial and labor for that cost me $475. I had him look at the third safe which is digital keypad and he had me open it. Plugged a test tool in it and told me that the resistance on "the board" for the controller was too high. Meaning another new S&G dial. What would have happened is it would start getting mixed signal from the keypad ands then once that starts its time to block the door open.