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I am buying a new safe in the next month and am debating on whether or not I want a digital keypad. Those of you who have them, how reliable have they been? Has anyone had problems with them? Thanks. _______________________________________________________ Hunt Report - South Africa 2022 Wade Abadie - Wild Shot Photography Website | Facebook | Instagram | ||
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Mine has a keypad. A few months ago I changed the batteries for the first time, seven years after I bought it from Carter's. I could tell by the slowing of the sound of the unlocking mechanism that they were nearing the end. I have never had a problem and am therefore pleased. | |||
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This one are where I am not a fan of new and improved. I think electronic keypads should have been subjected to the Office of Technology Prevention. Just one more thing to go wrong and really provide no additional useful value. Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Digital! fast, convenient and no problems. | |||
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I opted for the traditional dial and feel I haven't missed out on a thing by not having the electronic keypad. | |||
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Advantage of the keypad is you can open your safe in about 5 seconds. ----------------------------------------------------- Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Proverbs 26-4 National Rifle Association Life Member | |||
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I was thinking of going with the keypad for quick access in an emergency.....but I think I will go with the regular old combo lock. _______________________________________________________ Hunt Report - South Africa 2022 Wade Abadie - Wild Shot Photography Website | Facebook | Instagram | |||
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Anything I may need in "5 seconds" doesn't go in a safe...  Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Haha.....duly noted!! I keep a 1911 on the nightstand next to the bed at night.....but would also like to keep a shotgun and AR "ready to go" in the safe. Nevertheless.....I believe I can spin that dial pretty quickly. It's better to take an extra 10 seconds to open the safe, than to have an electrical short and not open at all. _______________________________________________________ Hunt Report - South Africa 2022 Wade Abadie - Wild Shot Photography Website | Facebook | Instagram | |||
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With a digital lock, you can set your own combination, change it whenever your want, and only you know the combo. Dial locks require a professional to change the combo and the locksmith will know your combo. I recently had to change my combination because my 5 year old boy started to learn the combo from watching me open the safe so many times. I was able to set a new combo with no problems at all. "Group 2" dial locks can be opened within 10 minutes by a skilled person. With a digital lock, anyone who wants to break into the safe would have to go through or peel away the steel. I've had my digital lock now for seven years and have only changed the battery once. It was very easy to do. I can get into my safe quickly and don't need the light on to see the numbers. I would keep a gun outside the safe, but I have little kids. So I don't want to be fumbling around if I don't have perfect lighting and want to get into the safe quickly. | |||
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Locks keep honest men honest. If some SOB is going to take your s**t outta your safe, he'll use this when you're not home. | |||
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I prefer the dial locks but I think I would like the digital dial locks. My dad told me about them using some of them at Quantico etc but I cant remember the name. They had a dial, no numbers on the dial itself. The numbers were displayed on an LCD on the top. That way NO ONE can see the numbers unless you are looking straight down at the lock and since the '0" point is not relative to anything physical on the lock, a person watching you would have no idea what numbers you were using. I also believe there was a feature where the faster you spun the dial, the faster the numbers moved so it was impossible to guess based on number of rotations of the dial. Damn, gonna have to call him tomorrow to find out what they are called... | |||
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I don't know what kind of safe is like that. I have a dial lock on mine and, except for the fact that after 15 years the dial failed with it closed and I had to have a locksmith open and replace the lock ($665), I can set mine to whatever combo I want with the "hex" key provided. One thing a safe salesman told me about the dial combos is don't spin the dial rapidly but smoothly and relatively slow. That being said, if I had to buy a new one, I'd go with the electronic lock. "I ask, sir, what is the Militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effective way to enslave them" - George Mason, co-author of the Second Amendment during the Virginia convention to ratify the Constitution | |||
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I learned a LONG time ago that if it's electric, it'll FUBAR eventually. Regards, Joe __________________________ You can lead a human to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America! | |||
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The electronic lock went out of my safe. I tried every morning & evening for a month, couldn't get it to do anything. I finally called a locksmith. He punched in the code and it opened, I couldn't believe it. It only worked the one time but at least it saved the cost of drilling out the lock. I had it replaced with a dial since I had lost confidence in the electronic lock. Although the locksmith told me he runs into many more problems with the dial locks. | |||
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IMO the main problem with the mechanical locks is either too much or too little lubrication, and too little manipulation. Most of the problems I've seen involved sticking, either from lube difficulties or just plain lack of use. Too many folks, me included, simply use the mechanical key lock instead of going through the entire sequence of dial-turnings every time. This allows crud & oxidation to interfere with the smooth functioning of the seldom-used individual rotors inside the lock. Occasional disassembly & servicing will cure this. Regards, Joe __________________________ You can lead a human to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America! | |||
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I had two Liberty’s safes with electronic locks, they worked great until someone decided to cut the wires; that was very costly. I stick with the dials. That someone is long gone. | |||
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I don't get in and out of my safe that long but never have a problem with the mechanical lock, it can be changed with the key provided as said (though I likely don't have the key anymore or remember how). I have two smaller safes I use for jewelry, documents, money. they are both over 30 years old and have mechanical locks, although one the handle is broke off (have to turn the stub) and the other the dial is stiff/sticky to turn they both work great no problem. I too am reluctant to trust the digital. Red edited to add, if it were me I'd just use a plasma cutter if I needed in. or set of torches, I'd go through the top since many safes have a top shelf with things on it, the rifles below would be less likely to be damaged. go through the top and take everything out that way. That saw that was linked would be awkward for starting cuts and hell of loud. My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. -Winston Churchill | |||
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Mine is the traditional combination spinner and it also has a key. The key has to be used first to enable the combination to gain entry.....I like that!!!! ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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Does anyone sell the even more modern option, the one that reads your fingerprint or retina? My current vault door requires both keys and dial combo, but over the years I have had to have the locksmith out a couple of times as the spring (s?) which power the tumblers into place have weakened over time (20+ years) and eventually fail if not worked slowly and smoothly. The current locking system is a supposedly top quality one, with automatic resetting if "punched", but I would like something even better My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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I had a keypad on a safe and it went bad. The safe company sent out a locksmith to open it....no luck. Three locksmiths and 2 weeks later they finally got it open by drilling the lock. The safe company replaced the safe and I opted for a traditional dial lock on the new safe. This may be a rare event, but I won't have another keypad locking safe. | |||
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Guys, Having read this entire thread, I'd say that there's a failure rate on both types of locking mechanisms and that each have had problems that required a locksmith to fix. I finally broke down and bought a safe and I opted for the electronic lock. I figured it would be easier to use and I have a couple friends that recommend them. My question is (and not to highjack a thread): what's the reputation of Cannon brand safes? At least decent for the money hopefully? Jason "Chance favors the prepared mind." | |||
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Many years ago when I learned to fly retractable gear, my instructor told me that there are only 2 kinds of RG pilots: those who HAVE landed gear-up and those who WILL land gear-up. Funny tragicomic thing is, about 10 years later he landed a Gulfstream gear-up...... I feel the same about any device that depends upon electricity: there are those that HAVE failed and there are those that WILL fail! Regards, Joe __________________________ You can lead a human to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America! | |||
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Either will work fine, both can fail. I have four safes, all with dial locks, two of the safes are over 60 years old, the dials work fine. These safes were in businesses before I bought them which means they were opened 6 times a week, pretty much every week. I trust the dails more than the electronics. Also most dial locks aren't difficult to change the combos on. | |||
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I prefer a good old fashioned key. | |||
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The electronic locks are much more convenient and user-friendly if you need/want to get into your safe frequently. Overall, they are probably a bit more dependable and less subject to "cracking" than a dial lock. However, "cracking" (deciphering the combination of) the lock is rarely the method of entry of a burglar. As was pointed out earlier, the unprotected sides of a safe are only 12 gauge (sometimes 10 gauge) steel, and any $25 metal saw from Harbor Freight and Tool can zip through that in a matter of seconds. You guys who keep your safe against the wall in the garage with a metal saw and an extension cord right next to it have been very generous and thoughtful toward your hardworking and deserving neighborhood burglar. | |||
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Electroic all the way....One of my safes has the fingerprint/keypad which is nice...... Mac | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Gun Safe Question......keypad vs. combo lock??
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