Safe recommendations - Format Safe Company

[wyme84]

Hi Guys,

Im looking at getting my first safe. I think I'm leaning towards this one:
DL19 from Format Safe

http://formatsafe.com/dl12-dl19-dl34/

Its UL rated.

Pricing:
The ship total for a DL19 Electronic Lock into a garage with no steps with bolting is below. The charge for the delivery and bolting is separate and would be paid on-delivery in cash or money order.
Safe: $645.35 including tax
Delivery with bolting: $225
Total: $870.35


Its UL rated.
A UL rated safe from Liberty is ~1000, and Am-sec 1200, sun-welding 880. (NOT INCLUDING TAX)

What do you guys think? Good deal or shel out the extra cash for one of the others?

Thanks!

[wyme84]

I won't get into telling you what safe to purchase as there will be plenty of others that come by shortly to jam Sturdy or AMSEC down your throat. With that said, my only suggestion would be to purchase a safe that is at least double in size to what you are looking at right now. A 19cf safe is rather small and you need to take the storage claims with a grain of salt especially if you have a few rifles with optics on them. As you are likely to put other things in the safe such as important documents, jewelry, or anything that will fit of significant value, a safe can get rather full very quickly.

Thanks for the input!


Anyone familiar with Format?

[wrklss]

Thanks for the input!


Anyone familiar with Format?

I read somewhere that these are second hand cannon safes from Costco. They were damaged and repaired. Now being sold under the format safe. I'll try to find the link.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Johneracer]

UL RSC rated. Basically it's a tin can. I would not call that a "safe" but a lockable container. Bad dude with a crow bar can open that in 5 minutes.

[wyme84]

UL RSC rated. Basically it's a tin can. I would not call that a "safe" but a lockable container. Bad dude with a crow bar can open that in 5 minutes.

Most low/mid range AMSEC and Liberty safes have the same rating....

[wrklss]

Here is the link

Take a look at the others websites they usually have discounts on some of the discontinued safes.

[TurboS600]

Here is the link

Take a look at the others websites they usually have discounts on some of the discontinued safes.

Yes, Format does refurbish and rebrand the buy backs/returns from Costco and resell them as First Alert. However, these Format DL safes are not those safes. These are a decent quality import from China that rival most RSCs. Of COURSE a determined, experienced thief with a decent sized crow bar can get into most safes given enough time. The key is placing the safe in a spot that limits the ability to get a bar into place where it can gain leverage and, of course, bolting the safe (or RSC) to a slab.

I have the DL 34 and I like it a lot. I will-called it from their La Habra warehouse in my pick-up during a Christmas sale. BTW, I took advantage of being in the area to get a nice round of golf in at Industry Hills. I left the safe in the bed under the assumption that it would be difficult for anyone to carry it off on their back.

Back to my safe...using some motorcycle loading ramps covered in carpet I was able to unload it, put it on a dolly, move it into place, and anchor it into my garage slab all by myself. At about 750# it is sturdy enough to handle most smash and grabbers yet light enough to move around by yourself if you know how. I placed mine in the corner of the garage in such a way that you'd need to remove a wall to get a decent sized bar into it to start prying on it. Impenetrable? Nah. But it will certainly take a well-planned, determined attack to get into it.

I believe that you'll be more than satisfied with this one for your first safe (this is my 2nd of 3). My only advice is the same as Hb. You REALLY need to consider purchasing double of what you think you'll need. They fill up fast and never hold as many as advertised due to sights and other accouterments attached to your firearms.

[naeco81]

As others have mentioned this is not a UL rated safe. In fact, most every 'safe' people spend up to $2k on is not anything more than an RSC - a residential security container. Underwriters Lab will not allow those to be classified as safes. The standard for an RSC is 5 minutes of break in protection with basic tools (most commonly a standard pry bar).

It is frankly ridiculous to me that one would spend close to or over $1,000 on such a container. They offer the appearance of security by being massive and heavy but don't offer any real protection. Worse, their size makes it unwieldy to store in a bedroom, which for most residential homes is the ideal place to store your firearms. Often companies will point to UL fire ratings and hope you think that means it's a UL safe. It's not, and the fire rating alone has some issues because they use formaldehyde in the drywall fire protection and this contaminates the air inside the safe accelerating corrosion dramatically. Golden rods in safes are a necessity because of this. You can look this stuff up on Google too.

If you are going to drop serious cash I'm of the opinion you should be buying an actual UL safe. Underwriters Lab has a few key classifications for real safes:

The number you see in those ratings is the number of minutes the safe is certified for against entry. A TL-15X6 safe will be basic hand tool proof for 15 minutes on all sides (that's what the X6 stands for) and cost around $4-5k. Remember, UL exists to help insurers classify risk profiles. These ratings allow companies to underwrite insurance policies accordingly.

The point of all this is to save you some money in the hopes that you find something more practical for your residence without breaking the bank. Lots of companies will sell you an $800-2,000 container that's really just an RSC with standard 14 gauge steel walls. They make the box look strong by building hollow or insulation filled walls behind thin steel plates. So you aren't getting more protection no matter what it looks like from the outside or what fancy stuff they put in the door. If you are really getting a serious gun safe, you are paying north of $3k and it will be UL rated as such. Anything called an RSC can be broken into with just a crowbar in 5 minutes.

Given that, I think for most people a cheaper security container will work just as well. It offers the same protection at way less cost, and is more likely to fit in a room where you might actually want to keep it. Personally, I buy several of these and bolt them down in different rooms housing my collection in multiple such containers. If thieves want my stuff and I'm not home they can get it all eventually, but they're significantly slowed down by having to locate all of them and break into each one individually.

I still have a very large safe in one home to house long term storage collectibles but I wouldn't buy a new one today. I got it used from a friend and it cost him a fortune. If you're looking for a real safe but on a budget I'd suggest you scour Craigslist frequently. Lots of the time people just need someone to haul an old safe away, and you'd be surprised at the deals you can find since they either don't know what it's worth or don't care as to them it's just a headache now that they don't want to pay to have removed. Still, I'd strongly recommend you go with smaller containers in larger quantity and spread those throughout your house.

Sorry for the novel but if I can help you or someone else in our community save some money I'm down for that. Good luck!

[wyme84]

Thanks for all the great responses, really appreciate it!

[Johneracer]

Sturdy does not care for UL rating so their safes are not rated. However sturdy is a real safe. Mine is 1/2 inch door with 3/8 sides. True fire insulation v dry wall in cheap Chinese safes. These budget safes with thin steels offer illusion of safety with 12 -14 bolts that go into thin stamped steel of questionable quality. Buy a used safe on craigs list before you drop on your money on fake safes.lots of info on YouTube and calguns will have a group buy on safes occasionally. Even a quality safe offers limited protection to a determined burglar so it's a good idea to build something around the safe. I completely enclosed the safe in double plywood and is part of my work bench.

[Trriemferent]

I looked into them last year but still havent bought a safe yet.
This is what a few people had to say when I ask about them.......

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1173819&highlight=format

[71MUSTY]

I've just purchased a handgun, so I'm in search of safe gun storage ideas around the house. Guys, where do I store the gun as I don't have a safe? I'd prefer to keep things near my bedroom, as I do have kids in the house. There are more guns stored in closets, under beds, between mattresses and behind doors, than in safes. What do you think about this fact? I just found some smart ideas for gun storage - https://secretstorages.com/17-best-c...d-gun-storage/ . Which of them can be considered safe while kids in the house?
I guess this biometric fingerprint safe looks to be the safest idea

This is good but in the long run you will replace it with a touch pad model. The biometric are slower to open and often take several tries to open and many issue a loud beep every try. And then the battery dies at least once a year and the electronics is subject to failure.

Basically biometric is cute but never near military/government grade.

[Mr. Beretta]

OP

Thanks for buying a safe. Too many gunners spend 1000's on guns but for some reason won't spend any $ for a safe. A safe, any safe will at least slow or deter most crooks from stealing your guns after they break into your house.

I'm not familiar with Format Safes so I'm sorry, I can't render any advice, good or bad. What I noticed however was the price. Most gunners don't keep their "1st " safe very long. Either the safe(s) fill up too fast or the owner wants a different style, model, size etc.

Take a look at this Cannon safe at Costco, item # 1068952. It's $499 + tax with free curbside delivery. Yes... free delivery. At 338 lbs, you and 2 friends could put it where ever you wanted. It's features are pretty close to the Format safe ($870). A quick search on youtube will reveal how to bolt the safe down. It's cheap (Home Depot for the hardware) and easy.

No this isn't a upper end Sturdy, Am-Sec or other big tag safe but its a good start just like the Format but at a lower price point. And yes, full disclaimer. I started out with Cannon then Brown Pro Steel and currently a very satisfied Sturdy safe owner.

Again thanks for buying a safe & good luck on your purchase.

[bigmike82]

Get something like this instead:

https://www.amazon.com/HQ-Issue-Metal-Gun-Locker-inch/dp/B01K2922C2

Add a good home security camera that alerts you when someone is messing with it and you'll have much better protection than a budget RSC posing as a safe.

[Lebaneseblonde]

Get something like this instead:

https://www.amazon.com/HQ-Issue-Metal-Gun-Locker-inch/dp/B01K2922C2

Add a good home security camera that alerts you when someone is messing with it and you'll have much better protection than a budget RSC posing as a safe.

I don't think this works under doj specs