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Biometrics safe - worth my consideration?

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paJonas

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Jun 27, 2008
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Etters, Pennsylvania, USA
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I have a young child, and I'm taking my time shopping fora handgun, I want to make sure I'm happy with my purchase, but that's another issue. I've already convinced myself that a safe for one or two handguns is in order for use at home, and the thought of a biometric safe struck a chord with me, given some of the benefits. I would like to know what experiences others have had with them, good and bad, and perhaps some well-founded opinions on the matter.

Thanks,

Jonas
 
AZkopper

AZkopper

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Jun 19, 2008
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Prescott, Arizona, USA
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Besides my main gun safe for shotguns, AR's, and various handguns, I keep a GunVault safe by the bed. Like you, I have a tottler running around.

I personally like the GunVault. It has a 4 finger combination to open, and is spring loaded to open. I've had it almost 2 years, and love it. You can hardmount it to a wall or bedframe, or just have it sit by the bedside.

I had a sensor malfunction one night on my alarm system, and the alarm activated. From a dead sleep I was able to access my gun within a second or two.

There relatively inexpensive.

http://www.amazon.com/GUNVAULT-MINIVAULT-Standard-SAFE-12X8X5/dp/B000O8TZ5O/ref=pd_sim_dbs_sg_5
 
AZkopper

AZkopper

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Its not fingerprint coded, it just has 4 'finger grooves' which are touch pads for a particular combination you choose. It has the benefit of not needing to find a key in the middle of the night with an intruder, or needing light to open a combo safe. Just put your hand/fingers over the grooves, and depress in the order you've programed, and bingo, the spring loaded door opens.

There is a key that comes with it, in case of total battery failure (not likely, since it also has a 'low battery' warning).

Nothing is 'fail safe'. With only 4 keys (one for each finger), there are onlysomething like 64combinations to choose from.
 
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David.Car

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Jun 1, 2008
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Spokane, Washington, USA
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I don't yet need a safe for keeping any kids from getting to anything of mine, but I have looked into the finger print safes and I have seen a lot of good reviews. Some of the newer ones can be programmed for up to 12+ people (don't know why you would program that many, but could be a plus to someone).

The ability to just touch it and have it open for you is a huge bonus if it came down to a home defense situation, and I will definitly be getting one when the time comes to start locking things up.

They do also come with a key in case the battery dies, but the last one I read said the battery was good for thousands of scans.
 
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ScottyT

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Apr 7, 2008
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Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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My buddy has the GunVault Biometric safe (GVB2000?) and I really like it. It opens fast and you dont have to fiddle with keys or keypads if the adrenaline is dumping.

Be sure to drag your finger off the sensor each time, to smear it and avoid any latent fingerprint issues.
 
E

eyesopened

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NOVA, Virginia, USA
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AZkopper wrote:
Nothing is 'fail safe'. With only 4 keys (one for each finger), there are onlysomething like 64combinations to choose from.
Click to expand...
There are way more combinations with the gunvault. You can also use two fingers at once so that increases the permutations. For example. Index, middle, Ring + Index, Pinky.
 
deepdiver

deepdiver

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A few friends have small biometric safes for just 1-2 handguns in their bedrooms. I really like them and will probably go that route when I have kids.
 
T

tattedupboy

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Gary, Indiana, USA
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AZkopper wrote:
Its not fingerprint coded, it just has 4 'finger grooves' which are touch pads for a particular combination you choose. It has the benefit of not needing to find a key in the middle of the night with an intruder, or needing light to open a combo safe. Just put your hand/fingers over the grooves, and depress in the order you've programed, and bingo, the spring loaded door opens.

There is a key that comes with it, in case of total battery failure (not likely, since it also has a 'low battery' warning).

Nothing is 'fail safe'. With only 4 keys (one for each finger), there are onlysomething like 64combinations to choose from.
Click to expand...
Ok, so I was mistaken. I suppose that as long as you don't forget the combination when you need to access your gun, then you're good to go.
 
H

Henry Bowman

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Jun 10, 2008
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Lilburn, GA, ,
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I purchased a biometric (fingerprint) safe for other stuff as well as a few handguns and so far it's worked great. It has other backup methods of entry also. Mine will hold up to 30 different fingerprints.


just my .02
 
A

asforme

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Mar 27, 2008
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Kalamazoo, MI
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Question for any of you who own them. How long does the safe take to scan your finger print, recognize it, and open? Basically how long from the time you put your finger on the scanner does it take for the door to open?

I have dealt with laptops with fingerprint scanners and sometimes they take one or two swipes to correctly scan, and will take 2-3 seconds to process before accepting your login.
 
possumboy

possumboy

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Jun 14, 2006
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Dumfries, Virginia, USA
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asforme wrote:
Question for any of you who own them. How long does the safe take to scan your finger print, recognize it, and open? Basically how long from the time you put your finger on the scanner does it take for the door to open?

I have dealt with laptops with fingerprint scanners and sometimes they take one or two swipes to correctly scan, and will take 2-3 seconds to process before accepting your login.
Click to expand...

The one I have takes about a second. The software gets better the more you use it - like my laptop.

It learns your fingerprint and can do more with lessand faster the more you use.
 
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paJonas

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Jun 27, 2008
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Etters, Pennsylvania, USA
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I know this might come out as a little technical, but can you connect the software to a computer and track access/attempted access? In other words is there a log?

I can really see where this might benefit a safe owner, especially if they store otherthings in it, like important documents.
 
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