Reliability Test: The reliability test is how a safe performs over a given length of time. We live with each safe under normal use conditions for a minimum of 3 months to confirm that the safe functions and operates reliably every time we use it.

Durability Test: The durability test tests how rugged the safe is built and if it will withstand a 1-foot drop test which simulates rough handling.

Not all safes are drop rated but most well-built safes will survive this test. This test also includes door hinge performance, gas struts (if included), and locking mechanisms.

Speed Of Entry Test: The speed of entry test is measured against manufacturer-stated opening times (when provided) to determine if the means of entry is as advertised or possibly better- or worse. This is a critical test since the speed of access to your firearms is paramount in dire situations.

Strength Of Locking Mechanism Test: The strength of the locking mechanism test determines the degree to which the safe can withstand pry attempts for any given amount of time.

This is a destructive test and is not performed to the extremes. We use moderate force to rule out poorly designed locking mechanisms that will usually expose a design flaw rather quickly under moderate force.

Ease Of Use Test: The ease of use test is important since using and accessing your firearms should take too much thought in advance. It also applies to how easy the initial setup and programming process is. Depending on the feature set, some safes take a lot more mental effort than simpler designs.

Ease Of Access Test: The ease of access test is a measure of how easy it is to access and retrieve the contents of the safe. Well-designed safes do a much better job than poorly-designed safes when it comes to gaining access to your firearms. (*A lot of this has to do with the limited amount of space a lot of smaller safes are constrained to).

However, we’ve come across plenty of smaller safes that address space constraints brilliantly and still manage to allow easy access to your firearms while others are cumbersome to use even with more available space.

Biometric Performance Test: The biometric performance test is one of the most crucial tests we do to determine how a fingerprint scanner will perform under less-than-ideal conditions. First, we perform a “damp finger test” to mimic sweaty, or wet, hands.

The second test we perform is the “powdered finger test” to mimic dusty, or dirty, fingers to see how well the fingerprint reader can read a print under the worst possible conditions.

We always recommend registering multiple fingerprints (when possible) and registering the same fingerprint multiple times (at multiple angles) if the scanner is capable. Cheaper sensors tend to perform worse in these tests than higher-quality ones

Biometric Hacking Test: With the fingerprint hacking test, we simulate a hacker lifting prints from an object to create a fake fingerprint (using a plasticine mold and some glue) to determine which sensors are the most vulnerable to this less likely attack.

Storage Capacity Test: The storage capacity test is a test that measures how many guns a safe can hold against the claims of the manufacturer. Fortunately, most manufacturers understate how much their safes can store, in our experience, rather than overstating it.

A lot of these capacity tests are wholly dependent upon the size of the firearms you’re trying to store. That’s why we test capacity with a wide range of handgun and rifle sizes to give you the full picture in terms of their total capacity limits. This includes guns with accessories attached, as well as extra magazine and ammo storage capabilities.

Smart Features Test: The smart feature test measures the performance of safes with smart features such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and App integration.

We compare our experience and the performance of each safe’s smart features against the stated performance metrics advertised (when available) and determine if the safe’s smart features are working smoothly and reliably, or if they’re buggy and present a hindrance instead of a benefit.

Value Test: The value test compares a safe’s features, build quality, storage capacity, reliability, and durability to determine whether the safe is a good value for the money compared to other safes that serve the same purpose.

From these comparisons, we’ve determined that certain brands are worth the extra cost while others are overpriced for what they offer.

Quality Control Test: The quality control test is a measure of whether a safe is consistent in its production line. If there are design flaws, does the manufacturer address the issue and provide a fix, or do they continue producing the same flawed product and ignore all complaints?

Since we can’t afford to purchase multiples of each safe we test, we rely heavily on customer feedback to help determine if there are any underlying quality control issues from older to newer product batches.

Build Quality Test: The build quality test is where we examine each safe with a fine-tooth comb to determine whether or not a manufacturer is cutting corners or hiding imperfections and weaknesses in their design.

This includes the overall fit and finish of the safe and other details like the quality of the welds, the locking mechanism quality, the gauge of the steel used, the quality of the electronics (if digital), and the mechanical quality of the mechanism (if mechanical).

We also look at hinge strength and look to see if there are any potential exploits that the manufacturer may have overlooked.

Destructive Test: The destructive test is designed to simulate pry attacks with simple tools until the safe has been compromised or successfully resists our efforts. We performed these tests on pistol safes we acquired with our own money and posted the videos on our YouTube channel.

Fireproof Test: The fireproof test is self-explanatory and is only relevant if the safe is fire-rated either by the manufacturer or is UL-listed. Of course, we’ll have to take the manufacturer’s word for it since we can’t afford to be setting safes on fire anytime soon!

We do, however, try and check for comments to see if anyone has had the unfortunate experience of testing these claims. It should be noted, though, that most fire-rated safes provide a very narrow time window of protection, and the longer the protection, the more the cost and weight of the safe.

If you’re worried about fire damage, it may be wise to consider other options for helping to reduce the chance of fire damage during a fire, such as a sprinkler system or refraining from burning candles overnight!