Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you are like me, you have debated buying a home safe for awhile. You have researched. Walked by them and tested handles in the store. Looked at the price. Then looked at the price again and decided you can wait. I've done all of that for too many years now and finally decided to go ahead and spend the money and buy one. I couldn't find any that were "affordable" that didn't have some kind of poor review. I think people spend the money, get the safe and realize that what they got was a safe. And that it's not much "fun". That all being said, I am so happy with this SentrySafe! I sure don't like long reviews, but this one will be a little long. Sorry. Be sure to check out all of the pictures I attached to the review. It will help you see the size of this safe and some of the great features you will be getting for your money. The safe arrived in a box with 3 pieces of cushioning material. One on the bottom and two on the top on each side. The owner's manual and other documentation was tucked down along side the unit. The keys (for "double" locking the safe) and other documents are inside the safe. Keep in mind, this baby is heavy. About 90 pounds or so. Upon opening I noticed immediately a nasty dent. (See Picture) :( The packaging wasn't damaged so I'm not sure if this was a damaged unit repackaged, or if somehow it got dropped onto the corner of something and the box sprung back afterwards. Either way, I cannot give a poor review for something like this. I did some quick research and found that as long as the shell isn't punctured it will not affect the fire/water rating of the safe. I contacted Amazon Customer service and they offered to replace the unit immediately at their expense, refund my money, or give me a discount for keeping the safe. I chose to keep the safe. Now for the fun part. Get 4 AAA batteries ready. Keep your documentation away from the safe! Don't be tempted to put them inside of it and close the door or anything! Your key code is on one of the documents and if you lock them inside... well, I don't have to tell you, it will be a huge headache. Follow the instructions in the owner's manual from here and you will be set up in no time. My safe came with Lag Bolts to bolt down to the floor. Keep in mind, if you opt to bolt this safe down, it immediately voids the "water" portion of the warranty! I did not know this. But, I am sure that with some high quality silicone a person can still make sure that water will not get in though I doubt that Sentry would recommend this. I do not live in a flood prone state or area so that is the least of my worries. There is one lock box included. I absolutely love it! It helps me keep things organized and I have just ordered another one. (Sentry Safe Locking Drawer 913). I have included pictures to help you get an idea how big the drawer is etc. The drawer locks into the grooves and the top locks when you turn the key. I am the only one who uses the safe, so I just leave the key in there. One drawer is my "grab and go" drawer in case of emergency. I keep important documents, some emergency fiat money, etc in it. The LED lights that come on when you open the safe are awesome! They completely light up the inside of the safe well enough to see everything inside. You can program them to stay off, stay on for 30 seconds or 60 seconds. The manual states that if you set them to 60 seconds it will drain batteries faster. But, I don't care... I want the light on. The manual also states not to ever use rechargeable batteries. I'm not sure why. The keypad is nice and big with an audible beep for each key pressed. You can turn the beep off. The instructions on how to do this are in the owner's manual. Keep in mind, that if you take too long to push the code in, it automatically resets itself and you have to start over. You can program two additional codes that will unlock the safe, but the factory code cannot be changed. The door opens and closes easily and locks and unlocks flawlessly. The handle is easy to turn and you only have to turn it about an inch or so to lock and unlock. There are a couple of small "bins" inside the door for small things like rings, thumb drives etc. Also, there are key hooks! The safe is much bigger inside than I imagined. You can easily keep 8" X 10" size pieces of paper inside (so a regular sized manila folder fits just fine laying down). In conclusion, I am super happy with this safe. I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to get one. There is no such thing as 100% risk free when it comes to valuables. But *minimizing* the risk of having everything of value stolen from us is the key. With this safe bolted to the floor and filled to the top with stuff, it would be a huge pain for a burglar who is in a hurry to grab and go. It is heavy and awkward and would most likely take two people to get it out of the house after they pried it up off the floor etc. Prying the door open doesn't look like an option. It would take a torch or C4 to get it open. If you are shopping for a safe and are just "not sure"... stop shopping and just buy it. The 200$ or more you spend may well save you thousands if some crazy loon burglarizes your home (or if you have shady family members that like to "borrow" without asking). If you have any questions about my experience with this unit, please feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading my lengthy review. :)