Customer Reviews

Barska Biometric Safe

5 star:		(136)
4 star:		(60)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I recently received this biometric safe from Amazon. I ordered it on 8/15/10 and received it on 8/21/10 via fed-ex ground. The outer box was crushed on top but the safe was in perfect condition thanks to some very good packaging. Any past packaging/shipping problems have been fixed.

I ordered this safe because I wanted quick access to a weapon in a part of my home that is far removed from my gun collection. I decided I can open a biometric safe when my heart is racing much faster than I can a combination lock. I have two teenage children who I do want to have access to the weapon. Shortly after installing the safe and registering my fingerprints and my wife's fingerprints (We did several angles of our right index fingers per others suggestions), my 15 year old son WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE SAFE in 10 seconds using a trick he learned on the "Myth Busters" television show. I quickly learned that you MUST wipe the glass clean after each use or techno savvy teens CAN open this safe. (The instructions do not tell you to do this). With the glass cleaned my son was NOT able to open the safe. We now keep a wash cloth next to the safe for this purpose.

My children have grown up with firearms and I take them to the shooting range MONTHLY. Firearms are not taboo or a mystery to them and they are safer around firearms than most adults I know. The purpose of the safe is really to keep their friends out and prevent any temptation to show the weapon. However, after watching my 15 year old open the safe (even knowing he could not repeat it with the glass clean), if my children were younger or were at all inexperienced with firearms, I would invest in a more expensive biometric safe to insure they could not gain access.

This safe would be easy to carry off if you don't bolt it to the wall or floor. Also it is relatively thin metal (about the same thickness as a typical high school locker but a far more substantial locking mechanism) and would probably only keep out a thief looking for a quick in and out. In my opinion a determined thief would open this safe with a heavy crowbar in just a few minutes. I have a 2 cu.ft. combination lock fire/flood safe from Sentry which I paid about $400 for. It is far, far more substantial and that is the type of safe I recommend for digital media and real valuables.

I bought this to keep my handguns in when not being carried or out for home defense. I considered less-costly, more traditional combination safes including the finger-touch models; but after reading reviews that called reliability into question decided against them. I couldn't be happier with this safe.

For $50-$75 more than you'd pay for an inferior safe, this one is extremely well-built. The programming of the lock is simple and fast, the back-up system sufficiently easy-to-use (IF you are the owner and know how); and the capacity abundant. The safe opens quickly with just the touch of the (programmed) finger.

I have two full-size handguns, ammo, and several spare magazines in there and STILL have room for important documents and some other valuables. I bolted it to a wall in a seldom-used closet (easy, fast and secure), but you can just as easily bolt it to the floor with the pre-drilled holes the manufacturer provides. In terms of size, the best way to describe it is hotel room safe-sized.

If you want a well-built, well-priced, dependable safe that is easy to program, fast and easy to open with an excellent fail-safe, this is for you.

This is the only way I could think of to have quick access to a gun but keep it totally safe from kids. The safe has NEVER opened for anyone who has tried it without thier prints programed in it. The only times it has failed to open for me is if my finger is at quite an angle to the reader or not in very far, its not picky but you can also program it with your fingers at angles to avoid any problem. My only complaint would be that I wish there was a way to not have the loud beeper go off as you open it, kinda defeats the stealth effect.

I'm giving this product one star only because I want to point out the dangerous flaw in the instructions to all buyers and potential buyers. Aside from this flaw in the instructions (not with the product itself) I find the product to be excellent - so please interpret this review accordingly. My one-star rating is a warning to users and not a judgement on the product itself.

I received the product this week and followed the set up process step by step as described in the user manual (dated 2008). I scanned each of my fingerprints and was happy to find that each would successfully open the safe. I stashed my loaded revolver and ammunition in the safe and locked the door, thinking all was secure. Two days later out of curiosity I had my 9-year-old daughter try to open the safe. She successfully did. With every finger! I then asked my 6-year-old son to try. Same thing. My loaded, ready-to-fire weapon and ammunition were completely unsecured. Imagine my horror! I thought I may have received a defective product, but I wanted to try the setup process again. I deleted all fingerprints and initialized the lock again. Then I followed the setup instructions again, step by step, with the same results.

With some experimentation, I found the fatal flaw in the instructions. The instructions as received with the safe say (under A: Registering Fingerprint):

1) Press initialization button on the inside of the safe door till a beep is heard.

2) Immediately place finger on scanner, you will hear 1 beep. Keep finger on scanner till you hear 2 long beeps, then take finger away. Registration of fingerprint is now complete.

Here's the missing part: YOU MUST CONTINUE TO HOLD THE INITIALIZATION BUTTON WHILE YOU SCAN YOUR FINGER. The instructions do not imply this, but it will not work correctly if you don't.

I immediately contacted Barska and they emailed me a Quick Set-Up document (dated 2010). This document has the correct instructions.

Please be aware of this if you own or are buying this safe. And don't assume your weapons are secure without testing the biometric feature on others who should not have access. This could be a deadly, devastating mistake.

I am happy with this product and would rate it highly and recommend it to others - but please be aware of this critical error in the instructions until Barska starts including the corrected instructions with the product. Which I hope they do immediately.

If you currently own or plan to purchase this safe, please contact Barska for the corrected instructions.

I purchased the Barska Biometric safe because I needed a safe with easier access. My original safe was based on a key. It was a challenge to find a location for the key that would allow easy access quickly. In addition, how does one open the safe in the dark. This safe is much better. The safe is large enough to fit several weapons, ammo and magazines. The safe is sturdy and well built. The only drawback is the actual size. It's to big to fit into a standard size night stand. The door swings out to your right. It might have been better if the door swung down or up. Access would be easier. You either have to put it in a closet, mount it in a wall or under a bed.

In terms of registering of fingers, you can register several sets of fingers to get into the safe. There is also a back up key system behind the logo. The biometric system is easy to setup and easy to use. The instructions are on a sturdy cardboard which can be stored for later use. Once the fingers are registered, you can test to see how quickly access can be provided. I was very impressed with the access. The finger portal lights up where you put your finger. Especially good for the dark. It takes approximately 3 to 5 seconds to gain access to the box. The count is from the point of pushing the button to placing finger on the biometric scanner to accessing the weapon. Very impressive.

I agree with most reviews previously given.

The print reader is picky. At first I only programmed one print. Recognition of this print was hit and miss. Programmed a 2nd print, same finger. Recognition is now probably 95%. With 3 or 4 prints programmed, recognition would be flawless. It has NEVER opened for an unauthorized print. I tried, I bought it 3 months before my handgun and tested it often. I can reliably get into it within 3-5 seconds.

It is very loud, particularly the long beep it emits when unlocking. I'm not concerned about it alerting a criminal. If they come to me, I already have my handgun out. If they leave, Fantastic, no blood stains on my carpet or conscience. 2nd, if my child or someone else starts messing with it or actually makes their way into it, I'll hear the beep from anywhere in the house. Also, if left unlocked after opening, it will start beeping at about 5 second intervals. There is around a 2-3 minute delay before this starts. A surprise feature that I appreciate.

Great amount of room inside. My subcompact, 4 boxes of ammo, 2 magazines, and personal documents fit just fine with room for a couple more handguns or other miscellaneous items. It is large and heavy which would prohibit it from being placed on all but the stoutest closet shelves.

The safe is a little lighter than I expected. Other than the door of the safe, the walls of the safe aren't particularly substantial. It really cries out to be mounted inside a wall or cabinet. That said, I'm quite statisifed with it. The biometric fingerprint reader works very well. I did notice that the reliability of it increases to almost 100% when I used my thumb rather than another finger. So much so, I didn't even bother storing my thumbprint in multiple positions as others suggested (I did feel the need to do this when I used just a finger). As others have mentioned, it does beep when opening and closing and I'd probably prefer that I didn't, but this wasn't a showstopper to me.

After a lot of research I decided to buy this safe for my handguns located in my bedroom. There are cheaper biometric safes out there but the reviews on them were shaky compared to what I read about the Barska.

After several months of ownership, I cannot be happier with this safe! This controls are simple to use. It allows you to program in a fairly large number of fingerprints (always smart to capture prints of a couple of fingers on both hands...just in case you have an injury to one hand). The directions are clearly written. The safe has worked as expected every time. No problems.

Yes, this safe does have a key backup system. I write this because at my time of purchase none of the Amazon literature or reviews mentioned this. Barska does describe this on their own website. I like the key system; it is not a quick release system for emergencies, but more designed in case you let the batteries die and need access for that reason. The key back is located behind the silver plate on the front of the safe. First you have to remove one of the screws on the front with a hex-wrench (provided with the safe) and then you have access to the key cylinder. This should also be a deterrent to kids.

The safe is large enough to hold important paperwork and some boxes of ammunition in addition to a couple of firearms.

The door on this safe is heavy-duty but the walls aren't. I could probably open this safe with a sawsall in under 10 minutes. Any thief would simply take the entire safe and open it later. I suppose if it was bolted down you'd need a crowbar to remove it. It is not sledge hammer proof.

I recorded several finger from each hand and from other family members. I found that scanning the same finger at a few different angles provided less errors.

As other reviewers mentioned, there is a beep when the safe unlocks. It's no big deal as long as I can get my Sig out in under 5 seconds.

This is certainly an improvement over leaving your gun in a draw or under a table.

This safe is not fireproof. The "emergency key" would take about a minute to use because you have to use an Allen wrench to remove the cover plate before you can put the key in. Also, having the key handy is a serious security risk so it's nowhere near this safe.

UPDATE: After months of use I tried opening the safe several times with wet hands and it NEVER works. Also, a strange clicking sound started last week when I was opening or closing it. It sounds like the gear to operate the lock lost some teeth and is skipping. I imagine the gear is plastic because metal wouldn't break so soon. If the gear strips entirely, the key won't work either. I took my gun out since I don't want to risk not getting to it when I need it. I can see the day coming when I cut this thing open and see how it is really constructed.

I'm a single mom with a 10 year old son. I wanted to purchase a gun, but like many of you, was afraid of what might happen should my son's friends get a hold of it. I know my son won't play with it, but I'm more concerned about visitors playing with the gun. The whole point of having home protection is being able to keep it LOADED and easily accessible in case of emergencies. This safe FIXED all my problems. Not only can I keep the gun fully loaded without any safety devices on it, but NO ONE can retrieve it from the safe but me. There are no numbers to enter or dials to turn. If you are in an emergency situation the LAST thing you want is to try to remember a combination to your safe!

I secure my fully loaded gun and bullets in the safe and have the comfort of knowing it's there when I need it. To top it off, the biometric reader unlocks the door rapidly. You push a button, place your finger over the sensor, and it's open. No delay, no waiting. PERFECT. Now I have the security of a loaded gun in the house without the hazards of it being accessible to my son's friends! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

It's a SMALL price to pay for peace of mind.