Customer Reviews

First Alert 2070AF Expandable Anti-Theft Wall Safe with Digital Lock, 0.33-0.85 Cubic Foot, Cream

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I just finished installing this safe. Make sure your 2x4s are on 16" centers. Its better to install it on an inside wall to avoid insulation being in the way and humidity that can build up from the temperature change inside the safe. Read the directions fully. Be careful with the front plastic cap that covers the keyhole, the tabs can break off easily, just put one tab in then gently slide it sideways to engage the other tab.

Make sure the right side of the safe (the hinge side) is up against the 2x4 stud to hold it properly.

Overall it's a heavy duty steel in-wall safe with a digital keypad for entry and a keylock you can use anytime or if the batteries go dead for the digital lock. The inside of the safe has adjustable depth, when installed you push the inside back as far as it will go then screw the sides in. You may want to drill pilot holes first and use longer screws than they provided.

The handle opens easily but after you close the door it's a little hard to push the handle to the closed position. The main thing I don't like about the safe is that when the door is locked you can move the door out about 1/4" open, which would be enough to get a prybar underneath of it and probably pry it open. I am going to glue a metal strip inside the frame where the locking bolts are to take out the extra space so the door wont move. Once I fix the door, I will like it overall.

There is no interior space in this safe due to the electronic lock mechanism. A shame really, but if all you need is a wall safe to store a few papers than ok but nothing like a fire arm or anything will fit. Product returned.

Like the safe but the screws that come with it are not long enough to be secure. If you purchase longer screws (at least in our case) you will be satisfied.

Its a safe and it works and it's fine.

Pro's:
The electronics piece seems pretty good to me.

Cons:
The front face frame is heavy steel but the expandable case is pretty flimsy - fine I suppose but I was suprised by how they used plate steel on the front and sheet metal on the inside. The face frame is probably 1/4" thick so be aware that if you're hiding behind a painting or mirror, it will sit out a bit. Also, they have 4 large holes on the corner of the face frame for heavy screws - what...do you think burglars don't have screwdrivers?!?! Also, the holes aren't countersunk so the will thicken the face even more when putting a painting over.

There are supposed to be predrilled holes on the sides of the inside to screw into the studes, but there are only the slotted holes that allow the back case to expand. Since the back is set in a bit, if you can even fit a screw thru the slots, when you screw in down tight, it bends the sides out a little. Not a huge deal, but seems poorly engineered.

The expandable shelves inside work, but the finished product gives you a little step in the middle of the shelves where it telescopes. ALso the screws to lock in the telescoping feature of the shelves aren't countersunk, so you have two big screw heads sticking up on each shelf. Both aspects limit the shelves use.

Honeywell, you are a great and glorious company. Were all the engineers off at a conference that week? You can do (and should have done) far, far better.

One foolish thing I did - Interior wall - checked with a stud sensor so I knew where the studs were and assumed they were the normal 16" spacing. Sawz-alled stud to stud and measured the right distance down. Unfortunately, that particular stud was 1" wider spacing that the norm, and the face flange isn't wide enough to cover that gap so I had to piece in a 1" shim and patch the oversized hole. Measure first...measure first...

I installed this piece of trash over the weekend. HONEYWELL no longer represents a quality name brand after this experience. I noticed that even though this was a Honeywell product, it was made in China. On the positive side, it is nice that the safe expands to fit in a 2x6 framed wall. This gives a lot more storage space, although getting it to expand was a major task. I also like the quality of the buttons on the electronic lock. Now for the bad news. If your studs are a tiny bit wider than 16" on center at any point, the tiny screws they provide to fasten the safe to the studs will not reach. What a joke. The holes for the screws are also tiny. You cannot fasten the safe with anything wider than a drywall screw. This means your burglar can just pry the entire safe out of the wall and take it with him. And it only weighs about 30 lbs so he can carry it with your other valuables in his other arm. The construction of the safe is also poor. The seams of the box are warped, and the welds are wide open. The box is also extremely thin. The door is poorly hinged, so it scrapes the bottom rim every time you open it. This makes it very hard to open, and give a loud metal on metal screach. I have installed 2 Brown wall safes that go for about $600, and after this experience I wish I had not tried to save money. You get what you pay for!

You should know that this safe is not made by Honeywell, but by a little-known company in CA called Sisco. Further, you should know that First Alert corp has recently acquired the safe business and has little experience dealing with these items.

I bought this to install during a remodel, and as you know remodels often take some time, so once the thing was installed and tested, Amazon's return window had expired. My safe's issue was that the bolts wouldn't push out of the door, and so it couldn't lock. Because the symptom was that the handle wouldn't push the bolts out, they sent a replacement handle. Hah. Of course that didn't solve the problem.

A follow up call trying to get them to send the right part out was simply confusing. The support fellow kept saying the bolts wouldn't retract, and when I pointed out it was the opposite problem -- that they wouldn't extend -- he tried to convince me that "retract" is when the bolts come out. No wonder their support is confused.

Further disassembly showed that the bolt assembly has a bad weld with a large droplet of metal on the back that prevents it from sliding. This is just shoddy workmanship and poor quality control. So regardless of whether I use the electronic code or the physical key, the bolt will not slide (or retract or extend). Thank goodness it broke in the open position and not the closed, or this would be much, much worse. You may not be so lucky.

If you decide to ignore this and purchase anyway, be sure you install and test before Amazon's return policy expires. Still, avoid this one at any cost, or your valuables may end up quite "safe" within a box you will never be able to open.

This is a neat safe for storing a few small valuables that you may not want to keep lying around. The key words are small and few, as the previous poster stated this safe has very little inside room. There is no room for any type of firearm, document binder etc... Save your money do not buy if you need more than .25 cubic feet.

The locking mechanism is solid but the interior is poorly made with thin sheet metal.

The box was not damaged, but the safe was bent, the code didn't work, and the key over-ride did work. Some one must have just thrown this package together without even testing if it opened with the code or key.

We called support and they told us to do everything we had already done. There final comment was to ship it back.

We arranged for a replacement, but instead our money was refunded.

I purchased two wall safes from Amazon. One with a combination and the digital. I love the digital. It installed easily, however, to do it right, I had to go to the hardware store and purchase some longer lag screws. It is very nice to store valuables in. Very heavy product. Feels secure.

I've had this installed for a few years and it's been working fine. When I bought it it was a Honeywell badged product, now I see it's First Alert. The picture looks the same so it may just be a rebadge. When it arrived some of the metal was bent/warped but not enought to impede installation. As others have noted there are 4 screws in the face frame and this isn't really secure, however the security is provided by the screws inside the safe. The screws that were included are so short it's a joke. Take them to a hardware store and find some 3 inch screws of the same diameter (the holes/slots are really too small). This is what will anchor the safe into the studs. I currently have it installed in an interior 2x4 stud wall and the storage space is adequate. Another reviewer mentioned not enough space to store a firearm becuase of the electronics mechanism. With a little effort I'm able to get 2 hand guns plus some miscellaneous paperwork in. When I remodel I intend to have a 2x6 wall and can expand the safe to get more room. Really this is one of the positive aspects of this product.

How secure and burglar resistent is it? Part of it is getting it out of site, then making it difficult and time consuming for someone to get into. I think you have to weigh out how much it costs versus what your putting in it. I used long screws and put them in every available hole, obscured the safe so it's not noticeable and was able to live with the condition it came in so I'm fairly satisfied with it. If this is too much for you to do or live with then spend the extra $$ and get a better quality safe.