Customer Reviews

First Alert 2072F Anti-Theft Safe with Digital Lock, 1.00 Cubic Foot, Gray

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

This safe is what we were looking for. It's the right size for us and has a shelf for a price I was willing to pay for an anti-theft safe. It is not a fire safe.

Arrived safely with no damage. Keys were where they should be and we had absolutely no trouble getting it open, installing the batteries for the keypad or setting a digital combination.

There is a master key that you can use to open the safe if you forget your key-code or if the keypad batteries die. So, it is very important that you put this master key in a place that is secure that you will remember. (Not in the safe! ha!)

It also comes with 2 'regular' keys, one of which is to be used in conjunction with the key-code to open the safe.

After setting the key-code the first time, thereafter to open the safe, you must enter the key-code, make sure the key-code is accepted (beep!) and use a 'regular' key to physically turn the bolts within a time limit.

There are 4 holes on the back (and I can't remember now, but I think there are ones on the bottom) to allow you to bolt it to a wall or the floor.

It is small enough that having it door-forward on the floor makes it tricky to get your head low enough to see what's inside. I plan to bolt it to a wall once I find a good spot in our house, mainly to get it off the ground so I can see into it.

There is a tiny light on the edge of the door that you can turn on when the door is open to shine into the safe. Might be useful in a totally dark room, but I haven't used it.

All-in-all, we've been happy with it. Have had it since 3/2007.

Manufacturer web site it http://www.honeywellsafes.com aka SISCOproducts.

The key got stuck in the lock the very first time I tried to use it. The safe could not be locked and the key could not be removed or turned more than about a quarter of a turn. In the course of trying to remove the key, I eventually tore the head of the key clean off, leaving the broken half of the key in the lock cylinder and rendering my brand new safe unusable.

By removing 4 little screws from the inside I was easily able to remove the back cover and extract the entire lock cylinder and take it into a locksmith. The lock cylinder itself is so cheap and flimsy, the locksmith initially asked me if it came from a filing cabinet! I have no idea yet if they will be able to extract the key or if this will be seventy five dollars down the drain. Even if they do extract the key, I think the cylinder itself is probably defective and I don't really want it anyway. I can't wait to try and order a new one from Honeywell customer service...

Finally, if you just look at the keys themselves you will see that they are embarrassingly simple, having only a single tooth for the two normal keys or a double tooth pattern in the case of the master key. The entire key and lock system is clearly an afterthought which provides no additional security and should have been replaced with a lever which only turns after you have input the code. Please do yourself a favor: save time and money and go buy something else.

I had a break-in about 3 weeks ago and it certainly prompted me to take security issues seriously. I got this safe to keep credit cards, important papers, keys and a small handgun. The safe is roomy and sturdy, but I don't like the key set-up. There is an over-ride key which basically makes this safe totally unsafe and unsecure! Any criminal could pry the lock open in a matter of seconds! Also, the safe is mountable to the floor or a wall stud, but the safe is 11 inches wide and most houses are built with 16 inches between the studs! So, only one side of the safe can be bolted into wall studs. A leaning safe is not pretty to look at and it ticks me off that I may have to bolt it to the floor and mess up my hardwood flooring! Would I buy this one again? No! I'd invest more money and get a hotel safe with a swipe card/key pad only set-up. With this type of safe, I wouldn't mind messing up my dam* floors!

The saying you get what you pay for was written for this item. I was looking for an inexpensive safe and the Honeywell safe seemed to fit the bill. At less than $100 I knew it would not be the highest quality but I expected it to work. I managed to get the safe to work once and then the locking mechanism failed and it would not lock. I returned the product and am awaiting my refund.

This is an OK safe for small objects. Don't expect high security and don't expect fire safety for papers, etc. It is a good deterrent which is why we got it. The installation is easy if you want to bolt it into concrete (no real directions though), but no help fastening it to studs in an existing wall.

This is a fantastic value for the money -- as long as you're looking for a non-fire rate safe.

After many episodes of watching "It takes a Thief" on television (which makes me now a high-trained security specialist [not]), I realize that most burglars are looking for a quick in-and-out. Most of the time, the thief is out within 15 minutes. I have a house burglar alarm and doubt that the Company would arrive within 15 minutes, so it makes sense that a thief would want to get in and out quickly.

This safe will definitely slow someone down, especially when bolted down. The steel isn't particular thick but it would still take several minutes with a sledgehammer (if the thief brought one) or with a blow-torch to open it -- and it's unlikely that they'll take the time. They'd rather walk-off with the safe itself, so bolt it down well and hide your crowbars in your basement.

This safe is large enough to store all my valuables such as my passports, etc. and even some of my cameras. It's convenient enough that I actually use it -- unlike other combination lock safes that I've had. And the master key means that even if I forget the combo or lose the regular key, I can still open it. The master key is kept in a safe place off-site.

So, buy this, bolt it down as firmly as you can, and enjoy!

I bought this safe for my daughter to keep her valuable items safe at college. However, I don't think I will by anymore Honeywell products. I was disappointed with both the sloppy packaging that Honeywell did with their product and the actual assembly and poor quality assurance testing.

Poor Packaging: The batteries, battery cover, keys and hardware was allowed to tumble around the inside of the safe rather than using even a simple cardboard insert to secure those items.

Poor assembly: The wiring pin connectors were put together so poorly that one of the leads came out of the connector (at the time of assembly) that prevented the new owner from ever being able to reset the combination to something different from the factory default. Had I not had the experience of being able to diagnose and repair electronic equipment, we would have missed the deadline of getting this to my daughter's school 1500 miles away.

Poor Quality assurance: To verify that the safe was operating properly, it would have been extremely simple for Honeywell have a person push the reset button to verify that the safe was operating properly. It was painfully obvious that the safe was slapped together and never completely tested. Something as simple as even the mat that covers the bottom of the safe doesn't even fit properly.

Conclusions: Given the discount and sale price, it was not a complete loss. I was able to open up the internal electronic lock system and repair it to make the safe usable, but Honeywell has forever lost this customer and possibly others who might otherwise have considered buying a Honeywell safe because it carries the "Honeywell" name. Don't be fooled, the name mean nothing.

The best part of this experience was the great service from Amazon. I got the safe much earlier than expected even with using their super saver shipping. I had a narrow window of time to get the safe in time before my daughter's departure half way across the country and amazon's great service made sure I got the safe in a timely manner.

This item is a great value for the money. It is not fire resistant, but is not supposed to be. It is used as a gun safe, and fits the bill better than many gun specific safes. It has plenty of room, and a solid feel. The only thing I don't really like is the key system. I'd rather have a digital only lock, like the hotel safe we used on holiday. The code was whatever you chose at the time, so it could be changed daily, if desired. With this safe, you have to use both the digital keypad, and a key. Also, you have to hide (and remember where), a master key.
I would highly recomend this item.

This safe worked fine for a few months. I had only opened the safe about 8-10 times and then the keypad stopped working. Replaced batteries etc. I then had to use the override key. Then the key got stuck and won't come out. So now the safe is totally useless. I guess you get what you pay for. I'm going to purchase a higher quality safe that opens with a combination lock. Please don't waste your money purchasing this safe.

Great for storing personal items, works great, the only thing I dislike is having to use a key in addition to the keypad in order to open the safe but I guess that makes it more secure.