Customer Reviews

Gunvault GVB1000 Mini Vault Biometric Gun Safe

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I received this product from my wife for Christmas this past year. It worked perfect until recently. I scan my fingerprint and I can hear the mechanism pop to allow me access, but the door will not pop open anymore. I checked with the manufacturer's website and it has under FAQ this very problem. They tell me to hit the safe with the palm of my hand and if that doesn't work to use a screwdriver now to pry open the door at the top. The safe opens everytime now once I use the screwdriver after the biometric print authorizes it. I do not find this helpful and after doing a google search on this product I have come to find out this is a normal problem others have had. I am stuck now using the screwdriver to open my safe after the biometric fingerprint scans.

Having owned the GV1000 (Minivault) and the GV2000 (Multivault), the biometric one is by far my favorite. Having run through the unlikely scenario of IF I needed rapid access in the middle of the night, I probably would either fumble the combination or forget the numbers. The biometric feature solves the problem.

Other nice features:

This thing just works! Fingerprints were easily programmed and one can program many fingers to access the box. Unauthorized fingers simply don't work! The access is reliable and easy for the authorized person(s).

It takes a single 9-volt battery (unlike the Minivault and Multvault which take 8 AAs - a slight hassle when battery changes are needed).

It's quiet. Even the confirmatory beeps are quiet for discreet access.

It holds just enough. A Springfield XDm with a weapon-mounted light and two spare magazines easily fit into the case.

It comes with an AC adapter. You can use the battery as backup or use it primarily. You won't have to go out to search for an adapter should you want one.

It's lit inside. A small blue light illuminates the contents so you can easily gain access.

For those who need rapid and assured access with security in mind, this is probably the best solution available.

Both my wife and I wanted a quick-acting safe by the bed so I purchased the Gunvault GVB1000 Biometric safe ($235) and the Barska Mini Biometric safe ($172) and was able to compare the two. The reviews I read for the Gunvault varied so much that I didn't know what to believe. My own experience is... please do not trust your life to the Gunvault bio. If you ever needed it, first it would sound to the intruder that you are programming a microwave oven the thing is so loud and beeps so much, secondly even scanning my own fingerprint 10 ways into the scanner it would only recognize me 60% of the (first) time, then more beeps to try and get back into the vault and, the latch would release but the door would not open (it gets 'stuck') half the time. The instructions for the Gunvault Bio in the 'troubleshooting' section actually say you either have to hit the top hard or keep a flat bladed screwdriver to pry the door open with. In contrast, the Barska Mini bio works every time, the first time, and all the time. It's not as loud in use but also is a little more flimsy than the Gunvault. I returned the Gunvault and thanks to Amazon got my money back and ordered another Barska Mini Bio for my wife. It's a big decision balancing child safety vs accessibility. I hope this helps.

I bought this unit to solve a problem of how to store a loaded firearm and yet have it accessible quickly. This thing works. It fits in a nightstand drawer no problem and it holds one pistol nicely. The biometric scanner works very well. Placing your index finger over the scanner and hitting a small button with your middle finder initiates the scan which takes about 3 seconds. If the scan is approved the spring loaded door pops right open. The unit works on a 9v battery or with the included power adapter. Battery idea is handy when you keep it in a moving drawer like I do.

We bought two of these in the same order. Both work exactly as advertised. Solid construction, and the perfect size to hold one pistol. We have disacovered that if you don't have your finger oriented on the pad exactly as it was when you first saved your print, it can give a false "no-go" reading. I mean that if your finger is rolled to one side or if you're not exactly straight. But with the ability to store many prints, you could save your print in seveeral orientations. We're going to do that. Also found that if your finger is very dry, the print might not read. This is easily remedied by moistening your fingertip, or getting some facial oil (rub the side of your nose) onto your finger. You can see these effects by looking at your finger's contact area through a piece of window glass or a drinking glass. The Bio lock is much more convenient than having to deal with a key or pushbutton code sequence. My only suggestion to make the product better is that the foam rubber padding should be lined with a cloth or plastic film to keep the padding from "grabbing" the gun as you remove it.

The safe works fine and the biometric scan is surprisingly reliable. However, I also ordered the security cable with this safe and submitted the following review: "Technically the problem is with the GunVault safe itself in that the knockouts don't knock out. The instructions with the cable make it sound like a simple tap, attach the cable and secure. Had to drill out the punch hole with a carbide drill. Not what I had planned on to secure the safe."

I was warned repeatedly about the substandard quality of this product. I read the reviews and saw that the majority of people who purchased this safe, had issues with the door, scanner, and latch. But then I read a bunch of reviews where people had no problems at all. I figured that I would order one, and if it failed, I'd send it back for another one - thinking that surely one out of two would work... Wow, was I wrong. The first one arrived packaged well from Amazon. Amazon should create a "best-practices" tutorial for all other shipping departments, as they are without equal. That being said, upon getting past the Amazon packaging and opening the actual product's box, the first safe was visibly dented, and all of the interior foam was torn to shreds. When I tried to open the safe door using the provided keys, the latch would turn, but not open. I tried several times and even gave it the old "Fonzie-tap" to try to jar it open. Nothing. So, back that one went. After I received the second one from Amazon, I was happy to see that the package was in decent shape, and the contents seemed to travel well. Using the keys, I was able to open the door. I proceeded to program the fingerprint scanner with no difficulties at all. In fact, I was starting to get my hopes up. The first few tries seemed to indicate that I had beaten the odds, and was the recipient of a well-working bio-metric safe. Then, I tried it a fourth and fifth time. The scanner worked; I heard the latch pop; but the door remained closed. I used the keys, and the door opened. My initial thought was that maybe the latch mechanism just needed to be broken in. I would lock and unlock the door several times, then try it with my fingerprint. Same thing, latch pops, door remains closed. After about twenty attempts, I went back to open it with the key - and this time the key failed again. I did the Fonzie-tap without any luck. To sum up: This is a very effective and expensive paperweight. Or, if you want to lock up something that will only be able to be retrieved with the use of a sledge hammer and torch, then this is the safe for you.

I almost did not purchase this because of the bad reviews, don't read them.

As with everything, sometimes things have production flaws. I open the safe anytime I walk by (I have it set up with the backup battery 9V, and its plugged into the wall) and I have not had a failure in probably over 400 attempts. I have setup about 8 fingerprints for me, and about 8 for my wife. It's a good idea to setup more incase you don't place your finger perfect when you need, it will pick it up with the other ones programmed in. We set it to read each half of our finger and the top or bottom, it helps with the peace of mind aspect to know in the middle of the night when I need it, I can't mess up as long as I get my finger on there it will read it. It holds a total of 30 prints per the manual!

Long and short it works, put both of our childrens fingers on the reader about 10 times each and it won't open. Peace of mind for parents and protectors of the household alike.

I had such high hopes for this product and it was a miserable failure. It would not even recognize my fingerprint, but would recognize one of my family members. When it did work, it was very slow to open. I need a gun safe that is fast and reliable, that does not describe this item, espically for the high price tag. I would not reccommend this product to anyone for any reason.

This item was on it's way back to Amazon within 30 min. of being out of the box. The door would open 90% of the time when plugged into the wall outlet, and about 10% of the time running on the 9V battery. I made sure to use only brand new 9V batteries, but I guess it wasn't enough juice to kick the lock open. You would hear the motor running, but the door would stay locked.

I would not trust this safe with my life. The truth is that even if this thing did work as advertised, you would still have to press the activate key (in the dark) then run your finger over the scan, then wait for it to open. If your scan goes bad the first time (which it did for me about 30% of the time), you will have to press the activate button again. I ended up getting a combo lock safe from GUNVAULT (32.00) and a small flash light (15.00) for quick night access to my gun.