Customer Reviews

Neiko 61013 550 Cubic Inch Fit Anywhere Digital Electronic Safe Box for Home, Office, Boat/RV, Gray Color

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

So here's my quick review;

1. The walls are about the same thickness as a quarter panel on my old chevy.
2. The door is heavy because it has two layers of this sheetmetal--a hollow space between them for the lock equipment.
3. (This isn't a complaint) I would have much rather had a digital mechanical key pad instead of electrical--this would have removed the need for a pass key. I couldn't find one.
4. Seems solid.
5. The lock bolts that actually hold the door closed are pretty impressive for such a small cheap unit.
six. Is not fire or water proof--but I still like it a lot.

All in all, I think this is the best bang per buck buy and, for the price, I recommend this as a place to store that 'extra gun', extra emergency money...maybe the keys and codes to your outside door lock--that kind of thing.

After a quick look, I don't think your could have busted into the walls of the safe with a sledge hammer very soon. A drill would do nicely and a 'hole cutter', but I don't think many criminals carry such things.

So there it is, if you got a use for such a security devices, and not a lot of money...(and your not keeping the HOPE Diamond there)...this will do just fine until you get rich and buy a bank vault.

bye.

The box itself is quite light. if you don't bolt it down it can be easily carried away, complete with contents. Even if it is bolted down, it can be opened easily with a cordless drill and a screwdriver. That said it is ideal for keeping small hands or casual passers by or small children from touching things you don't want them to.

A couple other negatives... the box is a bit small. Standard sized pieces of paper need to be folded. This makes it less than ideal for storing documents.

Also, there is an annoyingly loud beep each time you push one of the buttons to open the lock. That kind of broadcasts to anyone within earshot that somebody is doing something and there are situations where you might not want to do that. (Think removing your gun when you hear an intruder.)

On the plus side is this fits on a shelf and can be "hidden" behind other things. If you can live with the negatives then this should work well for you.

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews can take the place of first-hand experiences that are lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've received from other reviewers and work hard to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and if there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

It is hard enough to find a safe that does not require a key, which if lost, will doom you. It is even more difficult to find a secure combination safe that is inexpensive. This product is both of those things. Very easy to use. Could not be happier with it. I may buy another one.

UPDATED REVIEW
My original review is below. Recent events have prompted an update. You can read my intent for purchasing this safe below. The other day I came home and found the safe open and objects missing. Skipping the drama, a family member demonstrated how easy it is to bypass the keypad by picking the key lock. This safe has a "digital" key pad for inputting the pass code. Since it is battery powered you may find yourself locked out due to dead batteries. The key allows you to open the safe, even if you forgot the combo. The problem is, the key lock is the same cheap crap found in those toolbox-like money boxes you see at fairs and bake sales. These locks are so simple that they can be picked with a paper clip or other object. This safe can easily be opened by a teenager looking for whatever is inside. So I am 100% unhappy with this lack of security. The safe is worthless is you can open it up THAT easily. I suspect that a safe with a spinning dial is the better choice..as long as it does not have a cheap key bypass system!

ORIGINAL REVIEW
I needed a way to lock up credit cards, medications, and other hands-off items in my own home. I'll skip the reasons why. I looked at Wal-Mart for a similar safe and they were either too small or too large. This safe was exactly what I needed. While the unit came with bolts for securing the safe to a block wall..I did not use it. I don't have a block wall handy and I am not worried about the safe being carried away. I do want to keep casual in-home "wanderers" from easily getting into my stuff. You know-friends of friends. This safe works perfectly for my purposes.

The key pad is powered by four AA batteries. The pad beeps with each press of a pad. The beeps are loud, letting you know someone is at the safe. When you input the right code the light turns green indicating the lock is open. You then turn the knob to open the door. My batteries died after about 30 days. The batteries are inside the the safe, on the door. Fortunately a set of keys are supplied so you can open the safe from the outside. These keys are your magic bullet in case you forget the code or the batteries runs out. There is no indication that the batteries are dead other than the beep stops and you cannot open the safe.

The safe is not fire-resistant. Your documents won't last in a fire. You could cut the safe open with a saw-zall or similar tool. But this safe is not for that level of protection. It is a simple "keep out" device. I am sure if you hid it and attached it to a block wall it would be more difficult for a smash and grab home invader to get at it. If I had real valuables, guns, gems, and the like, I would invest in something very different.

This safe is ideal for what it is. It will do a great job of keeping inquisitive minds out (e.g., children) and your semi-valuables in one place. I do believe that having the override key on the outside is the fatal flaw in this unit. I speculate that the lock could be picked by a semi-skilled person within one hour.

For those who are looking at more secure safes I would recommend making sure that, for the additional money, you also get a few of the following convenience options, which this safe does not have:

* Allows you to turn off the key pad "beep", as not to notify others you are opening your safe.
* The number display illuminates for easy access at night.
* Either mechanical keypad or store the batteries on the outside of the unit. This way the door does not have to be opened to replace batteries, eliminating the need for a key.
* Fire and water resistant
* Shelving

Seems secure enough for bedroom use and to keep most anyone out of it.

Cons:
Not a backlit keypad.
Door not springloaded.
Beeping is rather loud, you're not going to get into this without anyone in the room knowing about it.

This is the second one of these I have purchased. I really liked the one that I installed at home, so I am giving one to family members for Christmas. This safe is easy to program and to use. I have changed the batteries in it once. This unit comes will all of the hardware to install it on a shelf somewhere in your house. Ideal for small jewelery items, passports, credit cards not in use or extra car keys that you have to keep away from teens!

I searched many different sites and read every review. This little safe had mostly good reviews with a couple not so good ones.

My personal opinion is VERY good. Do I wish I had the money to buy a $300.00 unit? Of course! But for the money...this is a great little safe. Perfect size for a couple of hand guns, meds, cash or whatever. It will not keep a safe cracker out of your things but it will do just fine against your kids or nosey room mates.

My only neg comments about this safe is that the key pad should be back lit, also when pressing the buttons it beeps each time, I wish I could turn the beeping off. But for the money you cant beat it...I will be buying another...one up stairs one down.

This safe isn't fire proof or water proof and it doesn't take much to get into it as it has a bypass key with about three pins, plus the key number is stamped onto the safe so anyone can call the manufacturer and have a key mailed out to them. Basically, this is an inexpensive version of a hotel room safe. It's not as fancy as a hotel room safe as the bolts are manually operated, not motorized and the code can only be changed when a button inside the safe is pushed, not by entering the new pin to lock as would be the case with a hotel room safe. Plus the safes in the hotels I've stayed at have power outlets inside the safe so that you could charge your cell phone while keeping it in the safe, you would have to cut a hole in this safe to mount a power outlet.

What this safe is good for is to put your wallet, cash and checkbook into whenever you are at home. I got it for this very purpose because I discovered that my girlfriend was slipping my atm card out of my wallet, making withdrawals and slipping it back into my wallet.

You may want to sand off the lock number from the safe and if you are going to buy this safe, buy it from Harbour Freight Tools where it's only $35.

You'll need a real mechanical safe to keep the bypass keys in.

It would be better if the bypass lock was an interchangeable core lock so that you could install a high security lock core. Even better would be a purely mechanical combination lock so that a bypass key wouldn't be necessary. The keypad and the turn handle are plastic and mounted on a plastic piece on the front, it's still a steel door behind it but it would've been more reassuring if it had been mounted on steel instead of plastic.

It was a little tricky bolting it to the back wall of the master bathroom linen closet when I installed it on the shelf but that was because the drill wouldn't quite fit into the safe and still reach one of the mounting holes. The studs weren't conveniently located so if I wanted it in the corner of the closet, I had to bolt it to the drywall with toggle bolts. Fortunately, the new toggle bolts can hold 300lbs on drywall and you still have the mounting holes in the bottom of the safe to screw it to the shelf itself. The bolts that come with the safe are for mounting to concrete so you still have to go to the hardware store to find some. The instructions say to use #8 screws, the #8 screw head would pass right through the mounting holes so you would either need washers or use at least a #12 screw. I ended up using the largest drywall toggle anchor mount kit that I could find which used 1/4 inch bolts and required 1/2 inch holes be drilled in the drywall, finding a 1/2 inch drill bit for less than $10 was a challenge. Of course, you can always pour some of the expanding plastic used instead of concrete to set fence posts, into the wall to firmly secure the drywall anchors.

Only serious problem is that many inexpensive digital safes have a design flaw in how weak the solenoid spring is in that a solid hit on the safe door while you turn the handle will bounce the plunger out of the way of the bolt mechanism. Just search for "How to open a safe with a potato" and you'll see videos on how to bump these safes open. The way mine is mounted, you really can't get a good angle to bump the safe open.

Note that I paid $34.99 for this safe and it's sometimes on sale for less.

This is the same kind of mini safe you find in hotel rooms. It is cheap and great for keeping passports, documents and cash at home without too much worry about theft or fires.

Not sure about flooding. This unit may not be water proof.