Customer Reviews

SentrySafe H3300 1.29-Cubic-Foot Fire Safe and Waterproof Security File, Silver Gray

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Length:: 3:59 Mins

The dimensions of the inside are 13.9" x 14", adequate for legal paper, right? Sure, but probably not the way you want to.

I already have a fireproof safe, but lately it is unable to hold all of the important documents. I have a stack of legal size papers (8.5" X 14") that is about two inches thick. This doesn't fit in my (slightly) smaller safe well at all, so I found this safe, sized to fit legal papers. It also has file folder hangers built in! But I can't use those at all. I am stuck with laying all of my legal paper size things in the bottom and letting them curl up on the ends.

You see, the concrete (or whatever material it is) insulation that is blown in to this plastic casing causes the casing to bulge inward. The stated interior dimensions are 13.9 x 14 at the very top, but not halfway down the side of the interior walls. It is 13.4 x 13.5 at that point. (Sort of like a 2x4 being 1.75" x 3.5") Even the bottom bulges up, so a hanging file folder hits the bottom before it is hung on both rails, definitely a design flaw. Beside that problem, the hangers would only hold A4 or Letter size hangers, NOT Legal size. The hangers are oriented so that the paper would hang sideways, in the 13.9" nominal direction, minus 1" for the lid mechanism to have room to move in. The only way legal papers could fit is in the other direction, and that is if the walls didn't bulge inwards, and no hanger rails in this direction.

Now when I put my hanging file folders in there...they become leaning file folders instead. (Try hanging a 9" folder in a 7" drawer)

I won't test the lock assembly, but it does appear to be a fire and flood safe, not a burglary safe. Look elsewhere for that purpose. As stated in the instructions attached to the lid on arrival, you have to push down while unlatching due to the (I assume) very effective waterproofing seal. I like that it can be closed, latched, and waterproof without being locked.

All that said, I'm going to keep this unit because one that DOES fit things nicely would cost four times as much. A price I'm not willing to pay at this time.

Obviously I am limited in my ability to review the full capabilities of the product without setting my house on fire, so I can only attest to the construction quality.
The unit is very solid and quite heavy, which is good from the point of view of nobody being able to quickly run off with it. It can be lifted by a single person, though, so it's conceivable.
The locking mechanism seems pretty sturdy, but I'm sure a good pry-bar could break through it, so this is really more for protection from fire than theft.

The unit I received wasn't in the original packaging, so I think it was a return. There are some scuffs on it, but everything seems to work fine.

Overall I am happy with the purchase.

I was looking for a fire proof safe box for important documents. The ones in the stores were too small. This safe is a good size to hold all of what we need. For some reason it is a little tricky to open but with some practice I'll get the hang of it. I especially appreciated the free shipping on this heavy purchase.

We wanted a larger file safe than the Sentry 1170 (0.6 ft^3), and found the H3300 was over twice the size (1.3 ft^3)--and weight. It is a little over twice the price because it is a waterproof model which one Sentry sales rep. told us would float if there ever was a flood (e.g., she mentioned many safes floating after Hurricane Katrina). Although we don't expect flooding (never know...broken pipes can flood any home), we wanted something water tight, for if there is fire, there hopefully will be water when the fire fighters put it out.
So far we find it quite easy to use, and it gives us a piece of mind that it will protect our documents during fire or flooding.
One note is its water-tight gasket is quite large and requires you to compress it while releasing the latch to open it. To do this, you simply need to press down on the top of the lid with one hand and push the latch release button with the other hand. If you don't do this, it is quite hard to open (per design) because the gasket is pushing up and putting tension on the latch mechanism (makes sense if the safe were to tip on its side while floating. It states this in the instructions, but many (myself included) don't like to read instructions.
P.S. The F3300 is a little more expensive and heavier than the H3300, but is rated for 1700 degrees F and 1 hour of burn time (vs. 1550 degrees F and 0.5 hours of burn time for the H3300).

This is an excellent safe. It holds files as well as other valuables. It is quite heavy and not easily moved. I now own two of these. The safe can be used in place of a safe deposit box. The fire-safe and waterproof features make it an excellent buy for the price. Because of this item's heavy weight, Amazon's free shipping offer is an added bonus.

This safe is a great safe. I read the reviews about pushing down on the lid and it opens fine. I had no troubles opening when I did push down on the lid. It held all my files I needed and seems to be a great purchase. I got this to replace one from before where the back of the lid had broken. THere were none that same size, but this one was close to the same size. It is nice knowing our important papers are safe.

I was looking for a larger safe to replace an old Sentry one. This looked like a great size and also had waterproof protection, which my other one did not have.

This is a heavy unit. You need two people to lug it around if you don't work out with weights.

I like that you can put hanging file folders into it. Very nice. I have it stored in my office closet and it slides out on the carpet enough for me to get access easily.

I keep the key in it. I don't have anything in there that would be valuable to someone else so i don't want someone coming across a locked safe and walking off with it thinking I have valuable items in it. I keep the key partly between lock and locked so it doesn't fall out.

I had trouble early on opening it because of some items I had put in it. You have to push down on it to lock it. And also push down on it to open it. It has to do with the seal of the thing. Well, I guess I had placed some things in it that got wedged and it took me forever to get it opened. I learned a lesson and it hasn't happened again.

This is a strong and sturdy unit. I would recommend throwing a few of those desiccant packs/silica gel bags in it to help with moisture build up.

I asked for this as a Christmas gift. It's a good size, I'm able to fit important paperwork (mortgage/loan documents for two homes, passports, birth certificates, life insurances and some misc keepsakes) plus a plastic case that's large enough to fit two hand guns.
I'm glad I read previous reviews so that I wasn't too alarmed when I found it wet inside. If you read the paperwork, you'll see that they submerge each safe fully underwater for a minimum of one hour before they ship them out and that a certain amount of leakage is allowable. Why they don't dry them off is beyond me but I took care of that myself and then left the top open overnight. I have two small children, so obviously I left the lid down until after they went to bed (it's heavy and could hurt if it fell on one of them) After a few days there was still no moisture inside, but I put an absorbent/like those things you find in your new shoes only larger, and it's been fine for almost a month now. I'll keep an eye on it just in case, but don't expect too many problems. Also, thanks to other reviewers, I knew to sit on it when trying to open it - works like a charm. The key wouldn't turn at first, but I kept at it and now that it's started working I've had no problems with it since. Would recommend this product to anyone needing this size and with a little bit if common sense so that they can deal with the minor issues.

I looked around a good while before deciding on this model of fire-safe box. I am impressed with the build quality and the spaciousness of the interior. It even fits perfectly under my bed so it does not eat up closet floor space. In fact, I'm ordering another for the rest of my valuables. This box is large and heavy and not easy to move around which adds to it being less prone to theft should that be a concern for you.

Love this safe. It is roomy enough for files and still alot of room in the back for valuables. Nice size, convenient shape,blends into decor well-put a plant on top and you cant tell it is a safe. The only downfall we had was the latch didnt work when we got it and it had to be replaced, but replacement was quick and easy. Would definately recommend this safe to anyone who needs something a bit larger.