Redfield USA 18 Gun Safe Review

Redfield is a brand new company exclusive to Academy Outdoors. Academy doesn’t actually have a factory or produce safes so we can safely assume they made up the Redfield brand and are private labeling from an existing manufacturer in China. If I had to guess, I would think these safes are made in the same factory as the low end Winchester or Sports Afield Gun Safes. While Redfield lists these safes with USA in the name, they are by no means made in USA. They are 100% made in China. In this review, I’ll explain the fatal security flaws of the Redfield USA 18 Gun Safe and why it only provides the illusion of security.

Lock – Redfield USA 18 Gun Safe

First and always most important for any gun safe is the lock used. The Redfield USA 18 Gun Safe features the standard Chinese Solenoid Lock with key override. This is not a particularly good lock with known issues and quite easy to break into.

Because it has the key override, it does not come with a hard plate or re-locker. I consider these essential features for a gun safe in addition to a UL Rated lock made by NL, SecuRam or S&G. These locks are unbranded, un-rated and prone to failure. In my experience, this lock will inevitably fail and you will end up using the key to get in. However, you can get replacement parts under their lifetime warranty. Unfortunately, they will not install these parts for you. This lock does retain the batteries on the inside so be sure to keep your keys handy when the batteries die.

Security – Redfield USA 18 Gun Safe

The Redfield USA 18 Gun Safe is not CA DOJ approved as a firearm safety device which is not a difficult test to pass but does ensure it has the absolute most basic security features. Redfield lists this at 16 gauge steel which is as thin as possible. It’s also less than other entry level models at 14 gauge. The door features five 1″ locking bolts with three active and two deadbolts on the hinge side.

Fire Rating

The Redfield USA 18 Gun Safe is fire rated for 20 minutes at 1200 degrees. This is exactly how long the standard house fire burns. Therefore, I would not expect this to actually survive a real fire. Keep in mind, this is also not independently verified by a testing agency like ETL or UL. This rating is only a factory test where we have to take their word for it. In addition, an intumescent Fire seal is included that expands to multiple times its size during a fire. This keeps smoke and heat from entering the safe.

Style and Function

This Redfield gun safe has a fully carpeted interior with both a gun rack and top shelf. It’s finished in a textured black paint job with American flag on the door. Hardware includes a black drop down handle and black keypad. I’m not particularly enthralled with the styling. It’s a very basic, cheap as you can get, gun safe.

Warranty

Redfield lists the warranty as a general lifetime warranty which leads me to believe that Sports Afield is the company actually making the safe. The warranty does not actually list the information online on who pays for freight or what is actually covered under the warranty. Typically this is a huge red flag and I would be cautious trusting this brand new company.

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the Redfield USA 18 gun safe to store my firearms or valuables? No, I would not. With the low quality Solenoid Electronic lock, no hard plate, no re-locker and unclear warranty, I can not recommend this safe.

Some gun safes that are in this size that are significantly better such as the Stealth EGS14 Gun Safe and Kodiak KB5520ECS Gun Safe. The reason I like these safes so much better is that they have a UL rated high security electronic lock, CA DOJ burglary rating, tested 30 minute fire rating and is sold by a reliable company with a lifetime warranty.

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