Top 3 Best Handgun Safes

Overview

Quality handgun safes are hard to come by. Most models you find online use the exact same Solenoid based locking electronic locking system, tubular key override, thin steel construction and little to no warranty. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of the Top 3 Best Handgun Safes that you can trust. All of these models have a high level of security, high quality locks, heavy steel construction, advanced security features and are sold by companies who actually honor their warranty.

Lock – Top 3 Best Handgun Safes

First and always most important for any handgun safe is the lock. All three of these handgun safes from Stealth, V-Line and Verifi feature high quality locks but vary in their style. Only the Stealth ShadowVault has a UL rated high security lock. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories and they are an independent agency that certifies that the locks are both secure and high quality. I always recommend to purchase a UL rated lock.

Stealth ShadowVault Handgun Safe – S&G Spartan D-Drive Electronic Lock

Stealth used the S&G Spartan UL Approved High Security Electronic Lock with the deadbolt locking mechanism. This is by far one of the highest quality and most reliable electronic locks in the safe industry.

In a handgun safe, there isn’t room for thick steel locking bolts and Stealth decided to use the deadbolt from the lock mechanism to be the primary bolt. The deadbolt in the S&G Spartan is hardened steel and retracts by turning the shell on the keypad itself. This satisfies the space issue without sacrificing security. Finally, this lock has a silent mode, 6-digit code, red LED light and 15 minute lockout after four wrong attempts.

Stealth then took the S&G lock body and encased it in a steel housing to prevent punch attacks. They also added a hard plate above the lock that destroys drill bits. On the deadbolt side, it extends into another steel housing that protects against drilling from the side. Next, there is another hardplate to protect from drilling in the front. This pistol safe is an absolute tank.

V-Line Brute XD Handgun Safe – Simplex Mechanical Lock

V-Line uses the genuine Simplex mechanical push button lock with 1,081 different possible combinations. When installed and used correctly, this is a very reliable lock designed to last forever.

Punch Attack Solution

A few years ago, it was exposed that anyone could easily break into this style of handgun safe with a screwdriver and a hammer. V-Line responded and added a Steel bracket underneath the lock that renders this attack useless. I highly recommend this safe and the upgraded lock mechanism.

Verifi S5000 Handgun Safe – FBI Certified Biometric Lock

Verifi uses a biometric fingerprint scanner that is the only FBI certified fingerprint sensor on any gun safe. The large-area capacitive TouchChip fingerprint sensor captures high-resolution fingerprint images for super quick access to firearms in an emergency. Next, it automatically performs a set of thorough self-diagnostic tests on the batteries, fingerprint sensor, and safe lock mechanisms every 24 hours and after every use. It has an LCD display on the front that shows the battery percentage. Overall, this is a very advanced locking mechanism.

Security – Top 3 Best Handgun Safes

Since Handgun Safes are not tested by UL like full size gun safes and home safes, California Department of Justice has by de-facto become the trusted source to determine if a handgun is secure or not. This test is far too easy to pass and while all three of these models are CA DOJ approved as firearm safety devices, they are so much more than just that and far exceed the requirements.

Stealth ShadowVault Handgun Safe

The steel used on the Stealth ShadowVault handgun safe is 10 gauge on the body and a thick 3/16″ door. This is modeled after the Fort Knox and American Security handgun safes. The big difference between the Fort Knox and American Security safes is that they use the Mechanical Simplex Lock. This used to be seen as the best lock available for handgun safes. That is until it was exposed that you can just punch it in with a screwdriver and a hammer in less than 30 seconds.

Now, the manufacturers added steel plates underneath the lock. However, you can still just drill through the 3/16″ steel and 10 gauge body to hit the lock bolt allowing you to just punch it in from the front. With the Stealth ShadowVault, you have to also drill through a hard plate and then drill out the hardened steel lock bolt. This hardened steel bolt is significantly stronger than the smaller bolt used on the Simplex lock from V-Line.

As if all that security wasn’t enough, the backside of the safe has a continuous steel dead bar that is bolted together. Two large steel hooks lock underneath that deadbar. These prevent someone from grinding out the piano hinge adding additional pry resistance when attacking the doors lip with a crowbar.

V-Line Brute XD Handgun Safe

The security on the V-Line Brute XD Handgun Safe features a 10 gauge steel body and wrap around door that overlaps the body. The main difference between the Fort Knox Handgun Safes and V-Line, is that the V-line safes overlap covers the entire body and not just an inch creating more pry resistance.

10 gauge steel is very thick for a handgun safe and much thicker than the standard 16 gauge used on competing safes. For reference, 16 gauge steel is the thickness of a penny.

There are also four bolt down holes on the bottom of the safe but the mounting hardware is not included. There is no steel dead bar or hooks on the hinge side and only a simple piano hinge.

Verifi S5000 Handgun Safe

The Verifi S5000 Biometric Smart Safe doesn’t just have a good lock, it’s also built very strong. The door is built with 12 gauge steel and the body is built with 14 gauge steel which is much thicker than the usual 16 gauge on competing safes. Finally, two 3/4″ motorized locking bolts secure the door. This safe has an auto close feature that automatically locks the safes as soon as you close it. All things considered, this is a very secure handgun safe.

Style and Function

Paint

This is where the Stealth ShadowVault Handgun Safe stands out even more. Verifi uses a simple textured black powder coat paint that looks decent and V-line uses a nice matte black finish. Stealth however, uses a high quality armor black paint that looks like a crinkled matte and is very high quality. This paint is highly durable and looks fantastic.

Accessories

Another key differentiator is the interior and accessories included. Verifi safes have an all metal interior with a thin piece of carpet. The Stealth ShadowVault handgun safe and V-Line Brute have multiple layers of high density foam to prevent your handgun from scratches. The top layer of the ShadowVault is pluck foam so you can customize it to fit your handgun perfectly. Only the Stealth ShadowVault includes all mounting hardware for bolting to a concrete surface and the last feature is the portable carry handle attached to the front of the safe. Only the Verifi S5000 Handgun Safe includes an internal LED Light standard.

Warranty

Only Stealth includes a lifetime warranty on their product that covers both burglary and attempted burglary. Stealth and V-Line include a parts and labor warranty where they will pay for a locksmith or safe technician to come out to your home and repair the home safe on site and at no cost to you. It is unclear with Verifi if you have to send it to the factory for repair or if they will repair on site. The warranties from Stealth and V-line are reliable warranties from good companies that keep their word. Another key differentiator in this category is that V-Line and Verifi only provide a 1 year parts and labor warranty. Stealth doubles it to a 2 year parts and labor warranty. All in all, the longer the warranty, the more the company believes in the product. It’s really that simple.

The Bottom Line

All three of these models are easily the Top 3 Best Handgun Safes. While the Stealth Shadowvault and V-Line Brute are near identical steel thickness, I recommend the Stealth ShadowVault as the best overall for many reasons. It has the highest quality UL approved high security lock, multiple hard plates, a steel housing protecting both the lock body and locking bolt, two steel hooks on the hinge side, full steel dead bar, pluck foam interior, carry handle, mounting hardware included, lifetime burglary warranty and double the parts and labor warranty, all at a lower cost. To me, it’s a no brainer, the Stealth ShadowVault Handgun Safe is the absolute best handgun safe in the industry.