First Alert 2087F Waterproof 1 Hour Fire Safe with Combination Lock, 0.94 Cubic Foot, Gray
by First Alert
|
List Price: Our Price: $148.54 You Save: $44.56 (23%) Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 5 days Category: Tools See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of First Alert 2087F Waterproof 1 Hour Fire Safe with Combination Lock, 0.94 Cubic Foot, Gray
Customer Review: easy to 'crack'
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this safe at Lowe's for a great price 108.00$, so no shipping hassels and no damage. It took a couple of times to understand the combination order to be able to open the safe, but I got it and it worked.
The most stark thing I noted though, was that after some practice I could open the safe without looking at the number dial. I just used the feel of the 'clicks' and 'stops' and understood the number of turns one needs to make in certain directions to open the safe. I have never owned a safe before and have never 'cracked' a safe before. I was amazed at how easy it was to learn to open it!! My concern is a burgler who only knows the instructions on page 2 of the 'Operation and Installation Guide' (which can be viewed online) and uses a little patience can be inside of one of these fairly quickly. With practice I have opened this one in about 15 seconds, without looking at the numbers. I have not tried to open a like safe with a different combination, but I feel that if given the opportunity I could actually open it. If you have the opportunity, try it on a safe of this brand and model.
1. I found there is some play in the numbers, one does not need to be exact when hitting a 'click' or 'dip', it just requires that you are close to it.
2. KEY POINT: Understand the minimum number of complete rotations one must make in between numbers.
3. Once past the minimum rotations feel and listen for the 'click', 'dip', or slight 'stop'.
3. The last number is the easiest to find. It seems as if there is a sloping hole that the dial drops into.
I do not write this so that burglers may know how to open your safe, but that you may know and try it for yourself to see that it is rather easy.
I am going to return this safe and take more time in choosing my next one. I bought a safe to protect my valuables and I absolutely do not feel that this one does the job of safely securing them. First Alert needs to to much better than this!!
Customer Review: Great Safe.... - Now Bolted to the Floor....
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this safe and decided to do a custom modification. I was able to successfully bolt this safe to the ground. It is on the lower floor of my home in my office. I put the safe in the closet, so there was carpeting, underlay for the carpet, and then the cement. Doing this says it would Void the Warranty in the Owners Manual, so please be aware before proceeding with this. I decided to since the Safe was affordable ($108).
I bought the following to get the job done:
- Drill
- 3/8" Drill Bit
- 5/8" Masonry (Cement Drill Bit)
- 3/8" x 5" Lag Bolts with 5/8" metal jackets to go into cement(if your not sure, ask at the hardware store)
- 4ea 3/8" Washers
1. 3/8in Drill bit to drill approx 4-1/4" from the top and 4-1/4" from the side in each corner of the safe. This allowed enough for a drill. Be sure to measure based on your tools!!! I then drilled from the bottom into the safe the 4 holes, 1 in each corner.
2. With the 4 holes drilled, I then went and drilled through each hole into the carpet so that I would have my markings correct.
3. I then drilled using a 5/8" Masonry Bit for cement till the 5" bolt was about 1.5" above the floor, then inserted the expandable metal jackets in each hole and pounded them snug into the hole with a hammer and screwdriver, put the safe over top and tightened the bolts w/washer into the floor with a socket set and/or wrench. Note: watch that the bolts are snug against the plastic, as to not crack the plastic.
- Each Lag Bolt was good for 500 lbs, no one is going to move the safe now, that is 2000lbs a thief would have to work with.
- The bolts were tightly secured against the plastic, ensuring no fire or water would enter.
Customer Review: Decent Safe
Summary: 4 Stars
Received the safe well packaged and undamaged. Unfortunately it would not open. I was able to figure out the combination and use the over-ride key to turn the handle, but the door just wouldn't budge. I tried the 'butter knife' trick to no avail. Back she went.
Thanks to Amazon's terrific return policy I had a new one within a week, and it works fine. The combination takes more turns than I would prefer (use the directions in the manual with the combo. numbers on the tag), but for the half dozen times I'll probably open this up in a year, I'll use the key and keep the combination as a back-up. Besides, if a thief wants into this thing he's not going to fool with the combination lock or go searching your house for the key... he's either going to take a sledge hammer to it or carry it away.
As far as quality I think it is a solid safe. I like the plastic coating inside and out, and there is certainly steel underneath. It's probably not strong enough to thwart a determined thief, but will certainly make it much tougher on them. My main concern was for fire protection and a deterent for the not so determined thief. Pretty good bargain.
Customer Review: OK, but would buy something else next time...
Summary: 3 Stars
I was fortunate to get the unit undamaged (unlike many other reviewers). However, there are two significant issues with this safe.
First, it should NOT be advertised as "anti-theft". It can not be bolted to a floor like most other brands, meaning that the thief simply has to pick it up and walk away with it. Yes, it's heavy, but the UPS man lifted it out of his truck, I carried it in the house, etc.
Secondly, the combination instructions are (as many users have pointed out) quite confusing, and different in the book and on the sticker. I did get it after a couple of tries, but now use only the key to open it.
One other observation. I had stored some papers in the safe without opening it for a number of months. When I opened the safe, the documents were actually damp and starting to mildew. I don't see how any humidity in the air when I closed it could have done that. Perhaps the "water proof" aspects of this safe cause an issue with trapping any moisture that happens to be present. Anyway, I collected some silica gel packets and placed them in the safe... hopefully that will prevent a repeat problem.
Customer Review: Very good safe
Summary: 5 Stars
This safe is mainly made of plastic, but the combination lock, 4 locking bolts and the internal gears (sounds like) are heavy-duty metal. There is a generous amount of room inside, unless you have a great deal of papers and other valuables to protect. I tried following the directions to open the safe door via the dial, but I could not until I found some better directions further back in the manual. I was able to open the safe. I memorized the combination, then practiced over and over again. After 1 day, I was able to open the safe every time, by memory. I can get into the safe, using the dial, in about 20 seconds. Read the directions. I would only use the keys in an emergency. If you do not learn how to use the combination and you should lose the keys, you will be locked out. Learn the combination and put the keys in a safe place away from the safe, not in the safe by any means. I recommend this safe; it is well-built.