jstanfield103 said:
Torontogunguy, My gun vault is a 2 shelf so I can't haul it with me. I would rather not have to bet my life on one at all, but with grand kids I have no choice I did not even real lize there was another company that even made anything close. If the batteries start dieing in min like the are in the one you have I will probably make a plug in transformer for mine. I don't keep one in the car, I always have my weapon on me instead. We have a Harbor frieght in town also I may have to check thiers out for the next vault purchase. I can not fit all my guns into the vault that I have, just the ones I keep loaded.
Just to be clear, the issue is with the fact that the GunVault (in my case the 1000 series) runs fine for a year or two and then one day you go to open it to stow your handgun away only to find that pushing the buttons lights up the green button lights but at the end you get a click and the vault does not open. Frankly, I'm not even sure that it is a battery issue but when the batteries are replaced with fresh ones it works fine.... and 3 weeks later the same thing happens. So now the batteries are not lasting two years, which seems to be the minimum norm, but they are only lasting 3 WEEKS. If it was only me I would say, "Hey, I have a dud, let's toss it in the garbage and get a new one for $100".... but it is not just me. In searching to see if anyone had a resolution to the issue I found no resolutions but a whole whack of similar complaints, with GunVaults that had been working fine for years suddenly going 'haywire' and eating batteries rapidly. My first set of Energizers must have lasted two years anyway. My second set? Three Weeks. Ditto my third set. Three weeks.
I should also mention that one of the reviews read mentioned that the user installed a wall-wart (12 VDC, 1,000ma) in parallel with the battery pack and what struck me was that the GunVault still did not operate properly, but on inserting a fresh set of batteries returned to normal. That was as far as that review went so I have no idea if it meant that there was no internal load or if the electronics fried or had a cold solder joint from the jarring as the door opened resulting in no internal load that the wall wart would use to build a voltage across... or indicate that the GunVault was attempting to draw current at the appropriate time. In any event, the bottom line seems to be that (a) they have a problem that shows up after a short period of time of say one to two years and could represent a cold solder joint, defective cheap component gone bad or residual solder flux on the circuit board creating havoc; and (b) they do not seem to be addressing the problems and their own website states that they no longer even service the product and will throw it in the garbage if a customer should take a chance on returning same.
Bet your life on it? Bet your grandkids lives on it? I lock up my guns when at home if I am not carrying them on my person in a retention holster. For that I need a working GunVault (and have chosen to replace same with a slightly better built product... the safes from Harbour Freight). I also lock up my guns at night when they are OFF my person and I have been using a GunVault quite happily for a couple of years now without problems. This business of batteries dying rapidly (3 weeks max) is a recent phenomenon and in searching for a resolution I have come across consumer reports representing perhaps 1/4 of all reports being found where the same problem exists and the same customer service is being received with the odd exception.
The last thing I want to find is that my GunVault won't open when I am in need. Nor do I want to find that I have no means to lock away my guns (and) ammo when appropriate to do so.
The safes that you want to look at with Harbour Freight are not the one with the gold cheap plastic buttons on the front but rather the ones with the rubber buttons that actually stick through the cabinet front door. They are not much larger than a GunVault 2000 series but are built much more rugged with plungers around the perimeter of the door that are retracted manually by a knob twist once the correct combo is punched in. Not saying that these are without fault but I have not seen a complaint about them online nor have I had an issue with any of the Harbour Freight safes that I have (and I have several - some going on ten years old).
I'm sorry if I ruffled feathers by posting about this, but honestly felt that I was doing a service to those that depend on their mini-safes for life-death protection. I really cannot imagine why someone would get their knickers in a knot over my posting same..... but each to their own. Doesn't bother me at all - I've done what I believe to be the right thing to do in sharing my findings especially in an urgent situation, which I felt this represented. And perhaps this will have even spurred the GunVault folks to improve their QC in the process. Anything they do, it would seem, would be an improvement in customer service since they actually have the gumption to post the fact that they don't service their own product on their marketing website. To me... after 35 years in electronics and marketing... that is marketing suicide. I don't believe I have ever seen that done before.
There are those that support their products and those that do not I suppose.
And the other thing that I have learned is that there are whacko shooters running around with (presumably) guns that really should be on the NICS system as having some serious issues that would prevent them from qualifying to possess a weapon of any kind anywhere. And we obviously have a big fat hole in the system somewhere if that is true. I cannot imagine that expressing the facts that I have uncovered and sharing same would be something to ruffle feathers. Again I apologize if I have done so, but in my mind I believe that sharing this information with so many being sold into the marketplace, is important. And I slept very well last night knowing this albeit a bit unsettled knowing that for reasons unknown I have ruffled feathers.
I have been a shooter and permitted for over 40 years and have recently re-entered shooting with a passion after a couple of life-altering experiences with armed assailants. I am on the executive of one gun club and a memeber of two others. I am a life member of NRA as well as CSSA. I shoot IPSC/IDPA/PPC/Target and take my son, now 18, with me for all training and shooting and he loves it. I have taken MUCH lethal force training over the past eight or ten years and continue to practice almost weekly in competition. When stateside especially I depended on my GunVault for my 'go to' gear. Not only did it protect my gear from prying fingers but it made it all readily accessible in one spot while I was in bed and in the dark. I cannot honestly say that I trust my GunVault any longer for life or death situations or storage and felt that I wanted to share that with my fellow shooters. I fail to see what might be wrong or where my thinking might be invalidated in feeling that way. No intent to trash any supplier (I LOVE my GunVault but will not trust it again for my go-to gear. I just might buy another one.) Just an intent to share what I discovered and save someone some grief. Let's play what-if? What if that very same problem with the electronics was caused by the lock electronics such that the slightest jar could cause the door to flop open? Not a very nice thought with little ones running around the house.
I suppose that one need have little ones in order to understand.
BTW, TRIGGER LOCKS.... while I am on my soapbox here. Take a peek at Facebook and search "trigger locks picking" - and watch the 8 year old pick the trigger lock open in less than 20 seconds (give or take). DO NOT depend on a trigger lock that sits on the trigger for protection, for all the obvious reasons. I could not believe that either. Hopefully someone has shared this with everyone. So I tried it. Being an old fart in my fifties it took me a few seconds longer, but I had the trigger unlocked in less than one minute. Keeping your ammo locked up with your handgun? You might want to think about your needs and risks. I keep most of my guns in a 2,000 pound gunsafe now and I STILL keep my ammo stored in a seperate safe (safes). Everyone who owns a handgun should be doing a need and risk assessment on their situation regards firearms. My long guns all have bicycle type cable locks on them which are much more difficult to pick. THEN they are locked in the safe. Except my 'go to' gear.
Sorry to blabber on, but I, for one, feel much better now that I have shared. And Verndog... I mentioned anger management as I have seen plenty who either are just too young to realize what they are saying or have an anger management issue. Often caused by chemical imbalance in the bloodstream which is simply resolved generally. Look up Valproic Acid and carry on from there.
I'm not suggesting that one shouldn't express their opinions, just that it be done in a respectful and calm manner without accusation. To suggest that my intent is accusatory is really out of line unless you know something that you are not sharing with the rest of us.
