Superior Gun Safes. How are they?
I was just speaking with a large safe dealer in FL. He had very positive things to say about Superior gun safes. He was steering me away from the Rhino XP and to a Superior master series safe. The price for a 66/36 is $2399 and a 72/44 is $2899. Gloss paint is an additional $200 and delivery is also extra. The body on the Superior is only 11 gauge while the Rhino XP is 10 gauge. To me this makes the Rhino a better buy. Is there something I am missing? I'm not sure what his pricing is on the Rhino XP 71/42 but I know it can be had for $2600 or so, shipped to my door. It doesn't look like he sells the Rhino XP or at least it isn't on his website (although a couple other Rhino safes are).
Thicker steel is usually always better, but the difference in gauge steel isn't that big of a deal.
10 gauge steel is .1345", and 11 gauge steel is .1196". The difference is .0149".
Sheet metal is sheet metal to a cutting wheel. Thicker just takes longer and uses up more wheels.
For anything that thin, how it's bent/folded and welded determine it's rigidity. The smaller the gaps the better.
But you're still looking at a sheetmetal box anyway with either one. Personally I'd be more concerned with simple/reliable boltwork and the best mechanical lock you can afford (for reliability, not security).
I'm not a locksmith but I do get to cut safes open from estate sales which can be fun. Spending too much for a sheetmetal box is to be avoided. That price sounds high to me. I'm sure the real locksmiths will chime in.
Gloss paint on something that should be very well hidden and bolted down seems like a waste to me.
What's the weight of either one? Delivery is a huge deal depending on where you want to put it. On real safes, the delivery/rigging/installation costs can be more than the safe depending on where you want to place it. Luckily most SMB's weigh under 1000 pounds...
Rssc I have been considering these two safes myself and am not impressed enough by the 11g superior and the rhino xp 10g to warrant that kind of cost. I have been considering skipping the fire protection and opt for the heavier gauge sturdy safe.
The Double step fire seal on the door of the Superior Master is nice. You also have a re-enforced door frame on the Superior Master, and a 3/8" plate door on the Superior Master as well. I am assuming your talking about the master series, they actually offer 5 or 6 different safe models in the superior line, and the Master is the 2nd one from the bottom.
Originally Posted By Snopczynski:
The Double step fire seal on the door of the Superior Master is nice. You also have a re-enforced door frame on the Superior Master, and a 3/8" plate door on the Superior Master as well. I am assuming your talking about the master series, they actually offer 5 or 6 different safe models in the superior line, and the Master is the 2nd one from the bottom.
Yes it is the master series. Do the features you've mentioned make it worth going with a safe that is 11 gauge as opposed to 10?
I can get the Bighorn Rhino from Costco for 1800 or so shipped to my house. It is also 11 gauge. A superior Master series in the same size will cost me $1000 more + a few hundred for delivery (albeit in the house delivery).
Originally Posted By rockits:
Rssc I have been considering these two safes myself and am not impressed enough by the 11g superior and the rhino xp 10g to warrant that kind of cost. I have been considering skipping the fire protection and opt for the heavier gauge sturdy safe.
I am really torn on this. I have looked at the Sturday safes as well. They seem like a very good deal till you add the fireproofing. It's so damn expensive on the bigger models.
What is the fire protection on the particular bighorn model your looking at? What lock comes on it? Does it have locking bolt coverage on all 4 sides of the door? What are the main points of that safe (besides price) for you?
Originally Posted By Snopczynski:
What is the fire protection on the particular bighorn model your looking at? What lock comes on it? Does it have locking bolt coverage on all 4 sides of the door? What are the main points of that safe (besides price) for you?
Fire protection is 100 degrees at 70 mins
It comes with an elock but they will swap out a manual lock for no charge. I have to call to find out which lock they would use. I think it will be a LaGuard.
I think it only has bolt coverage on two sides but need to check. By Monday someone from this site that knows the answer will probably chime in.
Two things that steer me to this safe (other than price) are the size and thickness of the metal. However I am not limiting myself to only this safe and this price point. I've also looked at the XP version which is a little more expensive. The guy that I spoke with a few days ago didn't seem to want to talk about that safe. He kept on steering me to the superior and really wouldn't give me a price on the XP. I am not sure if that is becuase he doesn't carry the XP line of Rhino Safe or doesnt like them.
This will be a secondary safe for me. I am not sure if I am going to go all out and get a big one to replace my existing or keep my current one and get another.
If your solely interested in side wall thickness, it can mislead you. In the 25 years my boss has been in business, he has never seen with his own eyes in our dealer area a successfull cut attack with an AXE, a saw, a torch, or a plasma cutter. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened around here or anywhere else, but it is not a common form of attack from what we have seen. What is common is prying and hitting stuff with hammers. I have seen safes pried open by thieves when I show up to handle warranty replacements, or to help the customer get a new safe.
We have a Bighorn in the shop here, it has locking bolts on two sides of the door. The body on it is 12 gauge and from my experience I think I could pry it open. This is an actual bighorn model though. Liberty made the Lincoln out of 10ga up to about 3 years ago. I pried one of those open with another gun in 7 minutes and 36 seconds. So the 10ga body isn't necessarily going to deter someone from prying the safe open. If your solely worried about a cut attack, then the 10 ga will take a little bit longer to get through. If your worried about a pry attack, a cut attack on the door, or a hammer attack of some sort, then i think the master is going to be a better choice. The only thing technically easier to get through on the master will be the body. If someone decides to cut through the door of the master, it will take longer to get through the plate door on it than cutting through the bighorn door would take. Some food for though from my experiences with prying safes open. The door frame on the master is beefed up with a flat steel edge on the back. It also has that double beaded door seal edge on it as well.
Actually does that Rhino XP have a solid plate door, I can't remember?
Originally Posted By Snopczynski:
If your solely interested in side wall thickness, it can mislead you. In the 25 years my boss has been in business, he has never seen with his own eyes in our dealer area a successfull cut attack with an AXE, a saw, a torch, or a plasma cutter. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened around here or anywhere else, but it is not a common form of attack from what we have seen. What is common is prying and hitting stuff with hammers. I have seen safes pried open by thieves when I show up to handle warranty replacements, or to help the customer get a new safe.
We have a Bighorn in the shop here, it has locking bolts on two sides of the door. The body on it is 12 gauge and from my experience I think I could pry it open. This is an actual bighorn model though. Liberty made the Lincoln out of 10ga up to about 3 years ago. I pried one of those open with another gun in 7 minutes and 36 seconds. So the 10ga body isn't necessarily going to deter someone from prying the safe open. If your solely worried about a cut attack, then the 10 ga will take a little bit longer to get through. If your worried about a pry attack, a cut attack on the door, or a hammer attack of some sort, then i think the master is going to be a better choice. The only thing technically easier to get through on the master will be the body. If someone decides to cut through the door of the master, it will take longer to get through the plate door on it than cutting through the bighorn door would take. Some food for though from my experiences with prying safes open. The door frame on the master is beefed up with a flat steel edge on the back. It also has that double beaded door seal edge on it as well.
Actually does that Rhino XP have a solid plate door, I can't remember?
Great information.... thank you.
This is what Rhino says about the door on their Rhino series safes:
Solid Plate Steel Reinforced Door
Rhino doors are minimum of 1/4" thick solid steel plate on models 30 and 56. All safes come with a minimum of 2.5 inch thick angle frame reinforcement. Rhino model's 5932, 5942, and 7142 use a minimum of 3/16" thick solid plate steel in front of their steel composite doors.
I am looking at a 7142. Here is the link that takes you to the Rhino specifications page:
http://www.rhinosafe.com/rhinogunsafes.html
Thanks for your advice. It is very helpful.
Yeah, so still tougher on the Master Series safe for cutting and prying in my opinion.
Originally Posted By Snopczynski:
If your solely interested in side wall thickness, it can mislead you. In the 25 years my boss has been in business, he has never seen with his own eyes in our dealer area a successfull cut attack with an AXE, a saw, a torch, or a plasma cutter. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened around here or anywhere else, but it is not a common form of attack from what we have seen. What is common is prying and hitting stuff with hammers. I have seen safes pried open by thieves when I show up to handle warranty replacements, or to help the customer get a new safe.
We have a Bighorn in the shop here, it has locking bolts on two sides of the door. The body on it is 12 gauge and from my experience I think I could pry it open. This is an actual bighorn model though. Liberty made the Lincoln out of 10ga up to about 3 years ago. I pried one of those open with another gun in 7 minutes and 36 seconds. So the 10ga body isn't necessarily going to deter someone from prying the safe open. If your solely worried about a cut attack, then the 10 ga will take a little bit longer to get through. If your worried about a pry attack, a cut attack on the door, or a hammer attack of some sort, then i think the master is going to be a better choice. The only thing technically easier to get through on the master will be the body. If someone decides to cut through the door of the master, it will take longer to get through the plate door on it than cutting through the bighorn door would take. Some food for though from my experiences with prying safes open. The door frame on the master is beefed up with a flat steel edge on the back. It also has that double beaded door seal edge on it as well.
Actually does that Rhino XP have a solid plate door, I can't remember?
you pried open a Liberty Lincoln in 7.5 minutes? I was under the impression the "anti-pry tabs" made prying the Liberty safe tougher than that.
Originally Posted By rssc:
Originally Posted By rockits:
Rssc I have been considering these two safes myself and am not impressed enough by the 11g superior and the rhino xp 10g to warrant that kind of cost. I have been considering skipping the fire protection and opt for the heavier gauge sturdy safe.
I am really torn on this. I have looked at the Sturday safes as well. They seem like a very good deal till you add the fireproofing. It's so damn expensive on the bigger models.
Go to the Sturdy safe website and request a quote (or call) - the sale price you get should be significantly lower than what is listed on the web. Mine was ~$200 less for the 3627-6 firelined. And Sturdy price includes shipping.
Originally Posted By ma1775:
Originally Posted By Snopczynski:
If your solely interested in side wall thickness, it can mislead you. In the 25 years my boss has been in business, he has never seen with his own eyes in our dealer area a successfull cut attack with an AXE, a saw, a torch, or a plasma cutter. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened around here or anywhere else, but it is not a common form of attack from what we have seen. What is common is prying and hitting stuff with hammers. I have seen safes pried open by thieves when I show up to handle warranty replacements, or to help the customer get a new safe.
We have a Bighorn in the shop here, it has locking bolts on two sides of the door. The body on it is 12 gauge and from my experience I think I could pry it open. This is an actual bighorn model though. Liberty made the Lincoln out of 10ga up to about 3 years ago. I pried one of those open with another gun in 7 minutes and 36 seconds. So the 10ga body isn't necessarily going to deter someone from prying the safe open. If your solely worried about a cut attack, then the 10 ga will take a little bit longer to get through. If your worried about a pry attack, a cut attack on the door, or a hammer attack of some sort, then i think the master is going to be a better choice. The only thing technically easier to get through on the master will be the body. If someone decides to cut through the door of the master, it will take longer to get through the plate door on it than cutting through the bighorn door would take. Some food for though from my experiences with prying safes open. The door frame on the master is beefed up with a flat steel edge on the back. It also has that double beaded door seal edge on it as well.
Actually does that Rhino XP have a solid plate door, I can't remember?
you pried open a Liberty Lincoln in 7.5 minutes? I was under the impression the "anti-pry tabs" made prying the Liberty safe tougher than that.
The 2007 Liberty Lincoln is nothing like the new Lincoln that has been made for the last few years. The old ones had a mechanism similar to the now made colonial.
Thank you for your help.
