Gun Safe Great Debate — Electronic Vs. Dial Locks
Dual-Lock Technology: Cannon offers an innovative combined digital/mechanical lock system. This dual-access lock provides the rapid access of an electronic lock backed up by the assurance of a manual (rotary dial) combination lock.
Electronic (Keypad) Lock vs. Manual (Rotary) Lock
Smart gun owners know they need a good, solid gun safe. But when choosing a gun safe, what kind of lock should you select — electronic or mechanical? Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. This article will help you make the right choice for your needs and also get the most reliable performance from either type.
Gunsafes can be fitted with either an electronic keypad-style lock, or a conventional dial lock. In our Gunsafe Buyer’s Guide, we explain the important features of both dial and electronic lock systems. Many safe-makers will tell you that consumers prefer electronic locks for convenience. On the other hand, most of the locksmiths we’ve polled believe that the “old-fashioned” dial locks, such as the Sargent & Greenleaf model 6730, will be more reliable in the long run.
Here is the opinion of RFB from Michigan. He is a professional locksmith with over two decades of experience servicing locks and safes of all brands and types:
What a Professional Locksmith Says:
For the convenience of quick opening, the electronic locks can’t be beat. However, for endurance and years of trouble-free use, the electronics can’t compare with the dial lock.I’ve earned my living, the past 22 years, servicing locks of all types. This includes opening safes that can’t otherwise be opened. I do warranty work for several safe manufacturers (including Liberty). What I’ve learned in all those years is that manual dial locks have very few problems. The most common is a loose dial ring which can shift either left or right, which will result in the index point being in the wrong place for proper tumbler alignment. This is simple to fix.
Electronic locks, however, can have all kinds of issues, and none (except bad key-pad) are easy to fix, and when one goes bad, it must be drilled into to open it. IMO, it’s not a matter of ‘if’ an electronic lock will ultimately fail, but a matter of ‘when’ it will fail. Over the past 10 years or so, since electronics have become more and more prevalent, I’ve had to drill open bad electronic locks vs. bad manual dial locks on a ratio of about 20-1.
My professional opinion is to get the manual dial lock, unless you’ve got a good friend who is a locksmith/safecracker.
How Secure is Your Lock?
RFB tells us that both dial and electronic locks offer good security, provided it’s a good quality lock made by LaGard, Sargent & Greenleaf, Amsec, or Kaba/Ilco. However, RFB warns that “Some of the ‘cheaper’ locks (both manual and electronic) however, are very simple to bypass.
An electronic lock that’s glued or ‘stuck’ to the door with double-sided tape, and has its ‘brain’ on the outside of the lock in the same housing as the keypad, and merely sends power to an inner solenoid via a pair of wires through the door, is a thief’s best friend. The good ones have the brain inside the safe, inaccessible from the outside.
No amateur can ‘manipulate’ either a good manual or electronic lock. Both give you a theoretical one million possible combinations. I say ‘theoretical’ because there are many combinations that cannot, or should not, be used. You wouldn’t set your combo on a dial lock to 01-01-01 etc., nor would you set an electronic to 1-1-1-1-1-1, or 1-2-3-4-5-6.”
Tips for Dial Locks
RFB notes that “The speed, and ease of use, of a manual dial lock can be improved upon, simply by having your combo reset using certain guidelines. Avoid high numbers above 50. Having a 1st number in the 40s, 2nd number anywhere from 0-25, and 3rd number between 25 and 35 will cut dialing time in half, without compromising security. (For mechanical reasons I won’t get into here, the 3rd number of a good manual dial lock cannot — or should not — be set to any number between 95 & 20).”
Tips for Electronic Locks
Electronic locks can have the combination changed by the user much more easily than dial locks. That should be a good thing. However, RFB explains: “That can be a double-edged sword. More than a few times I’ve had to drill open a safe with an electronic lock that has had the combo changed incorrectly by the user, resulting in an unknown number that nobody can determine. Also, don’t forget that electronic locks have a ‘wrong-number lock-out’. I would NOT rely on the normal quickness of an electronic 6-number combo in an emergency situation. If for any reason (panic etc.) you punch in the wrong number several times, the lock will shut down for a 5-minute ‘penalty’.
Replace Electronic Lock Batteries Every Year
To get the most life out of any electronic (keypad Lock), you should change the battery at least once a year, whether it needs it or not. Low voltage won’t necessarily shut down the lock, but using it in a low voltage situation is bad for the electronics, and eventually will cause lock failure. So, If you do nothing else to maintain your digital-lock safe, replace the battery every year. And get a fresh battery (with a release date) from the store — don’t just pull a battery out of a storage bin, even if it’s never been used. Old batteries can degrade, even when in storage.
Similar Posts:
- Electronic vs. Mechanical Dial Locks on Gun Safes
- Electronic Locks vs. Dial Locks for Gun Safes — Expert Advice
- Electronic vs. Dial Locks on Gunsafes
- New Dual-Access Safe Lock: Electronic Keypad with Dial Override
- NOTICE: Replace the Batteries in Gun Safe Keypads Every Year
Tags: Amsec, Battery Life, Cannon Safe, Dial Lock, Gun Vault, Gunsafe, Keypad Lock, Safe, Sargent & Greenleaf
I’ve been locked out before, so I replace batteries every 6 months. I was VERY fortunate to reach a tech at that safe company that had the depth of experience to walk me thru several scenarios and I got my safe open. I suspect he has now retired – and that company may no longer have the depth needed to deal with my older safe. [Now I NEVER put my wallet or car keys in a safe, any safe.]
A few years ago I upgraded that older, single-electrical-lock safe, to an all-in-one, combo electric/manual by SecuRam (https://www.securamsys.com/safelogic-xtreme-c1vk0). Works great!
My other safe (the very heavy, expensive one) has had a “combo” from day one (Kaba electric unit and a separate LeGard manual). On the new safe I practice the manual combination EVERY week – the combinations are different between the two locks and the only time I use the manual is during my weekly practice runs.
Ten years ago I followed the advice in this article (yes, it’s that old) and got a new safe with a top-quality manual lock.
Since then, I’ve mostly regretted that decision. If you use your safe even once a day you’ll find an electronic lock to be MUCH faster and more convenient.
On the other hand, my batteries and electronics have never failed…
I bought a cheap Chinese made safe from Rural King with an electronic lock. It came with two manual keys in case the electronic system fails. All you have to do is remove the dial face and there’s a keys slot where you can insert the key and open the safe. I keep one key in my safe deposit box and the other stashed away.
I like how you mentioned that both electronic and mechanical locks are beneficial for a safe to store your firearms in. My wife and I are considering looking at gun safes because we’re considering getting a shotgun for home defense. I think it’s a good idea for us to consider all of our options when choosing a reputable safe to properly secure our gun if we decide to get one.
I have an opinion on both:
Mechanical lock is so useful when it comes to emergency cases and quick access.
while the Dial Lock has use too as the mechanical lock but it’s hard to bypass the password when someone is trying to break into your gun safe. For me , I give my vote to Mechanical lock because I want quick access to my gun safe, especially in the emergency situation.
My manual lock went on the fritz last year and replaced with an electronic one. Locksmith who did the work said that his experience was the opposite of what this article said – he has many more safe calls with manual lock issues than e-lock issues. YMMV, obvs.
If you are concerned about the “quality” of the batteries you use in your safe (whether they will work when you need them to), invest in a multimeter and check them before you install them. I keep a To-Do calendar/list for battery replacement where I note when batteries were last replaced, what the old battery’s voltage was upon removal, and what the new battery’s voltage is at installation. Old ones typically come out at about 8.3-8.7 and the new ones go in at 9.5-9.6.
Also, I suggest you stay away from rechargeable batteries. In my experience, rechargeables start out at lower voltage than the non-rechargeables that I throw out (recycle) at swap-out time.
Yes, electronic locks do fail, happened to me recently (the keypad failed – no LED activity, no chirps). I used my mechanical lock until I ordered, received, and installed a replacement unit. Saved a lot on buying the lock and no locksmith’s labor and on-site service charge to swap out the unit (likely multiples of the cost of a new keypad off the Internet). Only issue in doing it yourself is it needs to be a lock (keypad) that you can identify (brand and model) and purchase…and be sure to keep the door open until you triple confirm that the swap-out went well. [On my (all?) mid-priced safes there is a mechanical disconnect on the hinge “edge” of the door – to use to get the handle to turn as you are during your testing.] Having a replacement keypad on your shelf also makes the down time very tolerable – and gives you at least one more cycle in case the model you have is discontinued. Note closely that I’m NOT talking about swapping the unit that is inside the door, only the keypad, which “fails” from continued use – never had the internal unit fail. BTW, the combo code is in the mechanism inside the safe door, not in the keypad, so there is no issue about you needing to re-establish the combo. Finally, having fresh (alkaline) batteries available, makes the battery-failed problem a quick fix.