Barska AX11620 Biometric Fingerprint Mini Security Home Safe Box 0.29 Cubic Ft, Black, 12" x 8" x 7.75"

I recently purchased this BARSKA mini safe to place in a home office to secure a firearm. I had been doing research on these safes and initially I was reluctant to go with a biometric model over a "simplex lock" style model that has the mechanical pushers.What tipped me over to biometric was that for the location the safe was going I couldn't take any chances that a curious guest or child would randomly guess the combination and in the process of fiddling around with it gain access to the safe contents as the weapon I keep inside will be loaded and in condition 1 (ready to fire).I was pleased when the BARSKA showed up. It is fairly solidly built, although I imagine that a determined thief with a few tools could gain entry. In fact, the safe is small enough and light enough that the most likely thing would be they just pry the safe off the wall, floor, etc, and take it with them. The safe does come with a set of concrete anchors if you want to "really" secure it but I imagine that most users will simply screw it into a piece of furniture or a wall stud.The interior of the BARSKA leaves me wanting. There is a single piece of thin carpeting material that lies on the floor (it's not attached as you might need to remove it to screw the safe down) but there is no padding of any kind around the rest of the safe interior. I don't like expensive weapons coming into contact with bare metal where they might corrode or the finish might be damaged. I ended up getting a small piece of commercial carpeting at the local hardware store and cut it to fit around the interior shell of the safe. The carpeting I purchased was $3. It would be nice if BARSKA simply included a liner that the owner could install after anchoring the safe.One other gripe with the interior is that the safe is quite tall, but you can't make use of the top 1/2 of the safe if storing smaller objects as no shelf is provided. A small shelf with plastic standoffs would have been appreciated as it would have allowed for more organization.I was really concerned about the size of the safe, as the dimensions that I saw published on the BARSKA website made me concerned that a compact pistol might not have enough space. It turns out there was no need for concern. Not only did my small Springfield XDS fit with tons of room to spare, if desired I could also fit my SIG P226 which has an extended beavertail... also with plenty of room to fit. I provided a couple of photos with this review to demonstrate the size.The most important thing to most users is how easy the biometric feature is to program and how well it works. I can say that the biometric feature on this safe works extremely well. My finger-print is recognized 95% or more of the time, and if it's not recognized immediately it gives a short double beep, I re-position my finger a bit and it is recognized. I would recommend programming in several digits at different angles to increase the chance of a successful read.The safe does make noise when you use it, but the noises can be muted with the same switch that sets it to program a new print, it will then be silent other than the warning beep if you leave the safe open for 3 minutes or if the batteries are getting low.The safe includes a pair of keys for opening if the batteries die or the biometric feature does not work. The safe appears reliable enough to me that I locked these in a much larger safe. To access the manual lock you must remove the BARSKA logo plate (attached with hex screws), then use the key provided to open the safe.It is worth pointing out that while the type of lock provided (a tubular cam lock with a coded "key") for backup is better than a really cheesy wafer lock, a determined teenager can probably find a way to pick it, as there are tools available to do this and videos on the internet instructing them.All in all, I highly recommend this safe. If BARSKA reads my review, the takeaway I have for them is;1. Include full carpeting for the safe.2. Include a removable shelf.3. Switch the crappy tubular style lock for a cross type lock. Yeah, they cost a few dollars more but are extremely difficult to hack into and I would be willing to pay $20 more to have one.

I bought this safe to replace a GunVault MiniVault which had suffered a series of progressive failures in its electronics, which culminated in it completely losing the ability to change the access pattern from the factory default. GunVault seemed uninterested in repairing it. The Barska Biometric is a much better choice for the job, and if you compare reviews you'll see most buyers who've tried both agree that the Barska's fingerprint reader is much more reliable than GunVault's.The first thing that struck me when I unboxed the Barska is that while the MiniVault seems to be made from slightly heavier gauge steel, the locking bolts on the Barska are very clearly far more serious than the very small spring-loaded hook latch on the Mini_Vault, which always struck me as a weak point that would fail easily if someone found an effective way to pry the door. Second is that while the total interior volume of the Barska probably isn't that much larger than the Mini-Vault, it's much more usable due to its shape. And the third physical win is that the mounting holes for bolting the Barska down are MUCH more usable and accessible than the MiniVault's.(It should of course go without saying -- but I'll say it anyway -- that one should NEVER rely on a small safe like this UNLESS it is securely bolted to an immovable, or at least not practically movable, object.)It should also be noted that, although the information in the product listing does not mention this, the Barska has a jack on the underside of the lock housing that appears to be for a 6VDC power supply (not included). I'm currently awaiting information on this from Barska, but it can probably be safely assumed that with an external power supply connected, the safe uses its internal batteries only for backup in the event of a utility power outage.There are a few minor downsides. The mounting bolts supplied with the safe are masonry wall anchors, and of no use for mounting the safe to anything BUT masonry or concrete. If you use them in a wall stud, as the mounting instructions suggest, you'll just split the stud. You'll must likely want to pick up some suitable regular bolts (3/8" diameter). Also, the only liner supplied is a sheet of almost-tissue-thin felt that doesn't give a flat bottom if you used the bottom bolt holes (which I did), and undoubtedly won't last long. However, you can easily fix this. You'll need a piece of half-inch plywood just barely shy of 6"x 12", a 12"x12" or so piece of thin but stiff carpet or a 12" carpet tile, glue, and a few basic tools. File or sand a small radius on what will become the back bottom edge of the plywood, mark the bolt hole positions on it through the bottom of the safe, drill 3/4" holes through the plywood centered on the marked bolt hole positions, and glue the carpet to the plywood so that the extra 6" width splashes up the back side of the safe. Slip it into place after you bolt the safe down. (The best way is to lay it in flat against the safe back, hinge-side end first, then slide it down and into position.) Presto, you have a flat bottom and a nicely padded surface that'll protect whatever you put in your safe from scratches, as well as preventing CLANK CLONK noises when you put hard objects in.Update after two years (October 2015; purchased August 2013):The good news — the first set of batteries lasted over two years before it gave me a low-battery alert.The bad news — when I went to change the batteries, I found that the plastic battery tray had broken at one corner, with at least two loose pieces, leaving one battery contact unsupported. I'm reduced to using the mechanical backup lock for now. It's out of warranty, but I've contacted Barska about obtaining a replacement battery tray. Let's see how willing they are to support their customers. It looks as though installing a replacement tray, if they'll provide me one, should be fairly simple. I'll update this review again when I know what Barska's response is.

So I've had this safe for about 3-4 months now. I can say is pretty much what I wanted. I use to have one of those cheap drawer safes from Staples. My 60 year old mother could break into those with a butter knife. It was infuriating.Anyways in glad I actually bought this more expensive barska safe. I don't have any guns. But I do keep my wallet, keys, etc in it. So I use my safe multiple times as day. It needs to work and needs to be simple. I don't want to screw around with it if I'm using it a couple times a day.This thing is great. The biometric works well. I scanned my fingers in a couple of different positions. It does screw up 1/15 times but usually in being lazy with my fingers.Definitely a good mid range safe.

Bought this for work. The only negative I encountered is the inability to selectively remove fingerprint access--you have to erase all and start over. Other than that, this is a great safe for keys and other small items.

Works better than expected. I really didn't think it would be this reliable. No regrets and I've had it for over 3-4 yrs now!

Difficult to set it up

Good