Shout out to Cannon Safe Company

[Mulligan]

I bought a Cannon safe with a didgital key pad a while back, it would go through battries every 4-6 weeks. I emailed Cannon and a week later replacement parts arrived at no cost to me. Now it works perfectly.
Thanks Cannon!
CW

 

[ebb]

Mulligan do you know if Cannon still makes safes with the old type combination locks, I am very leary of the key pad type. My next door neighbor at work asked me to move something for him with the forklift, he had me put two of the key pad type safes in the dumpster. He said they had ben fixed numerous times and were more trouble than they were worth. They weren't gun safes and it was several years ago, so there may have been improvements.

 

[hoz53]

Mulligan do you know if Cannon still makes safes with the old type combination locks, I am very leary of the key pad type. My next door neighbor at work asked me to move something for him with the forklift, he had me put two of the key pad type safes in the dumpster. He said they had ben fixed numerous times and were more trouble than they were worth. They weren't gun safes and it was several years ago, so there may have been improvements.

for what its worth--i was skeptical of the keypads for a long time but finally bought one. I have two cannons with keypads that ive had a couple years and have had No problems at all.

 

[ebb]

Is there a way to get in if the key pad totally fails? My old Browning needs no battery it is old style and it is fool proof.

 

[Mulligan]

Mulligan do you know if Cannon still makes safes with the old type combination locks, I am very leary of the key pad type. My next door neighbor at work asked me to move something for him with the forklift, he had me put two of the key pad type safes in the dumpster. He said they had ben fixed numerous times and were more trouble than they were worth. They weren't gun safes and it was several years ago, so there may have been improvements.

https://www.cannonsafe.com/digital-vs-mechanical-locks/

Looks like they do.....your choice.

 

[hoz53]

Is there a way to get in if the key pad totally fails? My old Browning needs no battery it is old style and it is fool proof.

you can get in but you have to contact the company. id rather have the old style tumbler but i think now they are quite a bit more expensive.

 

[Kevin Taylor]

Is there a way to get in if the key pad totally fails? My old Browning needs no battery it is old style and it is fool proof.

Yes, you simply need another keypad of that brand. My locksmith carries them on his truck.

Plug the new keypad in, enter your combo, lock the safe open until you get your own new keypad.

 

[ebb]

Why would you go through all that crap when you can get a real lock?

 

[Ledd Slinger]

My advice would be to stay away from those stupid electronics when it comes to something as important as a safe.

I went with the standard combination lock on my Steelwater gun safe and am very glad I did. Never have to worry about not being able to get in. I open my safe all the time because I store a lot of things in there I use often like my boat keys, fish finders, borescope, all my optics-binos, spotting scopes, LRF's, spare rifle scopes, important paper documents, all my knives and swords, family heirlooms, my compound bow, plus about 25 firearms.

Nothing would piss me off more than all the sudden having a keypad die and I couldn't get in my safe. A good quality standard combination tumbler will never let you down

 

[JRS]

Electronic locks are good for one thing only…. convenience.

 

[akajun]

You can pretty much put any group 2 lock in place of an electronic lock on a cannon or any other safe. A good locksmith will charge about $100 for the lock and $100 for the labor.
There is one exception
Cannons lower level safes, a few years ago they changed the linkage on the door where installing the combo lock required me to drill a hole for the shaft and weld a dogleg piece for the lock stud to engage. Easy for me but requires a welder, which most locksmiths don't have.
I'll also say this about cannon, we had record flooding in south LA last year, lots of safes went under water. Cannon is the only company who extends their warranty to flood damage. Cannon would send a locksmith to drill open the safe at no charge, then send a replacement safe again at no charge.
Liberty basically told my buddy screw you. They would not tell him where to drill to open his safe( it has a hard plate and relocker) even with pictures and him having registered the warranty with them and a professional licensed locksmith doing the work. They told him he would have to use their locksmith out of New Orleans and he wanted $400. Also they did not cover the warranty.
The safe cannon drilled into, I drilled and tapped the hole then welded it shut, can't see it. I installed the combo lock and re sheet rocked and carpeted the interior.
I'm still working on the Liberty. I had to cut open a 6" square on the back , remove the wet Sheetrock and carpet, and remove the relocker and electronic bolt from the rear. It's getting a combo lock and Re Sheetrock after I finish welding and painting the back.
If I ever buy a new safe , you can bet it will be a cannon.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The main threat my valuables face is fire damage, second is theft. The one thing I noticed is that Cannon, Liberty, and other run of the mill safes produce their fire ratings based on 1200 deg F. Then their safe bodies (the weak point) are on 12 gauge steel and their doors have no plates which is all very easy to cut through.

My Steelwater safe is rated for 2 hours at 1875 deg F. So what would that be at 1200? 3 hrs+?... It also has a 1/4" steel plate on the door with 18 locking bolts 1.5" thick and 9 gauge steel body. All for the price of what you would pay for a mid to upper level Liberty safe. Much higher quality too. Door locks up tight as can be with zero play and tight seams to deter pry bars.

So just because you have a safe, doesn't necessarily mean your valuables are "safe". Stay away from 30 minute fire rated safes. Might as well just buy a steel box with no rating because there's not much difference. Buy the best fire rating you can afford with a high security rating. It's a once in a lifetime purchase if you buy a high quality safe. Cheaper safes will give you trouble and only offer your valuables minimal protection. If you value what you put in your safe, it's best to spend the extra money on something that will be an impenetrable fortress against theft and fire.

 

[JRS]

The main threat my valuables face is fire damage, second is theft. The one thing I noticed is that Cannon, Liberty, and other run of the mill safes produce their fire ratings based on 1200 deg F. Then their safe bodies (the weak point) are on 12 gauge steel and their doors have no plates which is all very easy to cut through.

My Steelwater safe is rated for 2 hours at 1875 deg F. So what would that be at 1200? 3 hrs+?... It also has a 1/4" steel plate on the door with 18 locking bolts 1.5" thick and 9 gauge steel body. All for the price of what you would pay for a mid to upper level Liberty safe. Much higher quality too. Door locks up tight as can be with zero play and tight seams to deter pry bars.

So just because you have a safe, doesn't necessarily mean your valuables are "safe". Stay away from 30 minute fire rated safes. Might as well just buy a steel box with no rating because there's not much difference. Buy the best fire rating you can afford with a high security rating. It's a once in a lifetime purchase if you buy a high quality safe. Cheaper safes will give you trouble and only offer your valuables minimal protection. If you value what you put in your safe, it's best to spend the extra money on something that will be an impenetrable fortress against theft and fire.

Don't fall into the fire rating trap. I seriously doubt you would pay the kind of money a UL72 (fire endurance) rated safe would cost you. The listed fire ratings are overblown and essentially meaningless. Burglary is 8 times more likely than a fire.

 

[ragsflh]

pry it off screw driver and open it.there are you tube showing you how.fire proof.they heat on outside of safe small gun parts warp etc.freind had his house burn.the guns in safe from heat were no good.

 

[Intell]

Cannon safes are available with the EMP proof digital key pad that has a built in combination dial in the center, key pad on top. I like the key pad for quick entry, but also like not having to depend on the electronics or batteries. It's the best of both worlds, and the only type of electronic lock I would want.

 

[chardog]

Put a SG mechanical dial on my Cannon when the electronic key pad flaked on me a couple of times. Easy to do and takes 45 minutes for first time. Cost about $125 and had to buy it though a locksmith but it was painless.