SnapSafe sold out to Hornady...and a Sturdy Safe in my near future .

Been a long time since I wrote this.  It hasn't been attacked, but I bet if it was it wouldn't last long.  The nasty E-Mail I received from SnapSafe owner regarding this Blog post review put a sour taste in my mouth but unfortunately after spending the money on this thing and getting it into place I wasn't in a position financially or physically to get something better.  That time has passed and we're moving into a new house in a couple of months.  I plan to purchase a Sturdy safe (https://www.sturdysafe.com/).  I have no affiliation with them, I receive no money or compensation of any kind from them, it's just my informed decision after doing research on a better option.  The thinness of this metal compared to what they advertised was heartbreaking and borderline criminal.  The follow-up E-Mail 'calling me out' for speaking up about their deception was annoying too.  It seems that now Hornady is at least trying to clean up a little, now calling this a 2-Ply 9 gauge steel.  I'm just glad I'll be moving the contents of this to something more honest and heavier duty!

SnapSafe offered me a refund.

I just thought it would be fair to say that after expressing my concerns about the quality of this product to SnapSafe they offered to refund me money if I return it.  Well, that's a nice gesture, if this was a book, DVD, or other similarly transportable item.  Returning an 800 lb+ steel box is not exactly a simple logistical process, especially when my wife barely made it up the stairs with me the first time.  No thanks SnapSafe, how about you correct your deceptive advertising policies first and come out and say that you sell a 14 gauge safe with some reinforcements.  That would be more acceptable to me.

Installed, and sore.

After a lonnnnnnnnng night of moving parts to their final location it's installed:

Let me tell you this.  This safe is 46" wide, 30" deep, 59" high, assembled.  The closet measures 33" deep trim-to-trim, 47.5" wide, trim-to-trim.  Managing to get all pieces into this size closet was a game of Mega Tetris.  Assembling it myself since the wife wasn't so happy about a big chunk of metal in the room didn't help either, but I finally did it, and it fits!  I decided to not use the outlet I put in.  I thought I could just unbolt and run it later...but after doing Mega-Uber-Platinum-Deluxe Tetris with the interior pieces and the 'fire lining blankets', lets just say that the GoldenRod will likely go back to Amazon when it arrives tomorrow.

So, some final notes:

I'm still a bit irritated at the misleading claim that this is a 7 gauge safe, it's not.  It's probably 14 gauge, maybe 12 in some places, and in some doubled up, but only tack welded together.  I'm left feeling that I paid a LOT of money for essentially an extra large Sentry Safe.  Would I do this again?  No.  Does it fit my needs, probably, something stronger would be even more difficult to get installed in that location.  If I did it again I would likely go with something heavier and put it in the basement.  The wife said, after helping me lug the rear 46x59x4" panel up the stairs, "This is staying with the house."  So I guess an upgrade might happen in the future...

Assembling this in a standing up position complicates things about 10 fold.  Getting the metal bits together was not so bad, you just need sufficient space to clear the bolts and maybe wear a helmet when you're using your head to support the top piece, but it paled in comparison with the annoying interior pieces and dealing with the fire blankets.  The problem with the interior pieces is that things are quite tight and combined with the weird angles you have to use to get the sides in with gravity and needing to get the fire blankets in and...well, it's a bit crazy.  I finally grabbed a roll of double sided tape and secured the blankets to the sidewalls, thus giving my an arm or two back to smash the interior pieces into position.  Tip: Lay down in the safe and just smash them in place with your feet, it's easier.

I have extreme hesitation as to the durability of this to survive a simple crow-bar attack.  The so called "Non Breach Seal" dead bolt on the right side is not very long, so it does not engage very far on that edge.  It's also set back a bit and I'm afraid that the gap would allow too much play in the door.  On the live bolt side, just pressing the bolts in with my fingers with mild pressure resulted in the top bolt sliding back in (when locked) more than I like.  This probably worries me more than the steel thickness because a thief's first try is likely to be a crowbar right on the door edge and I just don't know if it'll handle this.

If I were to do this purchase over, I would get a Sturdy Safe in 4 gauge, period.  More steel, heavier honest construction, oh and the lock actually has something protecting it.

This is NOT 7 Gauge! It's 14 gauge doubled up in SOME places...

Despite the product arriving undamaged, I was quite dismayed to see that the steel they use is NOT 7 gauge for the sides, and top etc.  What you have is thinner steel (14 gauge) with some middle portions tack welded in place to 'make' it thicker:

Not what I expect after spending this much money on a product.  What you have here is essentially a large Sentry Safe...  The welds are so small and inconsequential that I doubt it would take much pounding on the outer skin to cause damage and break through.  Snap Safe, you should re-word your website to indicates that you utilize 2 layers of 14 gauge and NOT say you're using 7 gauge.

Delivery Day

Awaiting freight delivery, pics to follow...

While we wait, here is a reverse timeline of events for those interested in turn-around times, note that the 'Has Shipped' E-Mail was received after the item started moving:

10/27/2014	09:04:56	Shipment out for delivery to consignee in [REDACTED]
10/24/2014	05:58:00	Shipment arrived at PITT OHIO destination terminal in [REDACTED]
10/23/2014	21:09:00	Departed from intermediate terminal in [REDACTED]
10/23/2014	17:07:28	Shipment arrived at PITT OHIO origin terminal in [REDACTED]
10/23/2014	13:50:49	Pickup - Departure.
10/23/2014	13:42:31	Arrived at shipper pickup location in [REDACTED]

Has Shipped E-Mail 10/24/2014 @ 7am

Ordered 10/21/2014 @ 6pm

How the Super Titan XXL Arrives:

Box measures 28" x 50" x 63" and is strapped to a wooden pallet.

Inside this box you will find another box:

Within this box:

To the right is a large box containing all of the interior components, and a large piece of foam:

Overall the package is well packed and everything was received undamaged.

Door and frame:

Prepping the Location

In prep for the delivery tomorrow I installed a new outlet in the closet to permit the installation of a GoldenRod or similar device:

Call from Pitt Ohio at ~1pm

Received call from Pitt Ohio around 1pm requesting delivery scheduling.  Called them around 6-7pm and arranged delivery for Monday the 27th between 11am and 2pm.  Awaiting delivery.