Viking Security Safe VS-52BLX Heavy Duty Hidden in Wall Safe Biometric Fingerprint

First thing's first: I'm really happy with this safe. It is a lot more heavy duty than the Cannons I used at my old house. It is shipped in a thick cardboard box, with a little bit of styrofoam, wood, and thick cardboard guards for insulation. It's not the greatest, but not the worst. When I opened it up to test it I saw that the shelves were loose inside the safe with nothing more than a few foam pieces which were about as protective as duck and cover in a nuclear attack. My shelves weren't bent or anything but I saw that some other reviewers did have bent tabs on their shelves and this may be why (the shelves are metal, but the tabs to secure them are small, thin, and easily bendable).Installation is simple. You can install this whether your studs are 16" apart or 24" apart. If it's 24" you will need to do some rigging. There are plenty of ideas available online that are easy to do. If your studs are 16" apart, it's much quicker and easier, this is going to fit right between them (the 16" is from the centers of the studs, so there's actually more like 14 1/2" between them). Make sure you use stud finders that also detect metal, pipes, and live wires. Best thing is to put this in a wall that has no outlets or anything on either side. If you have an older house (like an old Victorian or Colonial in the Northeast), you may have a little project on your hands as they didn't use studs the way we do now.There are three ways into this safe. The first way is via key, which is how you have to get in initially to install the batteries. Like other safes, just unscrew the logo and the keyhole is underneath (it comes with the right size hex wrench). For me, the key fit right in and this was simple. The safe uses six batteries: 4 for the control panel, 2 for the LED panel. The control panel is easy, pop off the lid, put the batteries in, put the lid back on. The LED panel requires you to use a screwdriver to remove it. It was a little bit of a pain to get the box open but I got it. As a note, there are 6 AA batteries included with the safe, but like so many other things, the batteries included with mine were cheap and also almost dead. I expected this and was prepared for it with my own. Save yourself some trouble and use fresh batteries.Programming your new code (don't leave the default code, it's the first thing a thief will try) is simple. Scanning new fingerprints is even easier. Unlike GunVault, there are no "admin" fingerprints. Just push the red button on the inside of the safe door and you can program it. I scanned all of my fingers from 3 different angles to make sure. It's favorite scan is of my middle fingers (go figure). Most fingerprint scanners don't like my thumb prints, this one is no exception. The nice thing about this safe is that you also have the code. Since age or certain activities can render your fingerprints unreadable, the safe isn't useless because you can always punch your code combination in. To use the fingerprint, hit # and the red LED goes on indicating it's time to put a finger on the scanner. Use * to punch in a code (after you're done with the code, use * again to open). Regardless of which method you use, after you close it, remember to push # to relock it (if you forget, it will beep incessantly after a few minutes which is the warning that it's still open).As far as space inside, I know that some reviewers complained about the space behind the locking mechanism. I put a Sig Sauer P229 handgun behind it and was able to close it fine without any interference from the handgun (you won't be able to put a gun that size behind the locking mechanism while in a holster). So there is actually a decent amount of space. There are also tabs at the top to hang keyrings from so you can keep important keys in here (like keys to other safes, do NOT keep the key to this safe inside of it).As far as security goes, this thing is heavy duty. It would take some work to pry open or cut. Actually, I'd say compared to other safes of this class, it's a bit more secure. Like any wall mounted safe, a persistent thief can just cut it out of the wall with a saw and be done with it. But again, a smash and grab thief who does not have a lot of time or cart around power tools. If you are concerned, other security measures (alarms, motion sensors, cameras, etc) should be employed.For what this is, I think it's worth the money and it deserves the five stars I have given it.

Purchased this safe to install in a vacation home in the master closet. While I had read reviews about the safe being poorly packed from Amazon, but mine came very well packed. It had wood reinforcement on the corners and very sturdy cardboard packaging. The steel feels thick and the construction is good quality. These "cross" locks are pretty easily picked, so the fact the key mechanism is hidden behind the logo is pretty simple and smart.Installation is pretty easy, just ensure your studs are at least 16" on center and it'll fit perfectly snug. Agree with other reviewers that the inside "carpet" covering isn't pre-cut for the drill holes, so clearing those prior to installation helps. It was easy and there was more than enough room for me to drill my guide holes and secure the bolts while the unit was in the wall.I found the fingerprint reader to be very accurate. I only scanned in one fingerprint (no different angles, etc.) and I've never had an issue scanning in my finger.Will this save stop someone determined and prepared to rob you? No. A thief can easily just sawzall the studs or pick the lock. Will this stop a random thief or keep things away from the kids? Absolutely. Very happy with our purchase!

Great Safe, fits like a glove, and is easy to install. Post Purchase Support is easy and user-friendly. If you plan to have your wife hang on to the backup keys, hang on to your receipt. You can order a replacement set online in minutes without waiting on the phone.

This safe feels nice, solid and secure. I realize it's not designed to be a bank vault, but for a consumer-level safe, it's nicely designed and built. It arrives securely packaged, so it'd take a lot to hurt it in transit. Functionally, the door is well-balanced, and the locking mechanism works well. Didnt take too much to install--it fits well between the wall studs.One thing to note is that the keypad is raised from the surface of the safe, so that will influence any method to cover the safe if you do so. We used a flush hinge we bought elsewhere on Amazon, and had to 'build up' the frame of the painting we used to cover the safe in order to account for the keypad's space needs. It's not a big deal, and I'd rather have that than lose more space inside, it's just something to note when you're installing. Recommended.

We had to order this twice because the first box was destroyed in shipping, but I suspect that was in part due to the poor packing. This is a heavy gage metal safe, but it was packed with a super thin sheet of bubble wrap and a few broken pieces of styrofoam. The safe arrived bent in the lower corner and the paint was chipped, making a flush mount impossible. However, the customer service was prompt and provided free shipping on the return, so we re-ordered another safe. The set-up process took a few minutes, entering in your fingerprint in multiple positions and creating a code. We bought our own hardware to mount to the wall studs, though, in my opinion, the provided hardware would have been adequate. The shelving looks adequate from the product description and does come lined in a felt, but the locking mechanism and light brick leaves a bit to be desired. You cannot mount the interior shelving in just any location (though the mounting holes might lead you to believe otherwise), you need to mount shelving either above or below the locking mechanism area. in order for the door to shut. While the light brick is a nice idea, it doesn't provide light below the first mounted shelf. We will use the safe to provide storage for a handgun and some jewelry, so with this in mind, I should have bought a bigger safe, as the handgun and the restricted area around the locking mechanism space provides about 3-4 inches for me to place 3 shelves up top. There is a key rack inside too, but we needed the space for storage.