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A while back, I wrote an article on Homak products, mainly addressing their line of security cabinets and pistol boxes.  In this post, I discussed an issue that’s a bit of a personal pet peeve; when metal gun cabinets are mistakenly referred to as gun safes.  It just gives folks a false sense of security.  While I spent the majority of the article objectively discussing the company’s product line, I went on a bit of a rant in the beginning, venting my frustration for the aforementioned annoyance.  At one point I said, “if you visit their site [Homak's], you’ll notice that nowhere on it does it say that they make gun safes – they make gun cabinets”.

That statement is, at the moment, still true; Homak doesn’t showcase their gun safes on their site.  However, they do indeed manufacture them (well, technically they’re residential security containers, but calling them safes is more convenient…).  Their gun cabinets and pistol boxes are still the company’s claim to fame, but they’ve packed in some more variety with a handful of safes as well.

Homak gun safes can best be pigeonholed into two main categories; those with fire protection, and those without.  Those that lack the fire rating come in the 12 and 16 gun capacity varieties and are easily distinguishable from the others by their baked on hunter green finish.  If you’ve read any of my other articles, you’ve probably gathered that I’m not a big fan of cheap crappy safes.  Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that not everyone has $4-5K to shell out on a premium security container (I certainly don’t) – I’m just saying that you ought not to invest $600 into something just because it says “safe” on it.

Homak’s green safes don’t crack 175 lbs, they have a cheap electronic lock, and could be ripped wide open by any crook with half an ass full of effort.  If you have one, and you like it, fantastic – sorry to offend you – for me, however, I’m a proponent of either spending a few hundred dollars more on a decently secure unit (like a Winchester or a low-end Sturdy Safe), or spend a few hundred dollars less, and pick up a gun cabinet (like a Stack On, or even a Homak!).  These two safes fall into a bittersweet area that I personally would steer clear of.

As mentioned, they also produce three fire resistant products, offering 16, 24, and 36 gun capacities.  I hate to say it (because I really like Homak’s pistol boxes and most of their cabinets), but these are very short of spectacular.  They’re a bit better than the previously discussed non-fireproof models, as they all offer an ETL endorsed fire rating of 30 minutes at 1400 degrees F, but their other features are overshadowed by other manufactures’ products in the same price range.  For example, let’s run a quick comparison pitting the Homak 36 Gun Fire Safe against the Winchester Western 45.

They’ll both run you in the neighborhood of $1,350.  Though fire ratings tend to be a bit ambiguous, the Winchester is rated 1 hour at 1400 degrees against the Homak’s 30 minutes at the same temperature.  The Winchester is nearly 20% bigger, and offers the ability to store an additional 9 long guns (without the majority of additional shelving – in either unit).  The Winchester Western is made with 12 gauge steel, which ideally is a bit light, however, it’s over 300 lbs more resilient than the Homak.  The Winchester also has seven more locking bolts, and passed UL’s five minute tool attack test – the Homak can’t make the same claim.

Winchester safes pack some pretty decent value, but I’m not saying that they’re the best safe on the market.  What I am saying, however, is that Homak gun safes aren’t worth the asking price.  I’ll continue to be a pretty big fan of their cabinets and handgun boxes, but unless they make some serious changes, you’ll never see me storing my guns in their safes.

Homak In The Wall Gun Safe

I’ve covered Homak products quite a bit on this site, mainly focusing on the cheap cost and relatively weak constitution associated with them.  Their in wall gun safe is no exception, however, ironically, I have to hand it to Homak for their development of this product.  First of all, it will only run you around $120, which is a very inexpensive way to keep your children out of your guns.  Secondly, it’s been built with a universally appealing, simple design.  It only weighs 50 lbs and can be fit in between nearly any set of studs, and the depth is just over 3″, so it’ll likely fit anywhere.  But my favorite part is that its 57″ height will allow you to comfortably store up to three rifles and shotguns.  A long gun, as opposed to a handgun, will almost always give you a tactical advantage during a home invasion.  The only issue I have with this model is that it’s opened by keyed entry, which still allows for quick access, only you must be sure that you always know where the keys are – especially in the dark.

Mesa Adjustable Wall Safe

Mesa’s wall gun safe offers a lot of pretty slick features for a relatively low price ($139).  First of all, as its name suggests, it gives you the option of not only convertible shelving, but adjustable depth as well.  This will sit back in your wall anywhere from 3 1/4″ to 6″, depending on your preference.  And unlike the aforementioned Homak, the Mesa is opened using an electronic lock combination, potentially cutting the time it takes to open it in half.  The only negative feature of this safe, in my opinion, is the height.  The Homak gun safe gives you the ability to easily store a full length rifle.  At 19 1/2″, you aren’t given that option with the Mesa.  However, this still offers significantly more space than the majority of other wall safes on the market.  You could easily store a short barreled UZI, a bull pup carbine like the FN P90, or even a 5.56 chambered “pistol” like the Bushmaster Carbon 15 series.  All fun is not lost.

Secure Logic Wall Vault ETL 20700

This biometric wall safe kind of goes against what I’ve been preaching in regards to the advantage of being able to store a rifle or shotgun in a readily available location, as the dimensions of this safe wouldn’t allow it.  That said, I had to include it on this list because they’re just so darn cool.  The safe sits nearly flush with your wall allowing you to easily conceal it with a mirror or a painting should you desire.  Of course, with the it’s lovely brushed stainless steel finish, why would you ever want to cover it up?  The safe uses fingerprint reading biometric technology to allow entry.  Short of leaving the door wide open, fingerprint safes are by far the quickest way to get to your guns out from behind closed doors.

And speaking of the door, when you unlock it with the swipe of your finger, the flush door drops down like magic instead of swinging open.  Aside from the novelty, this allows for a little more flexibility.  To add to the coolness factor, the ETL 20700 includes a secret compartment to stow away hidden documents.  I know what I said about a thief finding a hidden wall safe and ripping it out from the wall, but isn’t that still awesome?  I mean…secret hiding places, man!

The major downsides to this model is the price and the small capacity.  If you want this Secure Logic safe, you’ll likely be spending in the neighborhood of $350, and though it will hold a couple good sized handguns, there’s no way you’re fitting a 12 gauge in there (unless it’s of the AOW sawed off variety).  Nevertheless, if you do decide to pick one of these up, let me know, so I can come over to your house and play with it.

Homak Orders are processed through Amazon.com for the best deals and service available

You’ll notice that I didn’t title this post, ‘Keep the Burglars Out With a Homak Gun Safe’.  That’s primarily because a strapping young buck of a burglar with a sharp fire axe could tear into a Homak gun cabinet with a few good swings, and unless you’re fortunate enough to put out a home fire, or plug up a flood in 30 seconds or less, you can wave good bye to the contents in one of these cabinets.  You’ll also notice that I said ‘gun cabinet’ and not ‘gun safe’.  This is because the majority of Homak rifle storage units could hardly pass as a safe.  Yes, they have locks on them, and yes, they’ll keep your kids and lazy burglars out of you firearms, but it irks me a little bit when vendors try to pass these off as secure gun safes.  I’m not saying that Homak is doing anything wrong – if you visit their site, you’ll notice that nowhere on it does it say that they make gun safes – they make gun cabinets. There is a difference.

I know I came out swinging in that first paragraph, but I actually think that Homak makes a decent product.  The company itself has been around for almost sixty years, making everything from hand tools, to tool chests, to trigger locks to, of course, gun cabinets.  They don’t pretend to be anything they’re not – they’re cheaply made (relative to Browning, Cannon, and Liberty safes), and therefore, cheaply priced.  You can find stand-alone Homak gun cabinets that will hold 12 long guns for $220 without looking very hard, and I’ll tell you what that will get you.

You’ll get an 80 lb, 57 inch high steel cabinet with two keys, some plastic bins, and some flimsy shelving for added organization.  I know I sound patronizing as heck, but it’s not my intention.  I would buy a Homak if I had a few rifles and shotguns lying in my bedroom closet, my kid just learned how to walk, and I only had $200 to make a quick decision.  Last year, I actually recommended a Homak to a buddy in the exact same spot, and he’s quite happy with it.

What fires me up though is that vendors trying to scoot these things out the door are trying to pass them off as bank vaults.  Let me tell you something, the only thing that’s going to keep a thief out of this thing is if he thinks it’s filled with mops and cleaning supplies.  This sucker will barely crack 200 lbs fully loaded – if the thief doesn’t feel like breaking into it, he can just carry it out the door.  I just read a review on Amazon that says that the 12 gun model is protected by 7/8″ steel.  What!  How?

They must be measuring the fold of the steel around the corners because 7/8″ steel is what is what would be used on a bank vault.  I’m not being cute – the walls on a Browning Platinum Plus gun safe are an industry leading 3/16″.  That particular Browning safe also weighs 1700 lbs empty and costs over $5500.  If Homak gun safes were truly crafted out of 7/8″ thick steel, they’d probably weigh closer to 10000 lbs than 100 lbs.

For the third time, I’m not ripping on Homak.  I just want to make sure you aren’t suckered by the BS artists trying to sell them.  Homak makes a pretty neat little 10 gun cabinet that fits into the corner, which is a decent design.  Corner safes are great for security reasons because the side walls, which are generally weaker than the door are totally inaccessible.  Of course, in this case, I still don’t think it would make much of a difference.  Even if you managed to bolt it down, it’s light 110 lb frame would still be susceptible to prying and cutting.  Again, it’s a nice storage unit with some great organizational perks, but I don’t think it warrants the $350 price tag.  If I were going to spend $350 on a gun safe, I’d probably go with a Sentry Safe G1455, mentioned previously in this cheap gun safe post.

The company also manufacturers some decent wall safes for a fair price.  $120 will get you a Homak wall gun safe weighing in at 50 pounds with a three gun capacity.  Although I don’t find them to be terribly practical for my needs, I’ve always been a bit fascinated by wall safes – there’s something so secretive about them.  These are great if you’re adamant about keeping your 870 or Mini 14 quickly accessible in your bedroom, out of your kids hands, and not hogging your space like a traditional safe would.  Although they’re cheap, I should note that these are keyed entry only, so if you go this route, it will be important to always know the whereabouts of the key.  As far as security goes, the same rules apply.  Wall and floor safes are rarely built to take a beating – mainly because your wall isn’t.  If someone wants to get into a wall safe, they won’t have much trouble.  The Homak wall safe weighs just 50 lbs – just tear open the drywall, pry it from the studs, and be on your way.

The last line of Homak gun safes that I’ll be discussing are their pistol safes.  Homak actually refers to them as pistol boxes, but since other personal handgun storage units in their price range, like the Winchester eVault series, use the safe namesake, I’d say Homak has the right to as well.  This thing is goofy looking, but at the same time, I kind of like it.  It looks like what folks from the 50′s might think our mailboxes would look like today.

It’s keyless entry, operating with a button combination on the side of the door.  I personally prefer a biometric scanner, or push buttons on the top for easier access in the dark, but for less than $40, I might reconsider.  Another design flaw that I should mention is that there’s no backup key.  If you have a mechanical failure, you just might get your chance to see how theft resistant it really is.  Again though, it’s very inexpensive.

Well, there you have it, the lovely world of Homak gun safes…or Homak cabinets rather.  They’re cheap, and they’ll keep your children out.  Just don’t lock away anything too valuable in them.