GunVault Mountable Quick Access Drop-Down Pistol Safe with Patented No-Eyes® Keypad

I spent a lot of time researching to find what I wanted which was a way to secure my handgun at home, making it safe around the grandkids, yet easily and quickly accessible in an emergency. This GunVault SV500 SpeedVault is the ticket! I mounted it securely next to my bed in a location I can easily reach without getting out of bed, yet is hidden from view when someone is looking in the room. The wood screws they supplied in the package are pretty short so I replaced them with longer and deeper threaded ones that provided a more secure mount. The unit is very stable and secure and once mounted it works perfectly. It opens within a second of the code being entered and the gun is presented in such a way the person has immediate access to bring it into play. You can mute the beeps so when you enter the code it is silent. It is very easy to set the code and change it, but the unit has to be open to do so. The combinations you can use as a code are nearly endless. There is even a tamper indicator built into the key pad so you can tell if one of the kids has been messing with it. You get two keys with it as well. The small led light inside the vault gently illuminates the weapon for about 5 seconds when the vault opens. Yes, you can hear the vault open as the drawer release mechanism releases and the drawer comes to rest on its footing, but if you really need it, who cares? If you have it close to your bedside, open it when you go to bed and close it when you get ready to get out of bed in the morning. This is not a "Safe", meaning it won't protect your gun in a house fire and it can be opened by a determined person with a crowbar or sledge hammer. Depending on your method of mounting, if a person has the time, they could pry the vault off the wall and take it away to get into later. If you want a safe, buy a safe, bolt it to your floor or wall and protect your valuables and weapons from fire and theft. If you want a secure, easily accessible place to keep a handgun for emergencies and yet not have to worry about the kids having access to the weapon, this is the unit you want.

For years I've been using a mattress flap holder for my bedside pistol. This has worked marginally well as long as you don't lift the mattress or pull to hard on the sheets or move the bed at all. I found myself constantly check this "holster" to make sure enough of it remained under the mattress to keep it (and my loaded firearm!) from falling on the floor. It was cheap and adequate to hold my night gun, but certainly not as secure as I would have liked.I recently decided to upgrade to this GunVault SV500 and couldn't be happier. This is far more secure and reliable than the mattress flap I had before. I attached it to the wooden nightstand next to my bed and it is very accessible and easy to manipulate. I chose to purchase the keypad version instead of the biometric model and am very happy with that decision. The key pad is very easy to access and quick to open. You simply program in your own entry code and you can rapidly deploy the contained firearm as needed. I actually prefer to open the vault at bed time and allow the door to remain open all night, thus avoiding having to remember a code and enter it correctly when I'm awakened from a deep sleep in the middle of the night by that perverbial sound of uninvited footsteps in my home. I then close the vault in the morning before I leave for the day. I no longer have small children in the house so there is no need to leave the vault closed at night to avoid a youngster from inadvertently obtaining my loaded pistol.As to the vault's operation, it is easy to open when the code is entered. The 10 second light is a nice feature when the room is dark. There is an audible "thunk" sound when the door opens (which is somewhat loud in a quiet environment) but it is not overly obnoxious. You can set the keypad buttons to beep when depressed or select for them to be silent. A small green light will blink with the depression of each button. This too is a nice feature when viewing the keypad as you input the code.It should be noted that this vault is not intended to be a fireproof or theft-proof device. It is simply a vault (not a SAFE) designed to secure your loaded firearm from unintended use or handling. For this purpose, it works exceedingly well. Enjoy!

The instructions could be better. For example, there is a rubber bumper/foot on a small metal bracket that is included in the parts bag, yet the instructions don't even mention it being included, let alone what to do with it. Well, a little brainpower and I figured out it's to keep the drawer from slamming open against the hinge when the box opens. I won't detract a star, but the instructions are "meh."But it's the product itself I'm reviewing and it is fabulous. The mounting bracket/method is so simple, yet effective. The safe mounts from the back or the left/right sides. The only possible drawback for a user is that it must be mounted upright as it depends on gravity to make the door "fall open" after the lock releases. I realize some folks have mounted it sideways and if it works for them, then great, but it's not a recommended mounting method. When I press the buttons I want this thing to open and now; not taking any chances.The fact that you can have multiple buttons count as "one digit" of the combination is a huge plus and adds substantially to the possible number of combinations you can have.The main reason you buy a small safe like this is not to prevent someone from stealing your gun. Unless you mount it to a concrete wall with toggle bolts, you can probably kick the safe free and walk away with it. The reason you buy this safe is to keep the little, curious ones from finding your handgun in your desk drawer and the unthinkable happening.Solid safe, functions very well, even has an LED light inside that stays on for about 10 seconds after the door opens. Highly recommended.Added some pictures of how I have it installed. As you can see...or not....you can't really see it even when you're looking right at it. Very happy with this product.