VAULTEK VS20i Biometric Handgun Safe - Bluetooth 2.0 Smart Pistol Safe with Auto-Open Lid & Rechargeable Battery - Secure Storage for Home, Office, or Travel Protection

Great safe for compact models and just about anything you want to keep from wondering off. I have 3 other models of Vaultek and have been impressed. Great value and they just work.Perfect size to hide away. Purchased to safeguard handgunsProvides reliable security and portability.I've owned a fair number of dedicated handgun safes over the years. This will likely be the second-to-last one I'll ever buy.First, the package. This thing is *heavy*. Some of this is the electronics, but it's nonetheless a lot of steel in a small frame. Supposedly it's the same thickness steel as in GunVault products (16 gauge) but it subjectively feels like a denser, meatier safe. It's black, with a not-unattractive powder coat finish and an understated VaultTek logo on the lid, and lighted numbers and a fingerprint scanner on the top-front. The interior has a high-quality waffle foam layer on the floor, to keep the contents from sitting on bare metal, and there's a nice strong light illuminates the safe interior when it's opened. The product comes with everything: a rechargeable battery (installation is a breeze), a USB charging cable, both mounting hardware and a security cable, a pair of backup keys to get into your safe if it runs out of juice, and instruction manuals.(A quick note about the box. Typically products like this are packaged in cheap, humble cardboard. This thing came in a foam-padded slipcase made from heavy chipboard that was so beautifully designed I half expected a choir of angels to serenade me as I opened it.)The fit and finish is first-rate, and the documentation is terrific -- while the product is aimed at a reasonably tech-savvy audience the manuals don't make assumptions (either good or bad), and guide you through setup at your own pace. The fingerprint scanner is about as good as you'll find on the consumer market (about a 90% successful read-rate under most conditions; the damper and dirtier your hands are, the more trouble the scanner will have reading your prints), and you have the numberpad combination to fall back on. It can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and interact with an easy-to-use app that will tell you safe status (locked/unlocked, humidity, temperature) and let you edit stored fingerprints, adjust settings, remote unlock, and review event history.The only issue I have with it is the size. It's always hard to gauge how big these handgun safes really are without seeing them in the flesh, but on the manufacturer's website there's a picture of this thing holding a pair of handguns -- what looks to be both a full-sized and a subcompact. I'm not sure what dark sorcery they used to get those both to fit, but I can *barely* get a full-sized handgun and a single spare mag into this thing, and even then the top of the slide is kissing the back wall of the safe unless I put the handgun in at an angle. To get something capable of holding a full-sized primary and a subcompact backup, I'll surely need to go up a size, to the manufacturer's VT series.Still, I'm super-impressed with the product, to the point that I'm going to let my wife "inherit" it for her bedside. If all you need is a great gun safe with a one-gun capacity, look no further.I looked for a long time for a gun vault/box I could trust. The most important thing I found about this one is the support. Vaultek cares about their product after they sell it and will work with you to get it working right. More importantly, they fix the inventory they have to ensure you get the best product. Mine came with an "upgrade" note inserted into the box, stating that the issue with jimmying the lock had been fixed. So many of the manufacturers out there are working to keep their product at sub $100 or even <$150. Vaultek costs more. For a damn good reason. It works. And they care about the product they ship, even after they ship it.So my experience...Got the vault, took ten minutes to figure it out and set it up. Easy. Every single thing worked as advertised and per instructions. the note was in there about the fix/upgrade. All parts accounted for and functional. Instructions were easy to follow and I had my code and fingerprint coded in no time (~10 mins) and my weapon snuggled in it's foamy compartment.Concerns from other reviewers and my experience:1.) The lid opening is loud. Yes and no. It is not silent, it makes a distinct click. That being said, it's not that loud, about the same loudness as flicking a disposable lighter. If you are thinking stealth, note that the clip being inserted or a round being chambered, will be much louder (and recognizable).2.) Yes the finger print swipe needs one to activate it and a second one to open. A feature they might consider if the device is plugged in, then the pad is active, when on battery it goes on standby. That is NOT in this product, just my thought on it.3.) The fingerprint reader is consistent with just about every other fingerprint reader on the planet. It will fail to read your print on occasion. No such thing as a perfect reader out there and not Vaultek's fault. I am sure they bought the best available, while still keeping the product in the price point they needed.4.) Use the keypad for quick access. Seriously. It works EVERYTIME. And frankly is faster if you're using a four digit code. so if you hear someone bashing in your door, use the code. If you're dog is low growling, then swipe twice and fingerprint it out.5.) Don't lose the hard key. They give you two. Give one to a trusted relative/friend or into a safe deposit box.6.) I fit my Sig P228 with a clip in it and an extra with some room to spare.Final thought, I bought this to keep kids and visitors from gaining access to the weapon. High up in a closet under a sweater just doesn't work for me. It works perfect for that, as well as quick access to the weapon if someone is kicking in the door. Don't make your code 1234 (like on your luggage) or anything else kids might guess.I am now a loyal Vaultek customer based on this experience.