Viking Security SafeVS-20BLX Mini Biometric Safe Fingerprint Safe

I did a lot of research to try to get the best safe of this size at a reasonable price. Since it seems a lot of reviewers are compensated these days I will say definitively that I did NOT receive a discount or a free product for my review. I ordered it at the list price just like anyone else to store some "machined steel parts" that I'd prefer my kids didn't access without supervision.1) This safe has a motorized actuator to retract the deadbolts rather than a knob that the user must twist. This obviously reduces the number of steps to open but more importantly limits vulnerability to "safe bumping" (look it up on YouTube) which many similar safes are vulnerable to. Since the person trying to bump can't load up the knob while bumping it that makes it impossible to bump, at least in the "traditional" manner. It's fast too. Should the mechanism fail the key can be used to retract the deadbolts manually.2) The key mechanism seems very secure. It's a bit hard to get in (It only goes in one way even though it looks symmetrical) and you have to remove a plate to access the key hole but it's really just for access in a dead battery condition. It seems like it would be very difficult to defeat.3) The reset button is well protected on the interior. Other similar safes have had vulnerabilities where a small hole could be popped in the plastic keypad then a wire could be used to fish around and press the interior reset button, restoring the default codes. This one would require drilling through metal to do this.It's not an impenetrable fortress obviously, but it's a very good strong box with quick auto-pilot access.The fingerprint reader is quite good. Not up there with TouchID on an iOS device but close. At first I only enrolled each finger once. This worked well but maybe 5-10% of the time I'd get "err" on a registered finger. I opted to go back and enroll a single finger on each hand 5x each. It's near 100% reliable now. On the screen sometimes it will recognize the same finger as one of the other ID#s that it was enrolled as rather than erroring out.Only one minor gripe about the beeper/documentation. It's not loud but it's a bit loud for certain applications. I wanted to turn it off so I consulted the documentation. It stated to press "0 & (*)" which I attempted, numerous times. To me (and I imagine most) the "&" indicates that both buttons should be pressed together so I didn't really even think about it. I spent 5 minutes or so doing different combinations. Press both briefly and simultaneously, press and hold 0, then press *, vise versa, etc. As it turns out you press 0 THEN * and it works fine.

We use this safe to store valuables, etc. as a retired couple. It works really well. We have had it for over 6 years and never had to problem with the safe itself. I forgot the code and got locked out. I couldn't get it to reset. The service is good because I emailed my problem to them via email and they responded within a few hours. This safe is large enough to hold items a typical household would use, but not too large to be cumbersome.

Great little safe.....I just love these safes.... and after looking around at numerous different brands, I always came back to Viking's safes as being the best value for the money... and also because of the quality of their build. Having 3 options to open them is a great feature. And because there is a key option, you won't ever get locked out of it, if the electronics ever fail. Being 64, I figured the fingerprint reader probably wouldn't work for me... but happily it did! I used my middle finger because my thumbs and index fingers always get cut, nicked, etc. working around the house. Sadly, it didn't work for my girlfriend, but it worked both for me, and my son.The keys are 4-sided, and very robust... not the kind of lock just anyone could pick, maybe only a locksmith could do it. Keypad works great... and a very nice feature is the LED light inside, which comes on when the door opens.They've generously supplied some hardware to anchor the safe to the floor or wall, but the idea didn't really appeal to me. You would either have to bolt it to the floor (which is not convenient) or to a wall stud which would not work very well. The small size would allow only 1 fastening point, since studs are 16" apart. My idea was to use some 3/16" steel aircraft cable, with a small loop on one end of the cable, feed the cable through the inside back hole, until the loop stops it. I made the cable 12' long. Then I drilled a 1/4" hole through my bedroom floor, behind the middle of my low dresser, through the carpet molding at the baseboard. That way, you can still take the molding off when you get new carpeting and locate the safe to anywhere on the dresser. I fed the cable into the basement, and secured the end of the cable (near the hole), in a circular fashion, using common cable/wire staples to the 2x10's holding the floor up, after bending the cable in a circle, and nailing the staples over the cable in all the curves. No thief is going to spend that much time trying to either cut the 3/16" cable, or pull out 8, 10, or 15 wire staples (your choice) on the basement ceiling.I happen to have a big, cable-crimping tool myself, and had to decide which sized wire would work for this securing problem. The next size down was 1/8" cable, and there was no doubt in my mind as to which cable was the right choice. The 3/16" cable looks massive next to the 1/8" cable (as shown in the pictures) even though it's only 50% larger. I have some good cable cutting nippers that cut the small stuff in a snap, whereas they couldn't cut the 3/16" stuff..... even my 18" long bolt cutters couldn't cut the bigger cable. I had to use a hammer and cold chisel, to actually cut the stuff.... Because of the stiffness of the wire, I found that the loop may turn (inside the safe) and cause the shelf to lift. It's not a big deal to just adjust the cable a bit to cure that, but I will make my girlfriend's safe just a bit different.... rather than making a loop, I made hers with a simple cable stop. These cannot be pulled off by any normal human, but for a bit more "extra" security I put 2 on, instead of one.These safes are well worth the money, and their representative Monica was very gracious... she answered all the questions I asked, and even had the boxes opened and quality checked, per my request, before shipment to me. Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase. I actually bought 3 of them... and everyone loves them.Hope you enjoyed my review.

This is very well constructed, and while a premium over many of the safes it does appear to be worth it. The interior volume is as expected. It's enough for 2 handguns and a few other things, but not much. I use it to hold various things I like to keep safe.The materials appear to be very good, and the quality of construction is also very good. The fingerprint reader is pretty reliable, though angle matters. Fortunately, you can store like 30 images, and it may be a good idea to do so. The documentation was also pretty decent. The key is a bit tricky, you must insert it in the correct orientation for it to work. I think this would be a very difficult lock to pick. I think this is a good solution for a handgun, both in the ease of opening if authorized and the difficulty if not. I'm happy with the purchase and happy I spent twice as much as others.I do have to deduct one star as there was a QC issue I was able to resolve. There is a red "reset" button inside, but it did not work. This essentially meant that while the code could work, the fingerprint sensor could not. Instead of the waste involved in mailing a safe back and getting a replacement, I thought it may be that the wiring had disconnected internally. This was the case, and the electronics were easy to reach; just 4 screws. One of the leads for the red button had backed out of its harness and I wiggled it back in.

This is much better than thin sheet metal or plastic safes that are normally sold in this price range and is secure enough for keeping opportunist from stealing or getting into something they shouldn't. If a burglar was prepared to steal it, they could likely get in, but its a major improvement over leaving things out in the open or in a safe that can be opened with a flat head screwdriver. I have this one and the simplex lock version. The simplex lock version seems more secure to me but my wife couldn't remember how to open that one so I bought this for her so she'd actually use it.