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1) STEEL HARDNESS -- Most gun safes are made in China. Gunsafes.net estimates about 92%. There are three manufacturing differences between US made gun safes and Chinese gun safes. First, Chinese gun safes have softer steel with less hard plate. Second, the steel is not press-broken, which means all six sides of the box are welded together with the welds ground off. The problem with grounded welds, means sometimes the welds are almost completely ground off. This will weaken the box construction. Third, the internal mechanism in the door is "reverse engineered". This means Chinese parts inside the door are thinner and fewer, which creates "more vital cut areas", which inevitably makes the door weaker and easier to break into.

2) THICKER BOLT PROTECTORS -- Many American gun safes have shielded bolts. Chinese gun safes usually don't. A shielded bolt means there are plates of extra steel in the frame, placed in front of the bolts, which reduces "pry-in" and "bolt cut-in" break-ins. Without extra reinforced steel in the frame, it is sometimes possible for a criminal to pry the door past the body. A prying device can "flex" the body frame and allow the body to bent, allowing the gun safe door to be pried open. Gun safes with thick steel frames, 1/2" to 3/4" thick, makes prying near impossible.

3) REAL LOCKS -- Some gun safe companies who buy Chinese guns safes use cheap locks with "over-riding keys". Stay away from these locks. An over-rider key means the lock is so bad that it will break down several times in your life. The key will allow you to open the safe when it does break down. The problem with those locks are any first year locksmith can pick those "over-rider key locks" and break into the gun safe in only a few minutes. Gun safes from America usually use American S&G lock or LA Gard Digital lock without over-rider keys. So make sure you get an American lock. It's worth it.

4) FIRE-PROOFING -- 99% of all Chinese gun safes only have $5-10 worth of drywall. Many American gun safe companies offer concrete, ceramic and other more advanced fire-proof packages for a nominal fee. And Chinese gun safes don't have inner layers of steel in the door or box, which makes the safe more fireproof. Remember, steel is a conductor of heat; the more steel in your door and body, the more fireproof your gun safe will be.

5) DOOR SEAL FOR FIRE -- 99% of Chinese gun safes have a flat surface, single sealing door. That means when you shut the door, it only seals once. Where the door meets the body. This is not how a real safe is built. There are several gun safes on the market that offer "double step doors" that are built like commercial safes. These gun safes seal the fire door on four to five levels. These "Step Doors", "Jig-Saw Doors" or "Z-Shaped Doors" seal about five times better than your typical "Flat Surface" Chinese gun safe.

6) MULTIPLE FIRE GASKETS -- Chinese gun safes have one gasket, which creates a simple seal. Research tells us that a single seal is adequate for simple 30 min fire ratings. But for more advanced fire ratings, two seals is twice as good. Sealing up your gun safe on multiple points not only keeps heat out, but also helps with smoke and water damage.

7) INTERNAL MECHANISMS -- Chinese gun safes are quite often have reversed engineered door mechanisms. We mentioned this in bullet #1, but I'd like to expand the explanation. The Chinese philosophy of manufacturing is to take a US product and "nickel and dime" it till it can be sold at a reduced price. The problem with reducing the cost of a steel product means, LESS STEEL AND MATERIAL. This means that bolt systems, locks, relockers, locking bars, gaskets, hard plate and reinforced frames will have to take a hit in the strength department when the Chinese make your gun safe. Because of this "nickel and diming", there are many Chinese guns safes that can be broken into with a single drill and a turn of the handle. The reason? Steel reinforcement brackets where the locking bars are located have been "thinned up" so much, that a teen can drill a hole under the lock, insert a screwdriver and open the safe by simply leaning on the screwdriver. So be very leery of "reversed engineered" Chinese products. Make sure you have thick reinforced framing, multiple relockers and doors that don't "flex".

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AMERICAN-MADE GUN SAFES VS CHINA-MADE GUN SAFE, CALL ONE OF OUR GUN SAFE EXPERTS FOR AN EXPLANATION....800-266-7150
 

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