GunVault Compact Handgun Safe with No-Eyes Keypad – Pistol Safe with Anti-Pry Steel Construction, Backup Key, and Foam Interior for Nightstand or Vehicle Use

I was initially a bit wary of purchasing this product based on some of the older reviews here on Amazon (& the obviously out-dated photos offered here - this model has a tubular key lock on the front). But after reviewing the specs & photos on the GunVault web site I ended up buying the MV500-STD from my gun dealer to secure a weapon in my bedside table. Let me tell you - it fits the bill! If you plan on carrying it around, you'll need to add a small towel to keep your items from clunking around as the padding is thick, but not enough to pin a full-size handgun & magazines in place. This unit is large enough for my Glock 17 & three 17-round magazines. While the buttons are a little "mushy" feeling as indicated in a few of the reviews here (soft rubber), I only have a mis-press infrequently, & only because I set my code to use multiple fingers simultaneously at one point - it is sometimes difficult to apply the same amount of pressure on 3 or more fingers at once while standing directly over it (think of the angle needed to type on a computer keyboard). I have not had this issue when practicing from a prone position in bed, which is my primary use for this equipment. Practice is important to ensure that you'll be able to use ANY safe at a moment's notice. This unit is easy to program virtually any combination of buttons you'd like as your combo. The option to program a simultaneous multi-button push and being able use any button more than once during a combination make this unit decently secure. A pair of tube lock keys are included in case the battery fails at some point, but the unit does have an indicator light which will blink red to indicate that a battery change is near. I've been using the same set of alkaline batteries since July of 2010 (the date of this review is 5/3/2011). The indicator light will also acknowledge button presses (by blinking green with each press), will indicate a bad combo attempt (with a red light), & the unit can also be set to beep & buzz along with the lamp - but this is, thankfully, something that can be disabled. If a bad combo is entered too many times (4 or 5, I believe) it will disable button presses for a few minutes - another time the included keys would come in handy. Plus, it will tell you if someone has attempted to gain access with a bad combo (think children). Again, practice using the safe just like you should be doing with your weapon, because your life may depend on it! I use the combination multiple times a day as I move my weapon between heavier storage (when away for a while) & the GunVault. The included security cable has a plastic sleeve over it & is fairly thin, but it is anchored nicely in the unit & would require one to have a heavy cable cutter to take the safe. The unit does have pre-drilled holes in the bottom to mount it more securely. I've read other's reviews saying they thought they could crack it open with a screwdriver or whatnot, but I notice none of them say they've been able to do it! Heavy gauge steel & decent construction make this an item to have when you need to secure your weapon (or valuables) for the short-term. While a heavier safe is a must when leaving the house for a day, this unit is great for storing a weapon while you're in the home or nearby. I trust the GunVault MV500-STD to do it's job, & I plan on purchasing another one soon (this time, from Amazon) to secure a carry weapon in my vehicle as needed. ___________________ UPDATE - 2/16/2014 I did follow through by buying a second MV500-STD for use in the car, and it worked well...for a while. By about the -second year- of strictly car use, accessing it nearly every day (couldn't carry at work, so it was used it at least twice a day during the work week), one of the buttons started intermittently not responding (light wouldn't flash to acknowledge a press). I thought this might be due to the batteries running down so I upgraded to lithium AA cells - but the button kept getting worse. After bringing it inside for a while and working with it, I determined that the second button from the left was failing. I reprogrammed the code to not use this one and it works as well as before, but this has given me pause regarding electronic locks. If I do need to purchase another safe like this, I will go strictly mechanical but with a key back up as I'd rather carry a key than worry about momentary lapses of not remembering a code. The second unit with its three working buttons still works well, even in the harsh cold of the Minnesota winters, and the lithium AA cells that I put in during 2012 are still working. CAVEAT: The original safe that this review was based is still in use in my home and still works fine - it has had a good amount of use and I did upgrade the batteries to lithium AA cells when I did so for my vehicle unit. Again, I do keep a key available to me as a backup, but I still trust this unit to serve its purpose. *Some may ask why I'd trust something like this with such an important safety-related duty - Even before I purchased my first firearm in 2010, I thoroughly researched and considered as many aspects of this journey as I could fathom before stepping in. The keyed backup was an important requirement for the safes, and the emergency access process was thought out considerably well. I have backup defensive measures in place to help in situations where I may not be able to open a particular safe quickly. --I would offer that, barring a reasonably redundant defensive plan or if you have the particularly important task of ensuring that children cannot gain unauthorized access to your firearms, you may wish to defer to a solidly built mechanical safe for your security needs.--

Having multiple model 1000's, a 500, and a 300 (no battery), I just bought another 500 for my car trunk. All models are manual entry, not biometric. After 5-7 years, ZERO problems. All I do is change the 9V batteries each year, and that's it. One of the best features for me is the "feel" method of entering the combination. By each of the four rubber buttons are tactile dots corresponding with the numbers (I.e. four dots under the #4 button). This makes opening in the dark, or in a discreet location like under a desk, simple and foolproof. Just remember to press each button firmly and deliberately to ensure opening the first time. Each safe I have purchased has been flawless and extremely well made. The buttons on my older ones still feel like the newer ones. I always put at least one small desiccant pack in each safe to keep moisture at bay (an aluminum cased Hydrosorbent OSG-40 40 gram orange NO cobalt silica gel desiccant). These are rechargeable by popping in the oven per their instructions. Gunvault for me is the absolute best value in handgun safes.

Updated review: 7/2016 I have to say that I am beginning to agree with other people that using an electronic safe is not a good idea. My Gunvault stopped working today. I checked the batteries and all of them were still good. I replaced them just to be safe. The buttons do not work any more. This will simply be a lock box now. I am going to purchase something different. Original review: I purchased this because it was a decent price and I was not concerned about the batteries failing or not being able to open it under pressure etc. It arrived 3 days ago and I am a little skeptical about the reliability of the locking mechanism. For something that is going to be holding a loaded weapon I would expect it to be more secure. For the near future I feel this will keep little hands away from our self defense gun but I will probably invest in something different when my kids get older. My fear is that a 12 year old with a screwdriver could get this open pretty fast. Mine are under a year so I am ok with the product as is for now. AGAIN, the latching mechanism does not seem as well built as the rest of the box. Maybe someone can post a youtube video of someone trying to break into it with a screwdriver and prove its strength but I doubt it would hold up?!? I think the box is made very well in all other aspects. I don't have a problem opening the box in the dark and the buttons seem fine as long as you press firmly. The comments about the buttons being sketchy seem a little too picky in my opinion.

Todo perfecto, tal como esperaba, ningun problema con el envio, es el segundo que compro de esta marca, buena calidad

My personal choice, price and security in one.

wish there was a heavier spring to pop the lid. I keep mine at bedside and practice opening. if your lazy with your hand and have too much pressure it relocks the lid. recently I had a strange occurance of it outright not unlatching, but after some poking at the mechanism works great. just wish the lid was more spring loaded to open.

Now I don’t usually write a review but this gun safe is completely low end. The electric unlock no longer works and I’ve used it a max of 5 times in the two weeks I’ve had it. I can still open it with the key which is good but not what intended it for. I would not advise this product to a friend.

Secure and strong will hold a full size 1911 with some extra room nicely