Made in America question Gun Safes/RSC's

[FAS1]

I only make a handgun safe and I never have asked my supplier of steel where it comes from. They laser cut all the pieces for me. I have discusssed the quality of steel they use since it seems very good. He mentioned with poor quality steel it shows up quickly when the laser encounters inconsistancies in the steel. He said they have learned their lesson fom experience and don't buy steel from suppliers that they have experienced problems with. He mentioned steel from Mexico at that time that was not the best quality.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Heeler - what you mentioned is exactly why I want our nation to renounce all free trade agreements and impose tariffs on imported goods. We must repatriate our former American industries back to America and thereby put Americans back to work. Enough political soapboxing. Back to safes.

a1adbj. I'm looking at the AmSec catalog. How is it that their 1" thick steel door and body HS6743 and HS7943 are only TL-15 whereas the RF6528 with less steel is a TL-30? Is the armor plate on the RF6528's door and the "burglary resistent high security material" in its body that much better than an inch of steel on the other two safes?

Also like your opinion of BF series safes. They have thicker steel in their doors but not that high resistance stuff. V

 

[a1abdj]

a1adbj. I'm looking at the AmSec catalog. How is it that their 1" thick steel door and body HS6743 and HS7943 are only TL-15 whereas the RF6528 with less steel is a TL-30? Is the armor plate on the RF6528's door and the "burglary resistent high security material" in its body that much better than an inch of steel on the other two safes?

UL is testing strictly for resistance, so the materials themselves make little difference. For example, you can have a TL-15 using a 1.5" A36 steel plate door, or a TL-15 using a .75" high strength alloy.

In the case of the specific safes you mentioned, the RF6528 is based off of their commercial composite line. The strength comes from the "concrete" instead of the steel. All in all, true composites have a number of advantages over steel plate. They are lighter than their steel counterparts, can offer more strength, cost less to produce, and are fire resistant.

 

[ricebasher302]

...if that industry is floundering, then it needs to evaluate why that is happening and address those issues.

Yea, well if we keep buying off-shore produced products, the arguement will soon be pointless. We should not be viewing this as a global economy. That's like rooting for the NFL during the Super Bowl. Its all of our asses on the line here. Saying that US manufacturing should learn a lesson and be more competetive with Chinese manufacturing is as ignorant as telling your truck to get better gas mileage.

I understand that certain industries have made poor choices that led to their suffering such as the "Big Three" auto manufacturers. They made their bed, but we do still need to support companies that offer high quality and who have resisted off-shoring production.

Don't mean to hijack the thread here, but, like the OP, I'm a patriot, and I root for the home team.

 

[OTR]

I don't want to get political, but I am a man of facts and of course opinions. The biggest threat to the American steel companies is the regulations that are imposed by multiple state/government agencies on not only the foundries, but also the mining of the ore. If people are serious about returning the manufacturing economy to its prior state, you must first cut the red tape and encourage people that a blue collar job is an excellent way to put food on the table.

Since I am also a man of facts (opinion is posted above), here is an excellent example from July 2011.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/right-out-of-atlas-shrugged-hear-an-exasperated-alabama-businessman-tell-the-feds-im-just-quitting/

 

[4v50 Gary]

I don't believe that any of us enjoy witnessing our nation decline, but let's stick to safes.

Edited to add: Thanks Opman, I'm really enjoying this thread and am learning a lot.

 

[opsman]

One of these three photos shows a "Made in America" Patriot Safe. The other two are of known Chinese safes. Can you tell which is which?

It's hard to tell with three different size photo's and three different angles, but judging from the shoddy way the sheet rock is installed in the top and bottom photo, one would think that those are made in China, But then looking at the top photo and knowing that Patriot has that big square electronic panel off to the right of the handle, my guess is that the top one is the Patriot and the bottom two are imports.

 

[opsman]

Ricebasher302

I do not mind one bit and in my opinion you did not steal the thread. It is meant to get a good discussion on the topic of where does our stuff come from and I happened to pick safes/rsc companies. I too am a Patriot, my family tries to purchase Made in the USA whenever possible even if it means spending a few more dollars for the same product. The NAFTA thing that was Bill Clinton's crowning achievement has been in my opinion the beginning of the decline of our economy.

 

[opsman]

UPDATE:

I sent a request to Patriot Safe Company:

Dear Sir's
I am conducting some research. Your website says Made in the USA, could you please tell me where in the USA? Also what percentage of your safes are actually from the USA? are some components made by other companies in the US such as locks and carpet on the interior, lights etc.

This was their reply:

"The safe and the lock is manufactured here in Southern California"