There are other options priced for not much more that use several times more steel, better steel, deeper penetrating welds, more solid boltwork, fast locking mechanisms, more reliable locking mechanisms, and locking mechanisms that are not dependent on electrical circuits. I feel those products are superior in every single way, and this superiority is amplified if one intends to use this type of product with a firearm they may need for quick-access in a self-defense situation.
The Fort Knox, FAS, or other model with a mechanical Simplex lock is a better product IMO. Biometric locks dont have the same degree of reliability, and in a self-defense situation, if your hand is covered in blood or shaking violently, some biometric systems can be problematic to open. There are a few biometric products that I have been told are outstanding, but the price tag starts at several hundred dollars, and even with those products I fail to see where they improve upon a mechanical system, so I could not justify spending two times the price on a less reliable or durable biometric setup. My opinion, but there is a reason those making electronic and biometric openings never publish comparisons to Simplex.
As a general rule, I find that the locking mechanisms a Maker uses speaks to the overall product (and sometimes the overall company). For example, if a gun safe maker is using a S&G 6730 or 6630 mechanical lock, they chose to use a more expensive and extremely reliable locking mechanism, and the materials chosen and quality of the work of the entire safe/vault often mirrors this decision of not compromising. On the other hand, if a gun safe maker uses the cheaper and far less reliable S&G 6741, that says just as much but not in positive terms. Simplex locks are not cheap relative to the dirt cheap electronic mechanisms, so it compares to the S&G 6730 in terms of quality. If a Maker is willing to go the length of using a Simplex lock, in most cases they are going to be building a final product that is superior to the products from competing companies.
Also, a pistol vault using a Simplex locks will last for decades...electronic mechanisms just don't have that sort of longevity, and most of the mass-produced electronic mechanisms have serious safety and reliability shortcomings. YMMV.
