Sturdy vs. AmSec - Finally Decided

[Triumph]

Well I am not sure what happened tonight but I finally decided between the AmSec 7250 (sold by a large gun dealer in town) and the Sturdy 72x48x27.
As you all have probably ascertained I have been a little prejudiced to the aesthetics of the AmSec BF7250. The nice interior (on photos submitted by Keizer) and the specs, seals, warranty & reliability (detailed by a1abdj). Not to mention the great looking door organizers they have.

I posted a couple recent threads about door seals, heat transfer & electronic locks. I was very interested in making the best decision possible.

You have all been very patient & helpful.

I pulled into the driveway tonight & guess who called me. Terry with Sturdy. For those of you that don't know he is the owner. Terry called me on Saturday morning to answer some questions I had on the Sturdy & talked to me for 30 minutes. He then called me again tonight to follow up.

So you guessed it - after another 30 minute phone call with Terry I gave him my credit card. He did not ask for the sale, but he earned it. He was actually trying very hard to figure out exactly what I wanted the interior to look like.

I've been in sales for 20 years & there is no substitute for someone who is as customer focused as Terry. I'm not sure I have run across anything like it.

So at the end of the day - AmSec vs. Sturdy - Both great, AmSec wins for beauty but 2 phone calls from Terry & I will end up with the Sturdy.

AmSec guys - a1abdj, Keizer & heeler thanks for all the feedback.

heeler - if you want to drive down the road a bit in a few weeks & see the Sturdy let me know.

 

[Keizer]

Glad you finally made the decision. Terry was very informative on the phone back when I chatted with him last year. He makes you want to pull the trigger with all his information and help. Had he made a follow up call with me, it might have leaned me towards his product.

Either safe would serve you well.

 

[adirondack]

Congratulations Triumph, I think you made the right choice. And, yes I do agree Keizer they are both good choices even if for slightly different reasons.

 

[Triumph]

Keizer -

Thanks - It won't be as good looking as yours but I would still like to pick your brain on getting the lights in. I asked Terry to put in a hole for an electrical cord. So when I get it I will be pinging you on lights & power.

 

[btn]

I must admit I'm very surprised, I thought for sure you were going to go with the Amsec.

And you certainly did your research so there should be no surprises once you get the safe. That said I'm sure you'll love it. And I'm more then a little jealous of the size you're getting, my doorway was only big enough for a 3224 and that was with taking the frame off...

Best of luck.

 

[heeler]

You gotta love a guy like Terry!!
I have to admit I was more than a little impressed when he called me as well last year when I was agonizing over which safe to buy.
Triumph,I doubt very seriously you will be disappointed with the Sturdy.
Both makes are just what is needed at a reasonable price,strongly built,and reasonably secure.
Congratulations on your decision and I would be thrilled to see your Sturdy once you have it.

 

[Lee Roder]

Congrats, I don't think you will regret it. After wading through these, and other, forums, and tons of videos, I too became a Sturdy owner. The safe meets all my requirements and the company has met all my expectations. Customer support throughout my order process was awesome, and afterwards too, since as soon after my safe was delivered, I did encounter one tiny installation issue over concrete anchors which Sturdy's "resident installation expert" (Terry), who was readily accessible by phone (BIG PLUS), expediently resolved for me.

 

[Triumph]

heeler - I will PM you when it arrives.

Prepare yourself - it will look like a Jon Boat compared to your BF.

Is your BF indoors or in garage?

 

[BIGGBAY90]

LUCKY YOU---I'M STILL THINKING :banghead:

 

[NHshooter48]

I bought a Sturdy and am very satisfied. Terry was great and it is one tough safe.

 

[heeler]

Triumph,my BF is in a spare bedroom.
At the same time I ordered mine I was in the middle of having the house remodeled and rid myself forever of carpet and put in laminate flooring.
I had so many different opinions of what that kind of weight(1249 pounds empty) would do to the laminated floor that I had the contractor place a 40x30 area of very hard porcelin tile in the corner of the room and placed the safe there and had it bolted with four redhead concrete anchors.
Since I plan on living here forever I doubt the safe will ever be moved by choice or force!!

 

[leadcounsel]

Terry is the man. I learned that back in 2004 when I bought my first Sturdy. Without a doubt he and Sturdy provide unmatched customer service; and that's something worthy of note these days.

You won't be disappointed in the performance. I was so please it was a no-brainer when I bought safe #2.

Congrats on making a smart decision.

 

[CB900F]

Triumph;

When you do install the lights, seal the hole the cord passes through with the hi-temp goo of your choice. Do it from both the inside & outside. There's no sense in allowing an open pathway for the noxious gasses of a fire to enter your container. To say nothing of flame itself. Those gasses can do bad things to scope coatings, stamp collections, etc.

900F

 

[btn]

When you do install the lights, seal the hole the cord passes through with the hi-temp goo of your choice.

What do you recommend?

 

[btn]

BTW I just saw this on another board concerning Amsecs Gun Safe Warranty It seems to be different then what has been said here.

QUOTE]Hey have a lifetime replacement warranty for theft and fire damage. They only have a 1 year warranty on everything else (lock, mechanism, manufacturing, etc.....)
[/QUOTE]

So I did a little digging and it turns out it's true. Sturdy's warranty is better then Amsecs because it includes mechanical defects for lifetime, which the Amsec does not. In addition it does include freight, or replacement, if the damage is due to defect or fire damage.

Just thought you'd like to know.

 

[waterhouse]

I'm sure you'll be happy with it. They aren't the prettiest on the outside, but I prefer their interior layout to just about every other gun safe. When they say a safe holds 24 long guns, it hold 24 long guns without any trouble, without any of the guns touching. I was very happy with their service as well.

 

[Keizer]

So I did a little digging and it turns out it's true. Sturdy's warranty is better then Amsecs because it includes mechanical defects for lifetime, which the Amsec does not. In addition it does include freight, or replacement, if the damage is due to defect or fire damage.

The problem is, you have to pay shipping back to Sturdy because they are a tiny operation and do not have dealers nationwide like AMSEC does. So, you get it fixed for free, but are going to pay more in shipping costs than someone having a local AMSEC dealer fix their out of warranty safe.

Enjoy!

 

[adirondack]

So I did a little digging and it turns out it's true. Sturdy's warranty is better then Amsecs because it includes mechanical defects for lifetime, which the Amsec does not. In addition it does include freight, or replacement, if the damage is due to defect or fire damage.

I think the mechanical defects warranty is an easy one for them. I seem to remember Alyssa saying they have never had a mechanical failure with their gun safes and judging with the way they abuse them in their demonstration videos, they seem confident in their design.

 

[a1abdj]

I think the mechanical defects warranty is an easy one for them. I seem to remember Alyssa saying they have never had a mechanical failure with their gun safes and judging with the way they abuse them in their demonstration videos, they seem confident in their design.

Aside from a mechanical issue with a lock, mechanical defects are rare on any safe from any manufacturer.

There's not a lot that can go wrong, and stuff that does go wrong is usually as a result of abuse, wear, or lack of maintenance. I have a collection of antique bank safes where each one of the safes probably has 100 years of commercial use. They all work the same as the day they were made.

 

[adirondack]

Aside from a mechanical issue with a lock, mechanical defects are rare on any safe from any manufacturer.

Makes me wonder why AMSEC has a 1 year warranty on their safe's then.

 

[a1abdj]

Makes me wonder why AMSEC has a 1 year warranty on their safe's then.

Because anything that is wrong with a safe, due to a defect in materials or craftsmanship will be obvious right away.

On the other hand, a company that offers a life time warranty, knowing full well that the likelyhood of a problem is virtually nonexistant is being a bit dishonest aren't they? They're making the consumer think that they're getting something of value when they aren't.

As far as AMSEC goes, they have different warranties on different lines. Not all of their safes have a 1 year warranty. Let's use their commercial line (that has a 1 year warranty) as an example. AMSEC sells a safe to a fast food restaurant. Over time the safe is exposed to grease (it floats through the air), water, chemicals, employees slamming the door, employees slamming the door with items stuck in the jamb, forcing the handle, abusing the lock, etc....

Why should AMSEC be responsible when the safe fails to open after a year?

 

[Triumph]

CB900F- Thanks for your tip on the high-temp goo. I will do it.

Considering raising the safe about 6 inches for easier access. I am tall & it would be nice to have it a little higher. I still plan to bolt down & could just use longer lags.

Anyone have any ideas for a base to go between the safe bottom & garage concrete?

I was thinking I could build a strong base out of some Trex (plastic deck wood). The Trex boards could be laid flat (log cabin style) in series until I get up to six inches.

Any other ideas?

 

[a1abdj]

Any other ideas?

If you're going to be that high off the floor, have a steel base made. Bolt the base to the floor. Bolt the safe to the base.

 

[btn]

The problem is, you have to pay shipping back to Sturdy because they are a tiny operation and do not have dealers nationwide like AMSEC does.

Not true. As I said in the post you're responding to

In addition it does include freight, or replacement, if the damage is due to defect or fire damage.

It's right there on their warranty, you can see it on their site...

On the other hand, a company that offers a life time warranty, knowing full well that the likelyhood of a problem is virtually nonexistant is being a bit dishonest aren't they? They're making the consumer think that they're getting something of value when they aren't.

That's a little silly. Do you think they should say there's no warranty because you probably won't ever need it?

As far as AMSEC goes, they have different warranties on different lines. Not all of their safes have a 1 year warranty. Let's use their commercial line (that has a 1 year warranty) as an example. AMSEC sells a safe to a fast food restaurant. Over time the safe is exposed to grease (it floats through the air), water, chemicals, employees slamming the door, employees slamming the door with items stuck in the jamb, forcing the handle, abusing the lock, etc....

Why should AMSEC be responsible when the safe fails to open after a year?

They don't even cover it in the first year.


Per the Amsec site

What is covered and what is not covered:
This warranty covers all defects in materials or workmanship in this product, but DOES NOT COVER:
(1) Damage, deterioration or malfunction resulting from:
a. Accident, negligence, misuse, abuse, improper installation, failure to perform normal maintenance or
operation to follow instructions labeled on or provided in the safe.
QUOTE]

In addition it says that the owner is responsible for shipping charges.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INSTALLATION OR REMOVAL CHARGES AND FOR ANY SHIPPING CHARGES.

But it says this later regarding fire or attack. Who is prepaying?

it will be repaired or
replaced free of charge upon prepaid freight to our factory.

I am just posting this because I think it's important to be clear. I was under the wrong impression after our last thread.

 

[a1abdj]

That's a little silly. Do you think they should say there's no warranty because you probably won't ever need it?

Of course not. There should be a warrantly long enough for any defects to appear. Look at any other product out there and how the warranties work on them.

Regardless it doesn't matter who offers what warranty. Like I said, they are rarely used. I asked in the other thread and nobody responded. Let's ask here.

Who's had a warranty claim on their safe? Let's also narrow it down as it applies to a the safe manufacturer. Who's had a warranty claim on their safe that wasn't lock related?