I have a liberty safe with an S&G mechanical lock. I was wondering if they require some kind of maintenance to keep them 100%? I open it a few times a day.
I had a electronic cannon safe and the lock crapped out within a year trapping my guns inside. I do not want this to happen to my liberty.

Yes.  Especially if you're opening it several times a day.

I have seen so many mixed reviews on this on other forums and manufacture websites. I am a little discouraged...

I would be careful giving much credence to what is discussed on various forums, since most of those doing the discussing know little about the subject.  Same goes for the manufacturers.  You would be surprised how many safe manufacturers know nothing about safes.  I'm very serious when I say this.

The good news is that there are several types of mechanical lock malfunctions that will give you warning signs.  Those signs would include anything out of the ordinary.  The bad news is that many people ignore these signs until the problem gets bad enough to lock you out of your safe.  As far as gun safes go, there are a variety of locks used.  Most are the inexpensive versions, and simply aren't designed for frequent opening.  Long term use compounds potential problems.

Replacing a lock is usually less expensive than the labor to rebuild an existing lock, so when it comes time, this isn't a bad idea.  Also, several lock outs are caused by problems that would have been discovered during routine maintenance.  Loose screws are a good example.

Many banks still service their equipment once a year, although some are backing off of that schedule.  Guess who has more calls for lock outs?  To some customers it's simple math.  Let's say a lock out costs them the same a 5 years worth of service.  If they can go 5 years without a lock out, they break even.  If they can make it 6 years, they are money ahead.  This is one of the reasons electronic locks have become so popular on commercial safes.  It doesn't have to last forever, just long enough to save them some money.  On the flip side, a lock out can cost them money.  When a bank can't get to their money, or their customers to their safe deposit boxes, there's a serious issue.

Although prices vary from one part of the country to another, a typical gun safe lock out will cost you around $600.  That would include the service call, opening and repairing the safe, as well as the replacement lock and associated labor.

When we got our RSC, a Costco special First Alert wide body (biggest RSC I could get for the money), it came with a broken lock. Sadly we didn't figure it out until my wife and I got all 700lbs of it into the house (That wasn't easy!) and had taken the truck back to U-haul. The key pad lock would not accept a code and lock the safe. Fortunately it was broken in the open position.

After a couple of calls to Costco & First Alert customer service First Alert stepped up and did the right thing: They said, "What can we do to make you happy?" We discussed several options, replacement, fix the lock, or return it.

As we have a VERY STRICT rule about anybody we don't know in our home I presented a fourth option: I'll by the lock and install it and First Alert could reimburse me.

I purchased this lock set:

http://www.amazon.com/Sargent-Greenleaf-6730-100-Safe-Lock/dp/B002EDF466/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1409744447&sr=1-1&keywords=sargent+and+greenleaf

Watched this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjmLG8tNfWQ

I was a little nervous about the project but it actually was pretty easy. Pulling the old lock off was actually one of the harder things to do as it isn't coved in the video.

Anyway, long story short: replacing a lock isn't hard didn't really require any exotic tools. As long as your safe is open when it starts acting up I'd just replace it yourself.

A good percentage of lock outs that I respond to are caused by customers doing their own work.  I'm not discouraging doing your own work at all, because it's a solid source of income for my industry.  Although it's not rocket science, there are plenty of things that can screw you up.

Speaking of, what non-exotic tool did you use to measure the torque on the wheel pack?  

I would strongly recommend hiring a professional for a mechanical lock installation. There are several small but vital details in the proper installation that would not be apparent to a novice. We see a lot of service calls due to service, installation and combo changes attempted by untrained dealers and end users trying to do-it-yourself. Don't be a miser when it comes to your safe maintenance. It will bite you in the ass quite often. E-Locks are far more forging and relatively simple to install. Common sense is important, but I would still recommend professional assistance. If something does go wrong, most safe techs will stand behind their work, and if their work results in a costly lockout, they will take the responsibility for the job. You are paying for more than knowledge and a trained tech, you are buying support too...

I am not trying to do anything myself. I just want to know if I should expect maintenance in its lifetime. I was always told manual locks will last forever.....

I have asked the "Electronic vs mechanical reliability" question to no less then a dozen seasoned professional locksmiths
that sell security safes like AMSEC and Guardian.  The short answer is always electronic for convenience and
mechanical for reliability when comparing a quality combination lock such as the Sargent & Greenleaf (S&G) 6730.


Here's a good pros/cons video overview: DYE THE SAFE GUY

As Dye states in his video, the mechanical combination lock technology is over 175 years old and can be expected to work every time.
The electronics have a greater convenience factor and a small failure rate....but they will fail.

We have sold millions of safes in the Commercial world, where they are used continuously all day, every day. The commercial marketplace is quite different from the residential market. A residential safe is pampered by comparison. The user is typically the owner, and there is a high degree of natural caution and care employed in that environment. In the commercial marketplace, the safes are used by store employees that don't give a shit about the safe's lifespan. They spin dials, slam doors and generally do everything in a haphazard way. This taxes the locks to a very high degree.

In the world of commercial torture, a mechanical lock will usually last around 30,000-50,000 opening cycles, if it's serviced regularly. That service cycle should be once a year or more. Digital locks, at least the ones we make, are designed to work service free for 1 million cycles. I can't attest to how the other lock makers test their locks, but that is our standard. Digital locks are naturally exposed to less mechanical abuse, mostly because the lock mechanicals are isolated from the User and working in a controlled environment. The mechanical locks are directly manipulated by the users via the dial, and abusive habits can shorten the life considerably. In the commercial world, good quality digital locks are out-living mechanical locks by a notable margin today.

Clearly the residential user is a low-frequency operator. In a McDonalds, we see locks opened well over 100 times every day in a 24-hour business. You probably don't open your safe more than once or twice a day. Do the math, then decide on your preferences.

What about people like me who turn their dial slow and open the door and close it soft as they can all the time?

" A residential safe is pampered by comparison. The user is typically the owner, and there is a high degree of natural caution and care employed in that environment. "

That would be you. So, if you open a mechanical lock twice a day, you should expect over 40 years of service. As others have suggested, service every 5-7 years should assure you of that kind of lifespan. There, I did the math.

The key difference is, as also stated, the mechanical locks tend to provide clues about an impending failure. They begin to feel differently, they get tight or loose, they don't open on the first try every time, they feel sloppy when worn. If you pay attention to these things and address the problem early, you may never get locked out. Procrastination is the fuel that feeds a lockout.

Electronic locks generally have a two modes of failure. Mechanical issues, as with a mechanical lock, often provide clues before total failure. Electronics, well they can go poof sometimes, usually early in their life during the burn-in period. On a safe in a residential installation, that burn in period can be years. If something is wrong in the electronics, the user is not aware. Electronic components fail occasionally, so quality brand name components are always preferred and assure a much higher degree of reliability. Some E-lock makers haven't learned this yet, and pinch pennies on penny items on the circuit boards and connections. The trouble is that you can't tell when a manufacturer is skimping and selling an inferior product until it's too late or the news has spread that they make junk. It also has to do with electrical design, where component selection is a careful process where current loads and transients are considered carefully. Good electronic design and part selection should assure an extremely low failure rate, and we have proven that.

For whatever it's worth, there's this:
Gun Safe Mech vs Elect
The author's preference is slanted toward mechanical or keyed locks as it pertains to gun safes.

Maybe some of the industry gurus can better validate this with additional comments.

From the above link..........
List of common failures related to the electronic locks:
• Battery lead wire or connector breaks or comes off.
• On certain models the wire through the door gets pinched.
• Keypad buttons fail from repeated use/abuse.
• Button membrane is damaged from impact
• Electronic keypad component on circuit board fails.
• Lock solenoid or motor shorts or fails.
• Electronic component on lock circuit board fails.
• Shorts that's drain battery to zero.
• Pressure on lock bolt due to  something between door bolt and jam.
• Minor fire destroys keypad.

List of common failures related to mechanical combo lock:
• Dial ring shifts due to loose screws or was struck.
• Lock case screws are loose.
• Dial spindle to drive cam spline key is loose.
• Tumbler shifts combination position or is unlocked.
• Component known as THE FLY becomes stuck or worn.
• Spindle connection to dial is loose or the dial has come off.
• Drive cam pin has broken off (uncommon).
• A tumbler drive pin is broken off (uncommon).
Last five can occur from poor lubrication and abuse from spinning the dial hard.
Except for the last two, usually a competent safe technician can open the safe without drilling.
Unlike electronic lock, each failure listed can be diagnosed and/or ruled out as a cause by safe technician.

Also found this going on in GD where several guys are having trouble regarding electronic lock battery issues.
Trouble Opening My Safe

I got the following response from Robert at Liberty Safe when I emailed them about it in 2009:

"Yes it is recommended that you service your lock at least every 2 years... You will need to contact a local safe and vault locksmith to service your lock..."

As TSG points out, the use the lock sees has a big impact.  But servicing your safe is more than just servicing the lock.  It is looking at all of the other things that make your safe function, and which can also be responsible for a lock out.

Lock outs are relative too.  A gun safe may cost several hundred dollars to open and repair.  A bank vault could cost tens of thousands of dollars.  A burglary rated safe could easily be in the thousands.