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Posted: 8/23/2024 7:24:07 PM EDT
| How do Superier safes stack up against the competition? Supposedly they use US steel, which I guess is a plus. But how do they compare to the other major safe brands or a TL-30? |
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I looked at the most expensive Superior Safe safe, the Untouchable Home & Fire Gun Safe starting at somewhat over $11k. It is rated "UL Residential Security Container" level 1 and B insurance construction for burglary security and 110 minutes for fire security. For RSC I the safe has to withstand a five-minute attack by one technician using common hand tools (e.g. drills, screwdrivers, prybars and hammers). When comparing the Untouchable to other gun safes it is near the top end of security. Probably most are not rated at all and claim compliance to California laws, which is are very basic requirements. RSC has three levels. I do know only Amsec making an RSC II and I know nobody making a RSC III, but I might have missed something. (Edit: I am probably missing one or two manufacturers.) The Untouchable fulfills also the B requirements for insurance classification, which is only about the steel thickness. And they have lots of construction data with which they try to make it sound impressively secure, e.g. American made steel. They still did shy away from getting an RSC II rating, which is a 10-minute attack. Now looking at the mentioned UL TL-30 rating. The UL TL ratings are the lowest ratings for "safes". The RSC is a container. So technically it is a gun container and not a gun safe. UL TL starts at TL-15, which is together with TL-30 the most common rating for safes. After the TL ratings come the TRTL ratings which adds a torch, and TXTL which adds explosives. Safes with such a high rating are not common as they are quite heavy. I believe there is no current offering of a TXTL rates safe. The tool set for TL-15 is similar to RSC, but it is slightly extended and all tools may be more powerful, e.g. hammer with up to 8 instead of 3 pounds, pry bars with up to 5 feet instead of 18". TL-30 adds power saws and angle grinders. Net attack time is 15 or 30 minutes as stated after the TL. Attacks to the walls are not tested. They have to be at least as secure as 1" steel for TL-15 and TL-30. All the UL safe ratings are with two technicians working together at the safe. Two persons working with 5-foot pry bars together at a safe is much more powerful than one with just an 18" pry bar. So when comparing the Superior Safe container to real safes they are miles away. And regarding the fire security. I don't have hands on experience with that, but I know the duration, temperature of the fire and the final temperature inside the safe are telling only a tiny part of the story. These are for the Untouchable 110 minutes, 1750°F, 349°F. The UL fire security tests do measure the temperature also in the cool down phase, which can be over 24 hours, because even after turning of the fire the temperature is still rising as the heat travels through the insulation. And UL does a drop test. to simulate a building collapsing from fire. Omitting both aspects, i.e. stopping temperature measurement after 110 minutes and not doing a drop test, makes it much easier for a safe to pass. A difference makes also how quickly the oven is heating up. The test oven of the Untouchable is 1750°F after 110 minutes while the UL oven would be 1835°F. It also depends on where the temperature is measured. The bottom of the safe is cooler than the top. My guess is, the Superior Safe container's test is optimized for impressive values with the temperature rising in their test over 349°F between 110 and 120 minutes as otherwise they would have put a 120 minutes sticker on the safe. As I wrote I don't have hands on experience. So I can't say if this is a relevant difference for a real world fire, and most of all a fire in the house where you live. Is it wood or stone? Is the fire brigade around the corner or does it take over an hour until they arrive? And a general remark: 349°F is the temperature where usual paper stays healthy. UL offers also tests for a max. temperature of 150°F and 125°F which is for things like USB sticks and tapes. The maximum humidity is also tested for the lower temperatures. For 349°F it can be as wet as it wants which can be a lot, because usually evaporating water (contained e.g. inside dry wall boards) is used as coolant. This might not be what you want for guns and the other stuff you want to store inside the container. I hope this answers your questions, so that you can make a good decision. PS: Had just a look the cheapest Superior Safe container, the Challenger Home & Fire Gun Safe, which starts between $1k and $1.5k. I think it is still an RSC I container. The fire security is given as 60 minutes, 1200°F, probably 349°F. 1200°F is very low. UL's oven reaches 1300°F after 10 minutes and 1700°F after 60 minutes. This sounds quite useless. |
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The Superior Untouchable was an outstanding RSC/gun safe. 1/2" steel plate door with multiple relockers and 1/4" steel everywhere else. That package is nothing to sneeze at. However, I don't think they make that model anymore. On top of that, it seems as though Superior has cheapened every safe in its catalog starting a few years ago. The only drawback I see to the Untouchable is the use of drywall for fire protection. Make sure your documents (and everything else inside for that matter) is protected from moisture released from the drywall in the event of a fire. I've got an Untouchable and couldn't be happier. It's pretty damn stout. Having said that, if there is ever another RSC/safe in my future, it will probably be an AMSEC BFII, which also has a 1/2" plate door, but uses a concrete/insulation mix instead of drywall for fire protection and has 1/8" outer steel walls with 5/16" inner steel walls sandwiching the drylight mix insulation. It's essentially considered a TL-10 "safe." |
Grandfathering weapons only puts off until tomorrow what tyranny cannot accomplish today.
The only people made safer by gun control are criminals and tyrants.
The only people made safer by gun control are criminals and tyrants.
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