I have a friend that's in the lock and safe industry and he's alerted me that he can get safes far below cost (roughly 40% off of retail) and will sell one to me for exactly what it costs him to order it (for example, he can get a TF5517 for $371). I was previously considering the Sturdy and Summit safes. However, if AmSec is anything decent, I would be able to potentially save a lot of money going this route.

That being said, how do their safes compare? Is there a specific baseline model that one shouldn't go below? The one thing I loved about the Sturdy safes was the fire protection and 7-gauge steel construction. Does AmSec have anything that compares? Or should I stick to Sturdy and Summit?

If your friend can get you good deals and he is in the business their is now way he is a friend if he is trying to sell you a TF series, unless you said I need to spend 400.00.

If I was buying a safe it would be nothing less than the BF series in AMSEC,   The HS is a TL rated safe so its a "real" safe.  Its also expensive and very heavy for its size.

The Sturdy and Summit both use 7ga steel.  

If I could not get the HS Series I would decide between the Sturdy and the Summit.  Hope this helps