Armory Sponsor
Posted: 12/29/2014 7:19:15 PM EDT
|
I have a Red Head safe I bought from Bass Pro Shop several years ago. It has an electronic S&G lock. After the first 2-3 years it started taking several tries to get it to open. Always sounded like it was not "clicking" over hard enough. Anyway I have just kind of lived with it since then. It has since gotten worse. Sometimes opens on the first try, sometimes takes four or five, sometimes I loose count...prob 20-40.... I have been given all kinds of tips has far as closing it a certin way, stuff like that. I change the battery every month or two but still have problems.
So I have finnaly gotten sick of it and decieded to change the lock out. I have a friend that used to move, install, and service safes. He said he willl install a new lock for me. So what should I get? I was thinking I should just get a non-electronic lock and maybe avoid this problem in the future. Im guess I should get another S&G but which one. There are several models on their site. Can anyone reccomend which model to get, what to avoid, other brands I should look at? Or do I need a new lock? Is there anything i can do to get mine to not suck? Thanks. James |
|
He does not have any resorces anymore. He used to work on them, but is in another line of work now. He recomended another S&G but said I should avoid the electronic ones... I was just looking for a recomended model that I can buy and have him install.
Thanks James |
|
Quoted:
S&G Titan electronic lock is my recommendation. The Titan is good if your boltwork is setup to handle a swing bolt (Most gun safes are)...however you should also look at the Spartan. It is the same lock as the Titan with a few less features for less money. The Titan features are more commercial oriented, allowing 9 codes, supervisor access, manager access etc. No need to pay for that if you don't need it. The LaGard 4100 is also a good candidate and works similarly to the Titan/Spartan line. I think it is fair to say that electronic locks have gotten better although I still feel more comfortable with mechanicals. ---Aaron |
|
Can't disagree with anything this man says here.
Quoted:
The Titan is good if your boltwork is setup to handle a swing bolt (Most gun safes are)...however you should also look at the Spartan. It is the same lock as the Titan with a few less features for less money. The Titan features are more commercial oriented, allowing 9 codes, supervisor access, manager access etc. No need to pay for that if you don't need it. The LaGard 4100 is also a good candidate and works similarly to the Titan/Spartan line. I think it is fair to say that electronic locks have gotten better although I still feel more comfortable with mechanicals. ---Aaron Quoted:
Quoted:
S&G Titan electronic lock is my recommendation. The Titan is good if your boltwork is setup to handle a swing bolt (Most gun safes are)...however you should also look at the Spartan. It is the same lock as the Titan with a few less features for less money. The Titan features are more commercial oriented, allowing 9 codes, supervisor access, manager access etc. No need to pay for that if you don't need it. The LaGard 4100 is also a good candidate and works similarly to the Titan/Spartan line. I think it is fair to say that electronic locks have gotten better although I still feel more comfortable with mechanicals. ---Aaron |
|
Quoted:
I have a Red Head safe I bought from Bass Pro Shop several years ago. It has an electronic S&G lock. After the first 2-3 years it started taking several tries to get it to open. Always sounded like it was not "clicking" over hard enough. Anyway I have just kind of lived with it since then. It has since gotten worse. Sometimes opens on the first try, sometimes takes four or five, sometimes I loose count...prob 20-40.... I have been given all kinds of tips has far as closing it a certin way, stuff like that. I change the battery every month or two but still have problems. So I have finnaly gotten sick of it and decieded to change the lock out. I have a friend that used to move, install, and service safes. He said he willl install a new lock for me. So what should I get? I was thinking I should just get a non-electronic lock and maybe avoid this problem in the future. Im guess I should get another S&G but which one. There are several models on their site. Can anyone reccomend which model to get, what to avoid, other brands I should look at? Or do I need a new lock? Is there anything i can do to get mine to not suck? Thanks. James Looking at the number of years you have had the unit it is very unlikely that you have the Titan/Spartan S&G. It is far more likely that you have the 6120 (or possibly the Zo2/3…S&G website has codes you punch in to identify lock type…). If you do have the 6120 you should understand that they are very susceptible to side pressure on the locking bolt from the mechanism. When you have side pressure on the lock bolt of a 6120 and punch in the code you will hear a click, the handle will not turn, then about 6 seconds later another buzz relocking the lock. Before I spent any cash I would verify that this is not the issue; to do so try applying a few pounds pressure on the opening handle in the direction you would turn it to lock the door, maintain the pressure on the handle, punch in code and wait for the first buzz to cycle then turn the handle in the direction to open the door. If it works doing this then try to identify why the side pressure exists. This said the most important thing is to take care of this while you can still open the door. Good luck |
|
Yeah my friend said that might be the problem, but even with no pressure at all on the the lock it would still fail. I finally got it all sorted out. I bought a titan off amazon. Had to send it back because it was either defective or I did something wrong because it stopped accepting any code, even the factory reset. I sent it back and they sent the wrong one. I finally got the right lock installed and programed. This lock is a little different then my original but seems to be better designed. It works great now. Installing it was easy.
If anyone needs a new lock check out mighty locks. That is who I got mine from through amazon. They were very good to deal with. When I had problems with the first lock they sent me a new one with pre paid return shipping the next day no questons asked. When I relized that was the wrong lock they had another one with prepaid return shipping in the mail again the next day. Fast communication and excellent customer service. I wish i needed more lock products so I could by something else lol. Thanks for the help! James |
| I have a Fort Knox Guardian wit the S&G 6120 Electronic lock. It's very important to slightly turn the lock wheel back from fully closed to open to allow the bolt of the 6120 to freely retract. The lock makes a very different sound when it attempts to retract and is bound up by the door bolt mechanism. |
|
Quoted:
What's the advantage of the Spartan vs an esl5? Really not much difference IMHO. Some will have their favorite. You would be happy with either. The ESL5 isn't UL listed YET, but TSG believes it is imminent. Spartan is UL listed. Not a big difference there, assuming the ESL5's listing comes through. Spartan is offered in both a swing bolt and a direct drive square bolt option. ESL5 is swing bolt only. For most people this doesn't matter. Spartan is VdS certified, I don't believe the ESL is. Again, doesn't matter much for most people. Current Spartan is a relatively new lock design, ESL5 is a really really new lock. ESL10 is lock that has been around for a while with a great track record, known for being pretty reliable. The ESL5 is too new to make that claim. I like the keypad on the ES5 better than the Spartan. I am grasping at straws here, very little differences between them at the end of the day. |
Armory Sponsor