- Last Updated: April 22, 2020
Liberty HDX-150 Gun Safe – Review
If you’re a gun owner, sometimes getting a safe is just about complying with gun laws and keeping your guns out of reach of children. Maybe you’re just a licensed carrier and want to have your personal handgun locked in a safe while you’re in the car. Maybe you don’t even have kids but just want to get an affordable gun safe. If any of this fits your description as a gun owner, the Liberty HDX-150 might be the perfect safe for you.
Product Specifications
- SIZE: 2.25 x 12.5 x 8.75 inches
- WEIGHT: 9.5 pounds
Product Rating
Product Features
- Quick-Access Gun Safe -The Liberty HDX-150 is a flat gun safe that offers quick access through a biometric fingerprint scanner. Many gun safe manufacturers take into consideration that gun owners may be confronted with a dangerous situation and need to have their safes opened quickly. The safe runs on a digital scanner which can either be plugged into an electrical outlet, which will grant the user access in less than a second. When not plugged in, users can open the safe in a little over a second.
- Finger Swipe Access - This fingerprint gun safe features the manufacturer’s fifth generation of biometric scanners that promises one of the lowest fail-rates among other fingerprint handgun safes. The fingerprint scanner can be programmed to store up to 15 fingerprints.
- One-Gun Safe - The Liberty HDX-150 features a simplistic design and can only fit one moderately sized pistol along with an ammunition clip. However, users may be able to fit two smaller pistols in the safe. Although certainly not as fancy as a gun cabinet safe, the HDX-150 will still serve its limited purpose.
- Made in USA - Liberty safes are manufactured in the US, which is advantageous to US gun owners because of strict (and variant) gun laws. Liberty claims that the safe is approved by the California Department of Justice, which is an especially crucial selling point considering that California has one of the strictest gun laws in the country.
First Impressions
Design
As far as personal lock boxes go, we certainly weren’t too impressed by the design of the HDX-150. The entire face of the safe opens at a 180 degree angle, which, in theory, is an excellent way to access a personal firearm quickly. But one thing we did notice was that the manufacturer wasn’t as meticulous about the construction of the safe as some others we’ve seen. The metal cutting was somewhat sloppy, and the locking mechanism didn’t always work perfectly. At one point it took a couple of tries to get into the safe, even with successful fingerprint scans. We also didn’t really like the gap between the door and body of safe, but prying would probably be the least of your concern if an intruder ever got their hands on this safe anyway.
AC Cord Not Included
We felt this was a major shortcoming of the safe. Considering the way the HDX-150 is designed, we figured that Liberty intends for this safe to be mobile anyway, but that’s not really an excuse to not include an AC power cord to power the safe while at home. You can always use the key to access the safe if the 9-volt battery dies, but at nearly -check the price- , we feel that it should come with one.
Function
The biometric scanner works near flawlessly as the manufacturer promises. The fingerprints are easily programmable and inputting the prints to open the safe is almost seamless. The door opens a little sloppy due to the lackluster construction, but this doesn’t really affect the integrity of the safe itself. Space is severely limited in the safe, and although you’ll be able to fit one pistol and ammunition clip inside, that’s about all you’ll be able to fit.
Durability
With a 14-gauge solid steel construction, the safe can withstand a decent level of abuse, but it’s certainly not burglar-proof. The main door hinge sits on the outer body of the safe, and there is a significant gap between the door and body that would allow anyone with basic hand tools to pry it open. However, this safe will certainly keep your handguns out of your children’s hands.
Product Review
What We Liked
- Compliant with Gun Laws - If you’re looking for a safe that just complies with your local gun laws, or if you’re just a casual gun owner, the Liberty HDX-150 delivers as promised. Being that it’s made in the U.S., you shouldn’t have a problem complying with most gun laws, given you are a responsible gun owner.
- Good Customer Service - Liberty’s customer service record has been stellar. They are attentive to their customers’ needs and will respond hastily enough when you have a problem with the safe. Their warranty program is also highly rated.
What Needs Improvement
- Construction Flaws - The bolting mechanism and biometric scanner work well enough that you shouldn’t run into any major problems, but the metal cutting isn’t perfect. Some of the metal on the door tended to rub against the body when we were using the safe, and we actually needed to “break the safe in” before it opened smoothly.
- Casual or Mobile Use Only - This safe is specifically for a casual gun owner, and we wouldn’t recommend this for gun enthusiasts or law enforcement. The safe can only modestly fit a single small firearm, and nothing more. If you intend on purchasing any additional firearms, or if you just want a little more in terms of security, you may want to consider going with the SentrySafe, Viking Safe, Barska Top Opening Safe, Stack-On Biometric Safe, or Verifi S6000 Smart Safe.