- Last Updated: April 22, 2020
Viking Security Safe VS-25BL Biometric – Review
Purchasing a safe is a decision that can have grave consequences if you don’t choose the right one. In most cases, you won’t be faced with extremely dangerous circumstances when you go to open your safe, but a safe needs to be ready to open on demand to grant you access to your personal firearms if an intruder ever enters your home. Although most small fingerprint safes on the market will promise you access in less than a second, many of them can be glitchy at times, especially when it comes to biometric safes. We decided to test the Viking Biometric Safe to see if it would perform well in a stress situation, with some interesting results.
Product Specifications
- SIZE: 10 x 14 x 10 inches
- WEIGHT: 26.6 pounds
Product Rating
Product Features
- Biometric Fingerprint Scanner - The VS-25BL features a biometric fingerprint scanner with a 500 DPI optical sensor. The scanner allows users to program up to 32 fingerprints, and grants access in less than a second if used correctly.
- 5mm Steel Door - This Viking security gun safe features a 5mm steel door which includes two anti-pry insertion slots, along with a motorized deadbolt locking system.
- Digital Keypad LCD Display - In addition to the fingerprint sensor, the safe features a digital keypad along with an LCD display. Users can program a 4-8 digit code into the digital memory, which can open the door in about the same amount of time as the fingerprint sensor.
- Unlock Warning - If the safe door closes without being fully locked, a warning sound will ring which will prompt the user to engage the safe’s locking mechanism.
- Sound Programmable - The sound can be turned on or off, which is particularly useful if owners want to maintain a certain level of discretion when operating the safe, especially during stress situations.
- Non-Volatile Memory - The safe memory, including programmed fingerprints and codes, will be retained even if the battery is dead or being replaced.
First Impressions
Design
As far as aesthetics are concerned, this Viking keypad safe isn’t all that pretty. The housing features a black scratch-resistant powder coating, which we found wasn’t all that scratch-resistant. In fact, some of the paint had actually been chipped off in certain spots.
The rest of the safe, however, seems to have great design quality. The 5mm steel door is certainly a welcome feature, and the anti-pry insertion slots make this safe particular suited to withstand prying attempts. The mechanized bolts are also 20mm thick, which gives the door a certain strength that usually isn’t found in similar safes in the same price range. You won’t get the same feel as a full gun cabinet, but it fares well as a 2 pistol safe.
Function
Compared to other small gun safes, the Viking VS-25BL is a pretty standard safe for the price range. The biometric fingerprint scanner functions particular well as long as you are consistent with the way you press your finger on it. The LCD display and keypad allow for a pretty decent efficiency when it comes to programming fingerprints and key codes. The face of the door also features a hidden key lock underneath the brand label, which gives the safe a total of three modes of entry.
Our main concern with this safe was with the door mechanism. Although a digital keypad will alert the user if the door is left unlocked, we felt that the bolts didn’t lock the door unless the door was closed a certain way. Of course, the way the door closes isn’t as important as how it opens, but we felt that this was an unnecessary burden that we had to deal with. We attributed this faulty mechanism to the manufacturer focusing on the rigidity of the bolts, which is pretty important for prying resistance.
Product Review
What We Liked
- We felt the Viking VS-25BL Biometric Safe was a pretty solid safe. You won’t necessarily get the same level of security as you would with a full gun safe, but you can be sure that anyone trying to pry the safe open is going to have a hard time.
- Good Prying Resistance Prying is the primary concern of all gun safe manufacturers, and this safe does offer a relatively good amount of prying resistance. The rigidity of the bolts is very strong, and the door gap is too small for most hand tools.
- Quick Access Getting into the safe is almost effortless, and the keypad and biometric fingerprint scanner are efficient enough to grant quick entry without any major problems.
What Needs Improvement
- Faulty Bolting Mechanism One concern we had with the safe is the way it closes. The bolting mechanism doesn’t always close correctly and needs to be realigned at times, but anyone who becomes acclimated to the safe can quickly overlook the faulty bolting mechanism.
However, if you’re still unsure if this safe is right for you, you may want to check out our reviews of the SentrySafe Biometric Safe, Barska Top Opening Safe, Liberty HDX-150, or Verifi S6000 Smart Safe.