GunVault Microvault Standard Digital Pistol Safe MV500-STD

I was initially a bit wary of purchasing this product based on some of the older reviews here on Amazon (& the obviously out-dated photos offered here - this model has a tubular key lock on the front). But after reviewing the specs & photos on the GunVault web site I ended up buying the MV500-STD from my gun dealer to secure a weapon in my bedside table. Let me tell you - it fits the bill!If you plan on carrying it around, you'll need to add a small towel to keep your items from clunking around as the padding is thick, but not enough to pin a full-size handgun & magazines in place. This unit is large enough for my Glock 17 & three 17-round magazines.While the buttons are a little "mushy" feeling as indicated in a few of the reviews here (soft rubber), I only have a mis-press infrequently, & only because I set my code to use multiple fingers simultaneously at one point - it is sometimes difficult to apply the same amount of pressure on 3 or more fingers at once while standing directly over it (think of the angle needed to type on a computer keyboard). I have not had this issue when practicing from a prone position in bed, which is my primary use for this equipment. Practice is important to ensure that you'll be able to use ANY safe at a moment's notice.This unit is easy to program virtually any combination of buttons you'd like as your combo. The option to program a simultaneous multi-button push and being able use any button more than once during a combination make this unit decently secure. A pair of tube lock keys are included in case the battery fails at some point, but the unit does have an indicator light which will blink red to indicate that a battery change is near. I've been using the same set of alkaline batteries since July of 2010 (the date of this review is 5/3/2011). The indicator light will also acknowledge button presses (by blinking green with each press), will indicate a bad combo attempt (with a red light), & the unit can also be set to beep & buzz along with the lamp - but this is, thankfully, something that can be disabled. If a bad combo is entered too many times (4 or 5, I believe) it will disable button presses for a few minutes - another time the included keys would come in handy. Plus, it will tell you if someone has attempted to gain access with a bad combo (think children). Again, practice using the safe just like you should be doing with your weapon, because your life may depend on it! I use the combination multiple times a day as I move my weapon between heavier storage (when away for a while) & the GunVault.The included security cable has a plastic sleeve over it & is fairly thin, but it is anchored nicely in the unit & would require one to have a heavy cable cutter to take the safe. The unit does have pre-drilled holes in the bottom to mount it more securely. I've read other's reviews saying they thought they could crack it open with a screwdriver or whatnot, but I notice none of them say they've been able to do it! Heavy gauge steel & decent construction make this an item to have when you need to secure your weapon (or valuables) for the short-term.While a heavier safe is a must when leaving the house for a day, this unit is great for storing a weapon while you're in the home or nearby. I trust the GunVault MV500-STD to do it's job, & I plan on purchasing another one soon (this time, from Amazon) to secure a carry weapon in my vehicle as needed.___________________UPDATE - 2/16/2014I did follow through by buying a second MV500-STD for use in the car, and it worked well...for a while. By about the -second year- of strictly car use, accessing it nearly every day (couldn't carry at work, so it was used it at least twice a day during the work week), one of the buttons started intermittently not responding (light wouldn't flash to acknowledge a press). I thought this might be due to the batteries running down so I upgraded to lithium AA cells - but the button kept getting worse. After bringing it inside for a while and working with it, I determined that the second button from the left was failing. I reprogrammed the code to not use this one and it works as well as before, but this has given me pause regarding electronic locks.If I do need to purchase another safe like this, I will go strictly mechanical but with a key back up as I'd rather carry a key than worry about momentary lapses of not remembering a code. The second unit with its three working buttons still works well, even in the harsh cold of the Minnesota winters, and the lithium AA cells that I put in during 2012 are still working.CAVEAT: The original safe that this review was based is still in use in my home and still works fine - it has had a good amount of use and I did upgrade the batteries to lithium AA cells when I did so for my vehicle unit. Again, I do keep a key available to me as a backup, but I still trust this unit to serve its purpose.*Some may ask why I'd trust something like this with such an important safety-related duty - Even before I purchased my first firearm in 2010, I thoroughly researched and considered as many aspects of this journey as I could fathom before stepping in. The keyed backup was an important requirement for the safes, and the emergency access process was thought out considerably well. I have backup defensive measures in place to help in situations where I may not be able to open a particular safe quickly.--I would offer that, barring a reasonably redundant defensive plan or if you have the particularly important task of ensuring that children cannot gain unauthorized access to your firearms, you may wish to defer to a solidly built mechanical safe for your security needs.--

We have a mechanical drawer safe with a similar "button" action, but it really takes 2 hands to operate, because when you press in your code, you must turn another lever before it will open and it's much quicker to do if you use 2 hands. I bought this because I liked the idea of only having to use one hand because once the code is correct, the top pops up a littleBUT...The battery life on this safe stinks! I open this safe about 2ce a month. About three months after I got it, all of a sudden, it wouldn't open. I called the company and told them what happened. They told me it needed a new battery. When I said I hadn't had it very long and was surprised it needed a new battery so quickly, she assured me it was not a defect and a new battery would fix the problem just fine. Now after nearly a year, I have discovered that it needs a new battery every 2-3 months! It's SO frustrating!!When storing a pistol, you want your safe to have a reasonable battery life. In an emergency, you don't want to be fumbling with a key because the battery has died. I bought a similar Stack On safe at the same time as I bought this one. I open it at least 4-5 times a week and haven't had to change the battery yet. My experience was that this safe is no good for a firearm, but it may work for seldom worn jewelry, ect. This safe will work for you if you aren't bothered by digging out a key all the time. It that's the case, you may as well spend less and get a safe with a keyed entry rather than this one.

The safe does give you a nice and quick way to access your gun while keeping it safe from my kids. It works well. I have not had one problem with my safe not opening when I put a new 9 volt battery in it. I put it on silent so that if there is ever the need to open it quietly an intruder won't hear the beep of the buttons being pushed. It still has a green light flash so you know you are hitting the right code. It holds my Sig sp2022 plus three extra clips just fine. A nice size overall. The construction seems very durable and the buttons on top are accurate and not "mushy" as some have reported. I chose this safe because of its portability as well. I take my gun to the range with this safe. Overall very happy with this.