VS-25BL (Current Model)

I've been using the Viking Security Safe VS-25BL for years, and it has proven to be a reliable and high-quality product. Its durability is a major strength, as it has held up perfectly to daily use over a long period of time. The biometric fingerprint scanner and digital keypad provide quick and secure access, which is essential for a safe I use for my everyday items. The construction is good and the motorized deadbolt, gives me confidence that my belongings are well-protected. Just be sure to replace the batteries on a calendar basis. While I have since purchased larger safes for other items, I continue to rely on this Viking safe for my hand sized items for work because of its convenient size. It's an excellent investment and seems built to last.

So after a recent break in I am planning on buying a small gun for protection (and for fun) but I do have three kids so before a gun purchase of course I needed to purchase a safe that the kids could not get in. I knew I needed a safe that could hold a small gun but I was not even sure what gun I wanted, so the size of the safe needed to be somewhat large. The safe also had to be easy to open in an emergency so I was looking for something with biometrics. As I started researching guns safes it became apparent that this safe seemed to be the one for me. Cost was low, quality seemed high, and the safe was much bigger then I needed. Well I am very glad that I decided to buy this safe. The quality is very high and impressive, if this safe cost twice as much I would have been happy with the quality. It is going to take a great amount of force and work to open this safe without the code/finger/key. So I am very happy on that front. I noticed one reviewer stated his/her door was not flush, this was not the case for my safe, it was built perfectly. The keypad works great but what works even better then the keypad is the fingerprint scanner, which impressed me greatly. The instructions recommend you take a few scans of your fingerprint to ensure it opens every time. Well even with just one fingerprint stored it opened every time I used it (about 15 to 20 attempts). I currently have three fingerprints stored and it has NEVER failed to open. I was getting worried that is was opening too well so I had my kids and wife try to open it just to be sure. It never opened for them. I am truly impressed with this safe. The safe itself has plenty of room for multiple guns, ammo, and other items you would like to store. The internal shelf is a great add-on and the carpet inside is also great. The internal light does a good job lighting the safe up. I love the fact it tells me the battery level so you have time and know when you need to replace it, a nice feature indeed. Overall I am so glad I got this safe. Looking at the price and what I got, I can't find one thing wrong with this safe.

Had this safe since 2018. Fingerprint worked quite well for opening, which is surprising for the cost of the safe. Fits enough for it’s size; like a fire arm and important documents. It’s built quite well and very solid, for the price. It’s nice and light but still secure. I like that you can program multiple fingerprints as well. Don’t have anything to say about how fireproof it is, but fingers cross I don’t ever have to find out. Would definitely recommend. Also, have never changed the batteries in the lock. Very impressive.

I purchased this safe back in 2017 and have been extremely pleased with both its functionality and quality craftsmanship. It has performed reliably over the years and gives me great peace of mind knowing my valuables and other unmentionables are well protected. Solid construction and dependable performance—highly recommend!

Great safe. I looked at all of the reviews before purchase and was skeptical because of the complaints regarding programming. You have to follow the instructions exactly. At first I had some issues with the keypad. Once I went back through and paid attention to detail within the instructions I had no issues. The keypad works flawless with only the new code I entered. The fingerprint worked just as well. Follow the instructions and add your fingerprint multiple times at different angles. It allows 32 fingerprints. This allows for quick access if your fingerprint is at a different angle. I entered my keypad code and fingerprint more than 100 times to test for errors. I received no errors with 100 percent accuracy. I believe people who have had issues did not follow the instructions. I would suggest adding small led motion lights from Amazon and placing one or two on the side rails. The internal led light is not very bright.

This is an excellent product and works flawless for me. I would highly recommend it.

Pros: Price--I paid $160 for this safe including shipping. This is a very competitive price. Stack-on might be a little cheaper, but has a reputation for poor quality and poor reliability with their biometric readers. Gunvault and Barska are both typically more expensive for a similar size. So Viking wins here. Seamless welding--more durable, more secure, and looks better. What's not to like? Fingerprint reader--I scanned my index finger in 5 different positions/angles and then tested the safe's ability to read. It opened with my index fingerprint every time, but didn't open when I tried a non-registered fingerprint. Better reliability than many competing products. LED lighting inside (batteries included)--it's a nice touch and makes it easy to see what you've got stored. Ease of use--it's easy to register fingerprints, to turn sounds on or off, change batteries, etc. The user manual is actually surprisingly straightforward and understandable. I expected some horrible direct Chinese-to-English translation in the manual but it was actually fairly decent English. Fully-carpeted interior--don't want to scratch the finish on your guns? This has you covered, no need to buy a liner mat. Cons: Finish--the non-scratch finish was chipped off in two locations when my safe arrived. Possibly due to shipping damage, but more likely due to poor application. One area lost about a square inch of finish material on the upper left corner, the other area was near one of the pre-drilled bolt holes in the floor of the safe--it looked like they applied the finish and then drilled the holds, and the finish had chipped during the drilling. I don't really care if the steel is exposed since I care more about function than appearance for my gun safe, but this may be an issue for some folks. My biggest complaint, however, was lack of product testing. When my safe arrived I installed the batteries, registered my fingerprint, closed and locked the safe with the key, and then opened it with my fingerprint. Everything went smoothly. Then I tried to re-lock the safe. And nothing. The safe made a little whirring noise briefly, but did not lock. I tried again. Nothing. I referred back to the instructions, yes I was doing it right. I locked the safe with the key, then re-opened it with my fingerprint. No issues. But once again it wouldn't lock on its own. I repeated these steps with minor variations several times, but each and every time the safe failed to lock with its motor, and the only way I could get it to lock was manually with the key. Being mechanically minded I opened up the locking mechanism and started fiddling. After a few minutes I was able to identify the problem--a small piece of the locking mechanism was snagging on one of the mounting bolts in the door. This required me to disassemble the locking mechanism, bend some steel with pliers, and then carefully dremmel-smooth some edges. Once I did that and re-assembled the locking mechanism everything went smoothly. Now my safe functions perfectly. Opens and closes appropriately with key, PIN pad, or fingerprint. But it was a hassle getting there. I'm assuming that most people will use this safe to store guns. If you own a gun, I'm assuming you know how to break it down and clean it. And if you can break down and clean a gun, you can break down and fix this safe no problem. The fix was not difficult or complicated. But the fact that I had to do it in the first place costs them one star in the review.

I've had this safe since 2019 and absolutely love it. High quality, fingerprint sensor works great and it can be bolted to the floor. Not much more to ask!