GunVault NanoVault 300 Review

MadeinAmerica13 · August 5, 2013, 06:55 PM

One week ago, I bought the GunVault NanoVault 300 with combination lock. I was looking for something to hold my new Smith and Wesson M&P in 9mm. I wanted something that was secure enough to keep my firearm out of wandering hands around the house, but didn't want to pay hundreds of dollars for a safe that was so secure, it would keep thieves away.

So, I settled on the GunVault NanoVault 300. I wanted the NanoVault 200 originally because of the key access, but my M&P wouldn't fit in it. Even with the 300, my M&P is a very tight fight.

The safe worked great for my needs. I could lock it up at night, lock it in my car, it wasn't terribly heavy, it was easily portable and easy to use. But, that's where the benefits stop.

Last night, I went to open my safe and the knob wouldn't turn. I thought well, this is interesting

. So I recirculated the numbers and tried again, still a fail. I tried 0-0-0 (the factory default) and still, the knob was locked. So, my firearm was stuck in my safe.

So, the following morning, I called GunVault for customer service. When I called the first time, they hung up within 30 seconds while we were speaking. I thought it was a fluke, so I called back and chatted with a different representative. The customer service representative told me the only option I had was to break open the safe. He offered to exchange the safe for a new one. He asked me to e-mail him a copy of my customer receipt and pictures of the broken NanoVault. I asked for his e-mail and after stating 4 letters, he hung up.

I got fed up, so I proceeded to break into the NanoVault. I had looked up on YouTube, without much avail, as to how to break into the safe. So, I mostly had to guess at it. I've never tried to break into a safe and yet on my first try, I broke into the NanoVault in about 2 minutes. All you need is 3 screwdrivers. If you insert the screwdriver at the small opening where the cable point is and then pry against the top around the edges, the small lock on the interior breaks with ease.

Luckily, I called the store I purchased the NanoVault from (Greentop Sporting Goods) and they happily refunded my purchase.

As a quick summary, the NanoVault is extremely easy to break into. Use it if you want to keep your firearm out of wandering hands, but really nothing else. I accepted the fact that my lock getting stuck maybe was a manufacturing mistake (even though 5 minutes of online research proved otherwise) and was willing to purchase another safe. But after dealing with GunVault customer service

I decided to not purchase another safe from GunVault.

FAS1 · August 6, 2013, 05:44 PM

I always heard the combination locks on those had some plastic parts making it easy to break in. The keyed version doesn't appear to be much stronger, but I don't have any first hand experience with either one.

GV200 Latch

I do see a little irony in your post though: Made in America buys Gunvault (Made in China)

August 5, 2013, 06:55 PM	#1
MadeinAmerica13 Member Join Date: June 7, 2012 Posts: 17	GunVault NanoVault 300 Review One week ago, I bought the GunVault NanoVault 300 with combination lock. I was looking for something to hold my new Smith and Wesson M&P in 9mm. I wanted something that was secure enough to keep my firearm out of wandering hands around the house, but didn't want to pay hundreds of dollars for a safe that was so secure, it would keep thieves away. So, I settled on the GunVault NanoVault 300. I wanted the NanoVault 200 originally because of the key access, but my M&P wouldn't fit in it. Even with the 300, my M&P is a very tight fight. The safe worked great for my needs. I could lock it up at night, lock it in my car, it wasn't terribly heavy, it was easily portable and easy to use. But, that's where the benefits stop. Last night, I went to open my safe and the knob wouldn't turn. I thought well, this is interesting . So I recirculated the numbers and tried again, still a fail. I tried 0-0-0 (the factory default) and still, the knob was locked. So, my firearm was stuck in my safe. So, the following morning, I called GunVault for customer service. When I called the first time, they hung up within 30 seconds while we were speaking. I thought it was a fluke, so I called back and chatted with a different representative. The customer service representative told me the only option I had was to break open the safe. He offered to exchange the safe for a new one. He asked me to e-mail him a copy of my customer receipt and pictures of the broken NanoVault. I asked for his e-mail and after stating 4 letters, he hung up. I got fed up, so I proceeded to break into the NanoVault. I had looked up on YouTube, without much avail, as to how to break into the safe. So, I mostly had to guess at it. I've never tried to break into a safe and yet on my first try, I broke into the NanoVault in about 2 minutes. All you need is 3 screwdrivers. If you insert the screwdriver at the small opening where the cable point is and then pry against the top around the edges, the small lock on the interior breaks with ease. Luckily, I called the store I purchased the NanoVault from (Greentop Sporting Goods) and they happily refunded my purchase. As a quick summary, the NanoVault is extremely easy to break into. Use it if you want to keep your firearm out of wandering hands, but really nothing else. I accepted the fact that my lock getting stuck maybe was a manufacturing mistake (even though 5 minutes of online research proved otherwise) and was willing to purchase another safe. But after dealing with GunVault customer service I decided to not purchase another safe from GunVault.

August 6, 2013, 05:44 PM	#2
FAS1 Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2010 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 541	I always heard the combination locks on those had some plastic parts making it easy to break in. The keyed version doesn't appear to be much stronger, but I don't have any first hand experience with either one. GV200 Latch I do see a little irony in your post though: Made in America buys Gunvault (Made in China) __________________ *Glenn* *FAS1 SAFE*