Viking Security Safe VS-25BL Biometric Safe Fingerprint Safe Review

Editor Rating: 4.8/5

I like this product. It has several features that I could not find in any other safe at the price it is sold for but it has two opportunities that are just too important for me to ignore. Personally, I feel that having a door that automatically locks the safe when it is closed is very important. Although, the safe makes up for it by having the beeping feature where it beeps if left open for too long.

Second, it is important for the keypad to light up especially since most people are going to open it at night when most burglars operate. It has to light up so it would be easy to enter the code and open the safe quickly. Some users though easily fix this problem by putting a small lamp next to the safe.

Other than that, the safe has everything else. A biometric that works and accepts 32 fingerprints and stored in a non-volatile memory. A spacious interior with removable shelf and LED light and more.

The safe is solidly constructed and heavy enough to prevent it from being easily moved. It can be mounted anywhere from the inside so that it would not be easy for anyone to remove it from its place.

It can be accessed by fingerprint, keypad code, and a special cross backup key. Plus it has an LCD display so that you would know the status of the safe including its battery life. There are no reported battery issues that I know of for this safe and you can use any type of battery to make it work.

I would most likely enter the safe with my fingerprint so I don't mind that the keypad does not have a backlight. It is a bit of a hassle to have to press the # or * to lock the door but if I am not going to use the safe for my gun, I won't mind taking this extra step when closing the door. 

Advantages and disadvantages

Features

The Viking Security Safe VS-25BL Biometric Safe Fingerprint Safe is very affordable considering all its features. You can install the safe by yourself or you can pay an additional fee to let them install the safe for you. But honestly, if you are a healthy person who has two functional hands, you can install the safe easily in less than an hour. It includes a manual that includes clear instructions on how to install, program and use the safe.

SOLID CONSTRUCTION

The safe looks and feels solid and heavy. You could tell that it is made of thick, hard steel that can resist impact from other solid objects.

It does not look ordinary and cheap. It covered with serpentinization finish that is scratch resistant. In that way, the color of the safe remains the same no matter how long you use it.

Unlike ordinary safes, this safe has a thick door of 5 mm that opens in less than a second. In this way, you could access your gun quickly under stress.

It has reliable, special heavy duty 20 mm motorized deadbolts locking with two anti-pry insertion slots. No one will be able to access the safe easily without a programmed fingerprint, code or key.

All in all, the physical features of the safe is solid, sturdy, well-thought out, and it is apparent that the company took safety into consideration while the safe is being constructed.

INSIDE

Most affordable safes have ordinary interior without special features, but not this safe. This is safe has an interior LED light that would allow you to see what is inside in the dark. It is fully carpeted to prevent scratches or noise. It has holes so you can mount it on the floor, wall, or cabinet from the inside. And finally, it has a shelf that is fully adjustable and removable. So it is definitely roomy and gives you the option to organize your valuables inside.

LOCKING SYSTEM

If all the features I mentioned are not enough, the safe can be opened using biometric, digital keypad, and two backup keys.

Biometric:

The biometric is upgraded to 500 DPI optical fingerprint sensor so it can easily read fingerprints correctly and it also complies with FBI systems requirements.

Another feature that is unexpected for its price is its ability to accept 32 fingerprints. I know that's a lot. But think about it. You could use this feature to actually program your fingerprint in different angles. In that way, you can easily open the safe regardless of the condition or position of your fingertips.

Take note though that the company stated in their product that the biometric does not work for old people of ages 55+. Although I've read several reviews online from people of ages 55+ saying that it works for them however it could take a couple of tries before the safe accepts their fingerprint. Either way, older people could try using the biometric and if it does not work, they could always use the option of a keypad or backup key. This is what's good about this safe! When you use it, you've got plenty of options guaranteeing that the safe can be used by anyone one way or another.

Digital keypad:

The digital keypad is easy to program and quickly reads button presses. However, only con is that it does not have a backlight.

Backup key:

In case you forgot to replace the battery or for some reason, you could not use the biometric or the keypad, you can rest assured that you will be able to access your valuables using a backup key. And it is not your ordinary key. The safe uses 4 prongs cross key so it acts like 4 keys in 1 making it difficult for anyone to access your safe using the keyhole. And if that's not enough, the keyhole is hidden under the nameplate, that makes it even harder for anyone to access your safe without a key, code, and your fingerprint.

Rest assured, the safe has a non-volatile memory so you don't need to redo the biometric and keypad programming if the battery is taken out. All the information are stored in the safe safely.

Just so you know, the * or # key has to be pressed to lock the safe which is quite a hassle since we expect safes like this to lock by itself when we close it. This is probably the main opportunity of the safe. The good thing is that the safe beeps if left open after a couple of minutes. If you do not want the safe to make a sound, no worries because the safe has a sound off/on feature.

To helps us track the status of the safe, it has an LCD display that tells us the status of the battery and other functions. The battery is also easy to replace and lasts long.

Frequently Asked Questions