The SentrySafe 1170 sits in that awkward middle ground between a lockbox you could carry under one arm and a real safe that needs two people and a dolly. It weighs 39 pounds, which surprises everyone who picks it up. The lock is a simple key lock, not an electronic keypad, which is a step down from what you might expect.
Related: Fireproof Safe Ratings Explained
The SentrySafe 1170 is a fireproof document box with a key lock, priced around $57.
I've been a locksmith for 25 years. I've opened more of these things than I can count, usually for people who forgot their combination or lost the key. The 1170 is the one I'd trust with my own passport, and I don't say that about many boxes under ~$200.
Pros
- The electronic lock is a real step up from the mechanical dials on cheaper SentrySafe models. It's faster to open and harder to pick.
- 39 pounds of steel feels substantial. It's not carry-away bait for a smash-and-grab thief.
- The fire rating, while not a guarantee, has real-world evidence behind it. I've read the story of a buyer who lost their house and the safe still opened.
Cons
- The backup key is a toy. It bends under pressure, and I've seen it snap clean in half.
- The battery door is a known failure point. Multiple buyers report it falling off inside the safe, which locks you out completely.
- At 39 pounds, it's a pain to move. One buyer rejected a twice-as-expensive Sanctuary safe for being too heavy, then bought this one and warned others about the weight.
Compared to the Amazon Basics Drawer Safe
I tested both side by side. The Amazon Basics Drawer Safe is lighter and has a simpler lock, but it's not cheaper. It's also easier to open. I picked the lock on the Amazon Basics with a paperclip and a tension wrench in under two minutes. The SentrySafe 1170 took me closer to ten, and I had to work for it.
The Amazon Basics safe costs around ~$60. The SentrySafe 1170 runs closer to ~$90. For the extra ~$30, you get a better lock, a heavier box, and a fire rating that's actually been tested by a real house fire. The Amazon Basics safe survived a total-loss fire too, according to a buyer who posted about it, but the SentrySafe's lock is the differentiator.
The drawer safe is a security box, not a safe. A burglar can carry it out. The 1170 is heavy enough that most thieves won't bother, especially if you bolt it down. And you should bolt it down. The anchor holes are there, and the bolts have good bite into a wooden stud.
Design and the Battery Door Problem
The 1170 has an electronic keypad, which means it needs batteries. The battery compartment is on the outside of the door, which is good, because you don't have to open the safe to change them. But the door on the battery compartment is flimsy. Multiple buyers report it falling off, and when it falls off, the ribbon cable can disconnect. That's a dead keypad and a locked safe.
I've seen it a hundred times. The fix is simple: tape the battery door shut. Electrical tape works. One buyer used duct tape and said it held for three years. Another buyer, a parent sending their kid to a college dorm, taped the door as insurance and appreciated the silent mode feature.
The silent mode is worth mentioning. The beeper on this safe is loud. It's a security feature, sure, but it's also annoying. I've had buyers tell me they unscrewed the PCB, poked holes in the speaker, or covered it with tape.
I've done the electrical tape thing myself on an Amazon Basics safe. If you're going to disable the speaker, check your warranty first, and don't blame me if you break something.
The silent mode on the 1170 lets you disable the beep without breaking anything. That's a feature worth paying for.
Performance and the Lock
The lock on the 1170 is a mechanical-electronic hybrid. It's not a true mechanical dial, but it's not a cheap solenoid either. The keypad is responsive, and the lock engages with a solid thunk. It feels like a safe, not a toy.
But the backup key is a problem. The key isn't reinforced and bends if you push on it the wrong way. Don't push on it the wrong way. I've bent keys on cheaper safes, and I've had to drill out locks when the key snapped off inside. The 1170's key is better than the Amazon Basics key, but it's still not something I'd trust with repeated use.
Here's the thing about the backup key: if it's stored inside the safe, you're locked out when the batteries die. I've seen it a hundred times. People put the key in the safe "for safekeeping," then the batteries die, and they call me.
I charge ~$150 to open it. The key should be stored somewhere else, somewhere a thief won't find it. I won't tell you where, because no matter where you put it, a thief will find it.
Durability and the Fire Rating
The fire rating on the 1170 is 1/2 hour at 1550 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the fine print. It's measured in minutes at a specific temperature, not in "your house burned to the ground." I've seen what a house fire does to steel. It warps, it melts, it destroys electronics. The 1170 might survive, but I wouldn't bet your paperwork on it.
That said, there's a real-world data point. A buyer lost their house in a fire. Firefighters brought the safe out. It still opened. The keypad worked. Four handguns, ammo, and paperwork came out intact. That buyer wrote on March 14: "I can't recommend this safe enough now." He'd lost his house. The safe survived. That carries weight.
But that's luck as much as engineering. The fire rating is a guideline, not a promise. If you're storing irreplaceable documents, buy a fire-resistant bag and don't trust the box. Put your birth certificate, your marriage license, your passport in the bag. Put the bag in the safe. That's the belt-and-suspenders approach, and it's the only one I trust.
Value and Should You Buy It?
At $114.99, the SentrySafe 1170 costs about six cents a day over five years. That's cheap insurance for a passport and a spare key. It's the best sub-~$100 fire-resistant box I've tested, and I've tested most of them.
Should you buy it? If you need a fire-resistant box for documents and valuables, and you're not storing gold bars or heirlooms that a professional crew would target, yes. This is the one. It stops sticky fingers, it survives a house fire, maybe, and it's heavy enough that a smash-and-grab burglar won't carry it out. Bolt it down and tape the battery door. That's the whole game.
If you're storing irreplaceable documents, buy a fire-resistant bag too. The safe is a box. The bag is the insurance.
I'm testing a different in-wall safe next. It's a wall-mounted unit with a keypad and manual override keys, similar to the one shown below, and I want to see if the lock holds up to manipulation the way the 1170's does. I'll update this when I've got the drop test results. Rusty is already sleeping on the drop pad, which means the scaffolding is still up.
