SentrySafe H2300 Small Firesafe Review

SentrySafe H2300 Small Fire safe

This Sentry Safe H2300, like most small safes, does not have anti-theft as its primary purpose. It has been designed to protect its contents from fire and water damage and is not burglary rated.

Of course, this doesn’t mean it won’t keep the kid’s prying hands or a nosy neighbor. Security is very basic, due to its size, but is sufficient for simple needs. If you are looking specifically for an anti-theft safe then it may be a good idea to look at something a little bigger and heavier.

You could call this a toughened version of a basic cash box as it will hold cash and also will protect it from a fire. It is like the baby brother of the

SentrySafe H3300 and offers the same features but in a smaller package.
For those of you who are looking for a safe specifically for fire and water protection then read on. At first glance you will notice the high quality of the design and construction. SentrySafe seem to have put a lot of effort into making this a safe that does what it says on the box and much more. The locking mechanism, the key, its shape and weight all seem really well put together.

Who Is This Safe Designed For?

Anyone looking to keep their belongings in one safe place would benefit from having this  fireproof safe for the home. But, as I wrote above, this is not a good choice for a homeowner who needs high security protection from theft.

This safe is simply too small and too light for such a task and the locking mechanism is not designed to keep the hardcore burglar from breaking it. Having said that, the Sentry Safe H2300 does truly come into its own when it comes to fire protection and water protection.

The people who would benefit greatly from this safe are those who need a place to store important documents and other small but valuable items. It is a perfect household safe for small amounts of valuables. Of course, this small safe will protect its contents from a fire but I would advise placing the box itself in a larger security safe if you require higher security. Either that or hide it somewhere that won’t be obvious to a burglar.

You can store the common things small families should need such as cash, passports, wills,  insurance papers, birth certificates, marriage certificates and other important documents.

It is scary to think that up until now many of us used to keep all our irreplaceable documents sitting in a plastic folder tucked away in a drawer. Some people just placed their files in an envelope and shoved it under the mattress. That will not protect them from a house fire or the water used by firefighters to put out the house fire!

Even if you live in a small apartment, the benefits of having your important documents safely tucked away in a Sentry Safe H2300 are huge.

 SentrySafe H2300 Construction And Design

This safe provides protection from both fire and water. There is a waterproof seal that surrounds the whole of the opening so that when the lid is closed its interior becomes air-tight.

While on the subject of the lid you may find that in some reviews of this safe people are having trouble closing it properly. There is a very simple solution to this and it really isn’t a problem at all. By the way, this is explained in the user manual.

Now, in order to close and open the lid safely and securely you will need to push down on it. There is a logical reason for closing the lid correctly as you need to do this in order to create the air-tight vacuum inside the unit. By doing this you will find that opening and closing the Sentry Safe H2300 really isn’t a problem at all. You could call this one of its features as it does a great job of keeping water out and is in fact the SentrySafe H3300 has the same design.

This safe is very durable and will offer plenty of protection for your household needs. It has been vigorously tested for fire protection and has gained a UL classified fire endurance for 1/2 hour. It also has an ETL verification for 30 minutes of fire protection of CDs, DVDs, USB drives and memory sticks in a temperature of up to 1550°F.

For water protection it can be submerged in water for up to an hour. It has been tested by being submerged with 3 inches of water above the lid. Pretty tough for such a small safe.

Conclusion

The SentrySafe H2300 is a great little safe. No matter where you live you will be able to find a spot for it to go such as in a closet or tucked away in a corner somewhere.

We know it is not theft proof, as a strong person can easily pick this up and walk away with it, but there ways of countering this. As mentioned above, for those of you intending to store away cash, you could place this safe within another larger safe. By doing this not only will your contents be safe from fire and water but also theft. Another option is placing a simple metal bracket around the safe and bolt it to the floor. No one will walk off with it then.

I don’t recommend locking up a firearm in this safe although it probably is possible if the safe is bolted to the ground. I personally would look into buying a proper gun safe though as there locking mechanisms would be designed for theft in mind.

The SentrySafe H2300 will hold a fair amount of A4 and Letter sized documents as well as smaller valuables. Definitely a good choice for fire and water protection and very basic household security.

Features

Specifications

Latch And Lock Operation for the SentrySafe H2300

As mentioned in the above review due to the nature of the design of this small safe closing and locking the lid does require some getting used to.The waterproofing gasket that has been set around the inside of the lid needs to be compressed in order for it to function correctly. Without the gasket this safe would be just another safe with no waterproofing features.

So, to unlock and open the SentrySafe H2300 you need to first turn the key in the lock counterclockwise. Then apply some downward pressure or push down on the top of the lid while releasing the latch.

To close the lid you just need to reverse this process. Close and push down on the lid, secure the latch and then insert the key turning it clockwise to lock the box.

User Manual

If you have lost the original operating instructions that came with the safe then feel free to download a copy of the manual: Here