Monthly Archives: January 2014

Graffunder Gun Safes, part 2

Aside from having doors that really fit, Graffunder gun safes feature plenty of steel. And you need lots of steel for high security. The Bishop series have a ½” of solid steel plate in the door and ¼” throughout the body. The Castle series has twice as much – 1” steel plate on the door and ½” plate on the entire body. What other gun safes can claim that? Emperors have 1 ½”steel plate in the door and a full 1” steel plate throughout the body. Move up to a Fortress and the door is 1 ½” of steel and manganese laminations. Manganese is for torch resistance. These safes are impressive!

Graffunder Castle with 1″ solid steel plate door

Door jamb: 1″ plate steel safe front; 3/4″ plate steel reinforcement

Even the door frame is extra secure. Instead of the thin roll formed steel door jamb that most safes have, the door of a Graffunder gun safe closes against a welded ¾ steel plate.

The only downside of Graffunder safes is that they are heavy. Here in Michigan where everyone has a basement, placement is an issue. Neither Castles, Emperors nor Fortresses can be set on a main floor above a basement unless the floor is braced from below. They can rarely go down stairs either, unless the steps are concrete or steel. We frequently install Graffunders in homes which have walk-out basements, where the safe can go into the basement through a ground level door. Other common placements are in homes which are on concrete slabs, garages and pole buildings.

More on Graffunder Safes in another posting soon . . .

Gun Safes at the SHOT Show

The annual Shooting Hunting and Outdoors Trades Show was in Las Vegas last week. This is the biggest show of its kind where manufacturers, distributors, dealers and retailers gather to make deals on sporting goods. It is amazing to see thousands of beautiful guns and knives on display from all over the world in one place, along with ammunition, accessories, clothing, tactical gear, etc.

Naturally, I was most interested in seeing and learning about all the various manufacturers’ gun safes. I came away feeling confident that we at Hoogerhyde are on the right track selling only American Made gun safes by American Security, Fort Knox, Graffunder and Heritage. These product lines offer quality construction, Real Security, reasonable prices and Outstanding Value.

On the other side of things, there were manufacturers who were making outrageous claims about gun safes that are absolutely inferior. Most of these products were cheap China-made imports. One importer tried to tell me that their China-made safe with 10 gauge steel on the door had 30% more steel than Amsec’s BF safe. The reality is that with a ½” solid steel door the BF has 271% more steel than a 10 gauge door. And besides that, I would bet that if their door was cut open you would find less than 10 gauge steel to boot. Some of the safes that were represented to be “American made” are actually coming from China almost complete. I guess that to some people, painting a safe and installing the shelves in The States, qualifies it as “made in the U.S.” Be careful not to be fooled by false claims.

Anyway, if you ever get the chance to attend SHOT, definitely go.

Graffunder Gun Safes – the Very Best

In my opinion the absolute best gun safes being produced are Graffunders by Sage Safe Company. There are only a few Graffunder dealers (we are the only dealer in a four state area) so these safes are not well known. They are also beyond the budget of most buyers. But if you are willing to pay for extraordinary quality and security be sure to check them out.

In this, the first of several posts concerning Graffunder Safes, we start with the basics. Four series are offered starting with the Bishop, then progressing up in security to Castle, Emperor and Fortress. These correspond with B-rate, C-rate, E-rate and F-rate security designations.

Pry tools cannot be inserted

Graffunder Castle C6032

The first really impressive feature you notice, even before the safe is opened, is the fit of the door. With every Graffunder we have had in our shop (we normally stock Castles), the door has fit so tight that a business card will be held firmly between the door edge and the frame. That is true craftsmanship! Ever notice that with “box store” safes you can stick a pry bar in all the way to the back edge of the door? With a Graffunder you simply cannot pry the door open because you cannot insert a tool. That is just the beginning; more information will follow in future blogs.