Home safes come in many different shapes and sizes and are equipped with varying degrees of features to meet various customer security needs. The best home safes provide you with a way to protect your belongings from thieves or even the elements. If you are shopping for a safe that is compact, but also keeps your valuable items safe using a biometric lock, the Barska Mini Biometric Safe will be an ideal option.
Although it’s quite compact, the Barska Mini Biometric Safe is powerful. Approved by the Department of Justice to safely store guns, this model also opens using a biometric fingerprint lock. You won’t have to worry about thieves picking a standard lock with this feature. Whether you’re storing firearms away from children or important documents, the Barska Mini Biometric Safe provides protection, but it does come at a higher cost than many mini safes.
Nerd Pros
- Biometric lock: Just press your finger to the biometric scanner and your safe will open. It can remember up to 30 users, and it only takes 2.5 seconds to scan your finger. That quick response time means a lot in an emergency situation.
- Portable: Users can quickly take this safe in an emergency situation or wherever needed. It weighs just over 13 pounds, so it is light yet sturdy, made with steel that also withstands tampering.
- Mounting option: Even though the Barska Mini Biometric Safe can be portable, there may be instances where you don’t want the safe moving at all. The product comes with pre-drilled holes and mounting brackets. You can mount the safe up high, safely out of reach of children if needed, and thieves will have much harder time trying to take the safe with them.
Nerd Cons
- Battery-powered: If you’re not great at remembering to change batteries, this will be a major drawback. Although there is a backup key just in case you let the battery die, it’s something that will reduce the usability of the safe if you need it in an emergency. Barska says the battery lasts up to a year. If you’re the forgetful type, there is also a backup battery sold separately that you can purchase.
- No environmental protections: For the price of the Barska Mini Biometric Safe, we feel like it should be fire or waterproof, but it is certified as neither. It seems like you’re paying for the biometric scanning, which is important. However, we aren’t sure how durable this safe would be in case of a fire or flood.
- Price: Having biometric scanning technology on a safe is certainly valuable. But that comes at a steep price tag for such a small safe, which could be a deterrent for budget-minded consumers.
- Color Finish: Black
- Construction: Steel
- Overall WxDxH: 12 x 8 x 7-3/4
- Lock Type: Biometric Fingerprint Lock & Keyed Lock
- Cap. Cu. Ft.: .02
Barska Mini Biometric Safe: What you need to know
- Protection: This safe is not UL certified, but it is certified by the Department of Justice as a way to protect firearms from children or thieves. Barska says that means it has passed the pry test, saw test and drop test.
- Size: This safe is compact and easy to move, weighing only 12 pounds. It’s on the smaller side, but the company says the Barska Mini Biometric Safe can safely fit two handguns. The outside dimensions are 12 in. W x 7-¾ in. D x 8 in. H, while the interior dimensions are 11 ½ in. W x 5 ¾ in D x 7 ½ in. H.
- Lock type: The biometric scanning system means you can simply place your fingerprint on the sensor, and the safe will open within 2.5 seconds. There is a hidden keyhole for backup in case your battery runs out. The Barska Mini Biometric Safe can hold up to 30 separate user fingerprints. However, the company does recommend saving a few fingerprints for each user to ensure it opens on the first try. For example, you’ll want to save your fingerprint from different angles because in an emergency, you may not place your finger perfectly straight on the lock.
- Portability: At just 12 pounds, it’s easy to transport this safe, whether you are looking to store valuables on vacation or packing up in an emergency situation. It doesn’t have handles like some other compact safes, however.
- Environmental protections: This is the area where the Barska Mini Biometric Safe has some room to improve. It’s not fireproof or waterproof, which means if there is a fire or flood, your valuables may not be fully protected even though they are behind lock and key.
- Alarm feature: The Barska Mini Biometric Safe has two interesting features that contribute to its security. First, the silent mode can disable any beeping that occurs when opening the safe. That means if you need to retrieve something quickly without drawing any attention, you can set up a silent feature. However, there is also an alarm feature that cannot be disabled—the open door feature. If the safe is left unlocked for more than 3 to 5 minutes, an alarm will sound.
- Pricing: While prices vary from site to site, this safe sells on Amazon for around $200. It is expensive for such a small safe, but it’s the price you pay for the biometric scanning technology that is more advanced than your average key.
- Mounting option: This safe comes with pre-drilled holes and mounting hardware that allows customers to keep the safe in place. This could help to ensure valuables don’t leave your home, or you could mount the safe high enough to be out of reach of children.
Wrapping Up
Barska is a worldwide sport optics company and offers much more than just safes. Its products are sold in more than 40 countries, including the top 100 sporting good companies in the United States. While it’s not a security company, it’s clear their safes and protective traveling cases are high-quality and trusted internationally. They offer everything from fireproof wall safes valued at nearly $2,000, to basic compact key lock safes.
The Barska Mini Biometric Safe is one of the many biometric options the company offers, providing a simple way to store valuables. We like biometric safes, especially in an emergency when you may not be in the best position to fiddle with a key or remember a combination to get into the safe. This model encourages users to save your fingerprint in multiple positions to ensure you’ll be able to open it no matter the situation on the first try.
Although the price may be a little steep for such a small safe that doesn’t have any environmental protections, it does allow customers to protect items using a biometric scanner, which is a huge plus. If you aren’t worried about fires or floods, and you just need a safe place to keep or mount a safe at home, the Barska Mini Biometric Safe is a great choice.
This article has been reviewed and approved by Officer Banta.
Officer Banta is the official SecurityNerd home security and safety expert. A member of the Biloxi Police Department for over 24 years, Officer Banta reviews all articles before lending his stamp of approval. Click here for more information on Officer Banta and the rest of our team.
