Gear Review: American Security Easy Carry Handgun Safe
If you’re a regular TTAG reader, you may have read Chris Dumm’s review of American Security’s aptly-named Heavy Duty Handgun Safe last year. If you didn’t, spoiler alert: he liked it a lot, especially as a secondary safe used to keep a full-size handgun handy in your bedroom or car.
It’s sturdy, pry-resistant and has a tough-to-defeat Simplex lock that can’t easily be defeated by punching it. Made of tough 10-gauge steel, AmSec’s Heavy Duty model is better built than Sophia Vergara, but weighs in at a Patton Oswalt-esque 24 lbs. Now, though, recognizing that some gun owners may want something a little more portable and a lot less likely to induce a hernia, AmSec has introduced the EZ Carry Handgun Safe.
I’ll save you some time. Read Chris’s review because virtually everything he wrote about the Heavy Duty model’s use and functionality applies to the EZ Carry. The only difference: the EZ carry is made of 14-gauge steel and weighs in at a comparatively svelte 14 lbs. And because the lid is significantly lighter, there’s no need for the Heavy Duty model’s gas pistons.
The primary reason for slimming the Heavy Duty version down is, of course, portability. AmSec may have put a handle on the Heavy Duty Safe, but it’s hard to imagine anyone toting that hunk o’ steel around much. It’s really only good as a fixed, bolted-down storage solution.
Make no mistake, no one is going to confuse the EZ Carry unit for a bag of feathers. With a gun, a magazine and maybe a flashlight stowed securely inside, it weighs as much as three standard red bricks. Not something you’ll be wanting to stroll down the street with often, even if off-body carry is your thing.
But the EZ Carry at least gives you that option. If you want to transport your piece to and from the range in something more sturdy than the plastic clamshell case in which you bought it, this is a very secure solution.
The EZ Carry’s pluckable foam liner can be configured to fit your favorite pistol.
And it’s roomy. That’s a full-size M&P 9mm, above, so there’s plenty of space to throw in a light, a couple of extra magazines or maybe that Rolex you don’t want the cleaning lady to know you have.
There’s another beneficial effect to the EZ Carry’s relatively thinner steel: a reduced price tag. The Heavy Duty safe will run you almost $240 on line. If you have kids and want a small, conveniently-placed safe and secure solution for a handgun and other valuables storage, that’s not an unreasonable amount to spend for peace of mind. Unless you’re planning to send them to college.
The EZ Carry safe won’t lighten your wallet nearly as much. At about $170, it provides close to the same level of build quality and security and will let you add $70 more to your 401K.
That Simplex lock is not only solidly punch-resistant, but unlike a lot of its competitors, it doesn’t rely on batteries. There’s a lot to be said for the simplicity and reliability of analog. It’s also easily programmed, allowing combinations that use multiple simultaneous button pushes. Unless Alan Turing breaks into your house, it will take a very patient burglar to guess your sequence.
But let’s be honest. While the EZ Carry is significantly lighter than AmSec’s Heavy Duty model, most people who buy one are going to bolt it down and use it for secure home storage.
Just like its more zaftig older brother, the EZ Carry has four mounting holes drilled in the bottom to keep it from walking away when a burglar inevitably becomes frustrated by his inability to bust into it and hears distant sirens. Its full-length piano hinge and pry-resistant lid design will make it very difficult for him to get at your goods via brute force.
That handle also tilts downward to stay out of the way when the EZ Carry is mounted. And even if it’s knocked off, the lock mechanism is encased by that 14 gauge steel so trying to get at it through those handle holes will be futile.
American Security’s heart was definitely in the right place with the EZ Carry. It gives you virtually all of the security of the Heavy Duty model with 40% less weight and 30% fewer dollars. Unlike its bigger brother, you won’t need a dolly to transport it, so you may actually choose to carry a gun or two in it from time to time. Me…I’m leaving it right where it is, securely screwed down to a shelf in my closet, knowing that no one will be able to get into it. That’s peace of mind.
Specifications – American Security EZ Carry Handgun Safe
Size: 10.09″ x 12.26″ x 4.13″
Weight: 14 lbs.
Construction: 14 gauge steel
Price: about $170 street
Ratings (out of five stars):
Build Quality: * * * * *
Like a brick shoot house.
Value: * * * *
Same design and features as its much heavier older brother at a significantly lower cost. And you can carry it, if you’ve been doing your 10 lb. curls at the gym.
Overall: * * * * *
It’s an excellent, very secure storage option for a pistol or two and a few other essentials. No one will be easily breaking into it to get at your barbecue gun. Or anything else you have stashed in there. Bad guys are more likely to use a sledge hammer to try to take it with them to work on later…assuming they have the time. Good luck with that. And while the EZ Carry name may be a little bit of a stretch, your arm won’t be significantly longer should you ever decide to carry it to the range and back.