We ran a post a couple of weeks ago when the Headrest Safe Company announced their vehicle storage product. That provoked all kinds of heated comments and criticisms from people who had never seen one. This is, of course, the internet.
Before passing judgement, I stopped by their SHOT Show booth last week to take a look at them for myself, up close and personal like. The Alabama company’s downstairs SHOT Show booth was hopping. Lots of show-goers were interested in taking a look for themselves.
The headrests look very well made and HSC offers them in a both leather and cloth styles in a range of colors to fit just about any car interior without looking out of place. The locks can be quickly opened biometrically (that small round sensor below the keypad) or by entering a code on the keypad.
Some were concerned that if a thief figures out there’s a safe in the headrest, they can just take the whole thing. The headrest safe, however, uses a molley bolt attachment system that requires the safe to be opened before removing the headrest (and the removal process isn’t fast). You really have to want to take it off and it will take time.
HSC actually makes two models. There’s the standard version (above) and a yet to be released version (which they’re calling the California model, if I remember correctly) with a removable safe compartment.
This, they tell me, is for states where the law mandates transporting your gun from the car to your home or the range in a locked compartment.
Like the original version, the lockable compartment is made of steel with an integrated handle. It’s big enough to hold a 5-inch 1911 or other duty-sized handgun.
A flange ensures the safe can’t be removed from the headrest unless it’s opened first.
There’s even a shoulder strap that attaches by a couple of QD pegs. The HSC folks tell us the removable model will run about $80 more than their standard model (which has an MSRP of $489) and should be available for sale at the end of March.