Office & WFH · Head-to-head
Gardall FB2013 Fire/Burglary Safe vs SentrySafe STW123GTC Digital Fire/Water Safe
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Fire Rated Safes: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The FB2013 is one of the few safes at this size that Gardall lists with both a U.L. 1 hour 350 degree F fire label and a U.L. RSC burglary label, so the fire claim and the theft claim are both third party. The STW123GTC gives up that verifiability but adds a longer rated duration, a published water rating and a weight one person can actually place.
Gardall FB2013 Fire/Burglary Safe
Buy itOne of the few home-office-sized safes whose maker names a U.L. 350 degree F fire label and a U.L. RSC burglary label on the specific model.
- Gardall's own spec sheet lists a 1 Hour U.L. 350 degree F fire label for the FB2013 by model number, not as a family-wide claim
- Also carries a U.L. RSC burglary label, so the theft claim is third party too
- Center bolt-down hole with hardware included, and 313 lb of mass before you anchor it
- Gardall does not list a water rating for the FB series, so sprinkler and hose water is on you
- 313 lb and a 27 inch height make placement a two-person job at minimum
- No impact rating is listed, so an upper-floor install has no tested fall protection
SentrySafe STW123GTC Digital Fire/Water Safe
Buy itThe value pick: a UL Classified 2 hour fire rating plus an ETL Verified water claim, in a box one person can carry into place.
- SentrySafe states UL Classified protection for 2 hours in up to 1850 degrees F, the longest duration in its consumer line
- ETL Verified water resistance in up to 8 inches of water for up to 24 hours, which most fire safes do not claim at all
- 128.2 lb with bolt-down hardware included and four 1 inch live-locking bolts
- SentrySafe publishes the duration and furnace temperature but not the UL class number, so you cannot read the interior ceiling off the listing
- The listing promotes storage of drives, memory cards and phones without a separate media class rating
- Digital keypads on this family draw a steady stream of lock complaints in the brand's own review feed
Side by side
| Gardall FB2013 Fire/Burglary Safe | SentrySafe STW123GTC Digital Fire/Water Safe | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Someone who wants the fire rating and the burglary rating to both come from UL, and has a ground floor or slab to bolt it to. | A home office that wants a long rated duration and a real water rating without paying dealer prices or moving 300 lb. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Gardall FB2013 Fire/Burglary Safe - One of the few home-office-sized safes whose maker names a U.L. 350 degree F fire label and a U.L. RSC burglary label on the specific model. Choose the SentrySafe STW123GTC Digital Fire/Water Safe instead if a home office that wants a long rated duration and a real water rating without paying dealer prices or moving 300 lb.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Fire Rated Safes: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).