Are Costco's Home Safes Any Good, And Which Are Best For A Tight Budget?

If you are already buying home products at Costco because you like the price and quality, you may want to investigate home safes next. Certainly, this type of product has to feature the utmost quality so it can protect your important documents, cash, jewelry, or handguns. But it's also nice to receive a good price on home safes, as they can be expensive pieces of equipment due to the craftsmanship and high-end materials that must go into them.

We sampled multiple customer reviews on Costco's home safes while also sampling reviews on YouTube. Most reviewers were pleased with the quality and price they received, even on some of the least expensive models. However, negative reviews on the Costco website appeared with frequency for the warehouse's First Alert home and office safes, as about one in seven customer reviews gave the products 1-star reviews out of 5 stars. Learn more about the standard metal home safes and inexpensive sub-compact safes that Costco offers. You then can decide whether purchasing a Costco safe is a better deal than protecting your valuables with a DIY safe.

The two most popular traditional home safes on Costco's website are the First Alert 2.14 cubic foot model and the First Alert 0.94 cubic foot model. Both models have more than 1,100 online reviews on Costco.com, which is far more than any other home safes that Costco offers. Both models are only available for purchase online.

The 2.14 cubic foot safe retails for $399.99. It has an overall rating of 4.0 stars out of 5. Positive reviewers appreciated the waterproof and fireproof materials used in the safe's design. Some of the negative reviewers mentioned that the unit arrived with damage after shipping. Others mentioned that the design contains too much plastic to be durable and that moving the safe around sometimes caused the plastic to bow. One YouTube reviewer appreciated the low price of this First Alert safe but mentioned that it's not sturdy enough to thwart a determined thief.

The First Alert 0.94 cubic foot safe, on the other hand, retails for $299.99 at Costco. This safe is over half the size of the other safe and has a rating of 4.1 stars out of 5. The design of the two safes is almost identical. Negative reviewers again mentioned receiving the safe with damage after shipping. Costco does have a generous return policy, but reviewers mentioned that the significant weight made it difficult to return.

If you want a Costco safe that costs far less than a traditional metal home safe, consider Vaultek. Costco partners with brand to provide exclusive pricing for members for sub-compact models. You'll enter your membership number through Costco Next to receive access to the products and special pricing. Additionally, some Vaultek safes are available through the main website.

Vaultek's Barikade Precision Built Biometric Compact Safe is one of the most popular among Costco members. At $159.99, it uses a 14-gauge steel enclosure to provide protection for your items. It offers biometric fingerprint scanning as well as a digital keypad for opening with a code. It is a thin safe, making it only suitable for a few small items. According to the manufacturer, it can hold two compact handguns, small valuables, and passports. 

This is one of the cheapest home safes at Costco's website, and it carries an impressive 4.6 out of 5 stars. The positive reviewers consistently mentioned the quality of the materials and the low price. Only 3% of reviewers gave it 1 star. The negative reviews state that the unit's fingerprint scanner was not accurate enough, occasionally making this feature unreliable. However, if you want a Costco safe that's inexpensive and overwhelmingly well regarded, this safe is a solid choice.