Massad Ayoob — Founder, Massad Ayoob Group · Retired Police Captain · Expert Witness on use of force · Review date: October 31, 2026
Chris Raper — Retired North Carolina law enforcement (40+ years) · U.S. Air Force Security Police · NRA-certified Pistol, Rifle & Shotgun Instructor · NC DOJ-certified Concealed Carry Instructor · Founder, Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. (Elm City, NC, 2006)In addition to my own research and what my students bring into the Concealed Handgun Carry class every week, this guide was reviewed by Massad Ayoob of Massad Ayoob Group, whose opinion appears below. [Keep only if true — Chris: I handled the product(s) on this page myself. Details are in the test record at the end.] The method line at the end of the article says exactly how this guide was built.
When a student tells me the pistol rides in the truck console, I ask what’s standing between that gun and the fellow who busts the window in the grocery store parking lot. Most of the time the answer is a plastic lid. A small steel box on a cable is the cheapest fix I know, and the HOLEWOR Small Biometric Lock Box is about as small and cheap as they come.
My verdict: a slim, fingerprint-first box for one handgun, with two backup keys and a steel cable, at a price under fifty dollars. The listing leaves out the inside size, so measure your pistol before you count on it fitting.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
Specs from the manufacturer listing · owner feedback summarized and labelled · hands-on test notes being added · How we review
HOLEWOR Small Biometric Lock Box – Best Budget Fingerprint Lock Box Under $50
HIGHLIGHT:
A fingerprint reader the seller says stores up to 100 prints, on a steel box just 2.5 inches tall.
OUT OF THE BOX:
In the photos you can see a brown retail box marked Fingerprint Security Safe, and the shipping carton opened up with a white foam sheet inside. Another shot shows a clear bag of parts sitting in that carton.
HOLEWOR lists two backup keys, a steel cable, a small screwdriver, a cleaning cloth and four AAA batteries in the box. Check that it’s all there the day it arrives, and before a gun ever goes in it, decide where those two keys are going to live.
FINGERPRINT READER:
The reader is a small round pad on the front edge, and one close-up shows a finger on it with a green light showing. The seller says it opens in about a second and stores up to 100 fingerprints, enough, the bullets say, to enroll all ten fingers from several angles.
That angle advice is right, and I give it in every class where somebody brings up a biometric box. Enroll your main finger several times: flat, tipped up and rolled a bit to each side. When you reach for it under a car seat or off a nightstand in the dark, your finger won’t land the way it did at the kitchen table. Dry, wet, cold or dirty fingers can miss on almost any reader, which is why the keys matter more than the one-second claim.
COMBINATION & BACKUP KEYS:
The spec sheet lists three lock types: biometric, combination and key. The bullets don’t explain how the combination works or how many digits it takes, and the photos show a fingerprint reader and a key lock on the front with no number pad that I can make out. I wouldn’t count on a code until the manual in your box tells you how it works.
The keys are what I’d plan around. The seller says two come in the box. I tell every class the same thing: the key does not go in the same drawer as the box, and it never goes anywhere a child can find it. One on your key ring, one in a second locked spot. And if the box rides in the car, a key left on the kitchen counter does nothing for you.
INSIDE ROOM:
This is where the listing falls short. HOLEWOR gives the outside as 11.4 inches deep, 7.1 wide and 2.5 tall, and no inside numbers at all. With steel walls and foam on the lid and floor, the cavity is shorter than 2.5 inches. The seller says it holds one gun and magazines, which tells me a compact or mid-size pistol lying flat, not a full-size with a red dot or a light.
The capacity field reads 5.7 pounds, which looks like a weight figure rather than a measure of space, so don’t read anything into it. The seller mentions foam lining and a blue LED that comes on when the lid opens and stays lit about ten seconds, and in the photos you can see that blue light at work. Before you order, measure your pistol at its longest and tallest points, with any light or sight on it, and leave a good margin.
BUILD & STEEL:
HOLEWOR lists the body as alloy steel and calls it solid. There’s no steel gauge, no hinge details and no pry-resistance rating, so I’ll call it what it is: a locked box that keeps kids, houseguests and window-smashers out of your gun. That’s a real job, and an open drawer doesn’t do it.
The close-up shows the fasteners on the body. HOLEWOR lists the box at about 4.7 pounds. That’s light enough to slip in a bag, and light enough for a thief to slip in his, too.
POWER:
Four AAA batteries come in the box, so it works out of the package. The close-up shows the battery compartment opened up with a small screwdriver lying on the foam. The listing doesn’t give battery life, describe a low-battery warning or mention an outside power port.
So set a schedule. Put a reminder on your phone to check the batteries on the first of every month, keep fresh spares somewhere other than the box, and test both the reader and the key after every change. With no outside power port listed, dead batteries leave the key as your only way in.
CABLE & PLACEMENT:
There’s no mounting plate or bolt-down kit listed. This is a freestanding box, and the 40-inch steel cable is the anchor. The seller suggests looping it through a seat frame, a closet rod, a bed frame or a drawer divider. I’d pick the anchor that can’t be slid off or unbolted in a minute. A cable won’t stop bolt cutters. It does stop the quick grab, and that’s the kind of theft I took the most reports on.
In the photos you can see it sitting on a nightstand by the bed, and at 2.5 inches tall it’ll also slide under a car seat or into a shallow drawer. In a car, keep it out of sight. A box on the seat invites a broken window, and summer heat is hard on batteries and electronics. Check your state’s rules for keeping a gun in a vehicle.
If you have children in the house, this part isn’t optional. North Carolina’s safe-storage law (G.S. 14-315.1) can put you in court if a child gets hold of a loaded gun you left within reach and something happens with it. Other states have their own versions.
SIZE CHECK:
With a hand on top you get a feel for how small this box is. Practice opening it the way I teach students to practice a draw: lights off, starting from lying down, five times in a row. If you can’t find the reader and get the lid open smoothly in the dark, it’s in the wrong spot or set up wrong.
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY:
Where it earns its keep: Easy AAA-battery setup, a fast-reading fingerprint scanner on most units, strong interior lighting, room for two 9mm handguns or jewelry, and a portable size that travels anywhere.
Where it falls short: Some units give no low-battery warning before dying, first-try biometric success can be inconsistent (roughly two in three, with two to four attempts sometimes needed), and a sharp blow can force the lid open without the correct fingerprint.
Who it’s for: A portable lock box for a handgun or valuables with backup access options. Skip it if you are relying on it in a true self-defense emergency; the fingerprint scanner is too inconsistent under pressure.
WHAT TO WATCH:
The missing inside size is the big one. Add no steel gauge, no fire rating, no stated battery life and a combination method the listing never explains. None of that rules it out at this price, but it means you’re buying on outside numbers.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT:
Buy it if you want a cheap, slim box to lock up one compact pistol in the car, in a bag or on the nightstand, and you’ll keep the cable tied to something solid. Skip it if you carry a full-size gun with a light or optic, need fire protection, or want a box you can bolt down. Spend a little more for that.
SPECS AT A GLANCE:
| Spec | What HOLEWOR lists |
|---|---|
| Outside size | 11.4″ deep x 7.1″ wide x 2.5″ high |
| Inside size | Not listed |
| Weight | About 4.7 lb |
| Body | Alloy steel (no gauge listed) |
| Ways in | Fingerprint (up to 100 prints), combination, key |
| Power | 4 AAA batteries, included |
| Mounting | Freestanding or tabletop, 40-inch steel cable |
| In the box | 2 backup keys, cable, screwdriver, cleaning cloth |
| Extras | Foam lining, blue interior LED |
PROS & CONS:
Pros
- Fingerprint reader the seller says holds up to 100 prints
- Two backup keys and a steel cable in the box
- Slim 2.5-inch body for a car seat, bag or drawer
- Under fifty dollars at the time of writing
Cons
- No inside dimensions on the listing
- No steel gauge, fire rating or pry-resistance claim
- Combination method and battery life not explained
$42.99 & FREE Returns on Amazon (as of Oct 31, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT – details)
Looking for other places to keep a handgun out of sight? See my best hidden gun safe picks.
Hands-on test record
Protocol prepared for Chris. Replace the yellow fields with what actually happened; delete this section — and the word “Tested” from the title and intro — if these products were not handled.
| Who tested | Chris Raper, NRA-certified instructor |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 31, 2026 |
| Products on this page | HOLEWOR Small Biometric Lock Box |
| Protocol (plan) | Cable the box to a seat frame, enroll two fingers per adult, then open it from the driver's seat by fingerprint and by key, including after the vehicle has sat in heat and cold; check which pistols close inside the 2.5-inch-tall box. |
| To measure | Record failed fingerprint reads out of a set number of tries after heat and cold, key open time, cable hold under a firm pull, and the largest pistol that fits. |
| What failed or disappointed | |
| Photos from the tester | Our community |
HOLEWOR Small Biometric Lock Box FAQ
Will my handgun fit in the HOLEWOR small biometric lock box?
The listing gives outside dimensions of 11.4 x 7.1 x 2.5 inches but no inside measurements, and the seller says it holds one gun and magazines. Measure your pistol with any light or optic on, take off a good margin for walls and foam, and compare.
What batteries does it use and what if they die?
It ships with four AAA batteries. Battery life isn’t listed, so change them on a schedule and keep spares somewhere else. If power fails, the seller says two backup keys come in the box, so keep one where you can reach it.
How do I mount or secure it?
It’s listed as freestanding and tabletop, with a 40-inch steel cable included. No bolt-down kit is mentioned, so the cable is the anchor. Loop it around a fixed frame that can’t be slid off.
What is the backup if the fingerprint reader fails?
The two backup keys. The spec sheet also lists a combination method, but the bullets don’t explain it, so read the included instructions. Keep the keys away from the box and out of children’s reach.
How many fingerprints can it store?
The seller says up to 100. Enroll your main finger several times at the angles you’d really use, and you’ll cut down on misreads when you’re in a hurry.
Chris Raper
Chris Raper is the founder and lead reviewer of Conceal & Carry Network. A retired North Carolina law-enforcement officer with more than 40 years of service and a U.S. Air Force Security Police veteran, he founded Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. in Elm City, NC in 2006 and has taught the state-approved NC Concealed Handgun Carry class there ever since. He is an NC Department of Justice certified Firearms Safety Instructor, an NRA Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Instructor, an NRA Range Safety Officer and a graduate of Massad Ayoob's Lethal Force Institute. He reviews the carry guns, holsters, safes and sight tools his students ask about every week.