Grimtron Heavy-Duty Biometric Safe Review: A Retired Lawman’s Take On This Cheap Bedside Box — Reviewed by Massad Ayoob, Tested by Chris Raper

Expert-reviewed by

Massad Ayoob — Founder, Massad Ayoob Group · Retired Police Captain · Expert Witness on use of force · Review date: October 31, 2026

Written & tested by

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.

I’ve had more than one student look at me sideways when I say to buy a lockbox before the second box of ammunition. Money’s tight, and they figure a safe costs near what the gun did. A box like the Grimtron Heavy-Duty Biometric Safe is the one I’d hold up to show them it doesn’t have to.

Cheap doesn’t get a pass in my class, though. A lockbox still has to keep a child’s hands off a loaded gun and still has to open for you when you need it.

Short version: it’s a low-cost, low-profile bedside box for one full-size pistol, with four ways in: fingerprint, code, key and a USB-C emergency port. Measure your gun’s height first, and bolt the box down.

FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.

Grimtron Heavy-Duty Biometric Safe – Best Biometric Pistol Safe Under $50

HIGHLIGHT:

Fingerprint, PIN, backup keys and a USB-C emergency port on a box the seller sizes for one full-size pistol.

OUT OF THE BOX:

The safe comes in a plain brown retail box with the Grimtron name and a line drawing of the safe on the front. Grimtron lists the manual, the safe, a bolt, a key and a screw as what’s included, and the description adds screws and expansion bolts for the pre-drilled mounting holes.

In the photos you can see the safe laid out with its paperwork and cables, and a page of the manual with a diagram and a NOTE box. Read those notes. Most trouble I hear about with electronic safes starts with somebody who skipped the manual and guessed.

FRONT PANEL & KEYPAD:

Everything sits on the front edge: six numbered buttons that light up blue, with the fingerprint pad at the right end. That layout lets your hand come straight in from the side of the bed instead of reaching over the top of the box. The listing says you set your own PIN.

When a student asks me what code to pick, I say the same thing every time: no birthdays, no anniversaries, nothing on your driver’s license. Pick something you can press without looking, and don’t reuse your phone or door code.

Two of the photos show a small screen to the left of the buttons reading a temperature, a humidity figure and a date. The listing I worked from doesn’t mention a screen at all, so if you want one, check the live listing before you count on it.

FINGERPRINT READER:

The seller says the reader stores up to 100 fingerprints and that enrolling is quick. A hundred is more than any household needs, and that’s the point. I teach the same trick for every biometric safe: enroll your main finger several times at different angles, flat, tipped up and rolled a little to each side. Then try it with dry hands and with damp ones. At 3 a.m. your hand won’t land the way it did at the kitchen table.

Inside the lid, the close-up shows a small button marked PROGRAM next to the latch. Learn what it does from the manual before you enroll a single print, and give each adult who should have access a few slots of their own.

BACKUP KEY & USB-C PORT:

Grimtron includes backup keys, and you can see the key lock on the front face, under the buttons. I say it in every class: the key does not live in the drawer with the safe, and it never lives where a child can find it. Put it on your key ring or in a second locked spot.

The fourth way in is an emergency USB-C port. The seller says it can power the electronics if the battery dies and the key isn’t close by. At this price, that’s a smart addition, because a dead battery is the most common way an electronic box lets you down. Just remember a port only helps if the cable and power bank are where you can find them in the dark.

INSIDE ROOM:

The seller gives the inside at about 11.22 inches long, 6.45 inches wide and 2.48 inches tall, and the capacity at 324.7 cubic inches. Those inside figures come from the seller’s bullet text, so check them against the listing photos before you trust them for a tight fit.

The length is fine for most full-size pistols. The height is the number to watch. At about two and a half inches, a pistol with a tall red dot, a weapon light or a thick grip may not let the lid close. Measure your gun at its tallest point, optic and light included, and leave a little room for any padding. The seller says there’s room for a spare magazine or small valuables beside the pistol, but this is a one-gun box.

BUILD & BOLTS:

The listing says the body is reinforced alloy steel with internal hinges, anti-pry bars and solid locking bolts, and that the anti-pry gaps are smaller than 0.039 inch. Those are the seller’s words. There’s no steel gauge, no certification and no fire or water rating in the listing, so I won’t call it a vault.

What it will do is keep curious hands out and slow down a smash-and-grab. For a box this price, that’s the job. The listing also gives a soft interior LED light and a silent mode that turns off the keypad beeps. Learn to switch silent mode on and off the day you set it up.

POWER:

The listing mentions a battery but doesn’t say which type or how long it lasts. Find out when you open the box, and change it on a schedule instead of waiting for a warning. I put a reminder on my phone for the first of every month.

I’d also try the USB-C port once with a power bank right after setup, so you know how it works before you need it. Your fallbacks run in order: the USB-C port, then the key. A layered plan beats a dead box at 3 a.m.

MOUNTING:

Grimtron lists floor mount, wall mount or freestanding, with pre-drilled holes and the screws and expansion bolts in the box. That means a drawer bottom, a shelf or another flat surface. The seller also lists it for vehicle use. If it rides in a car, think about summer heat in a parked vehicle, which can be hard on batteries, and check your state’s rules for carrying a gun in a vehicle.

At 8.2 pounds, as an old lawman my first thought is that a burglar could carry it off under one arm. Bolting it down is the single most important thing you can do with it. If it sits loose on a nightstand, it’s a box with a handle for whoever comes in the window.

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.

WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY:

Where it earns its keep: It is very heavy with solid build quality, the fingerprint scanner and backup combination are easy to set up, and it quickly puts a gun out of a child’s reach.

Where it falls short: Many units do not run on batteries and open only with the key or on USB power; the fingerprint and code can stop working on a minority of units; it is sized for one pistol; and with no internal hanging system a gun can fall when the safe is wall-mounted.

Who it’s for: A heavy single-pistol biometric safe kept plugged in, with the key as backup. Skip it if you need true battery-only operation.

WHAT TO WATCH:

The low inside height is the big one. After that, the battery type isn’t clear, there’s no steel gauge and no fire rating listed, and it’s built for one handgun. If you need a second gun in the same box, look at a wider one.

WHO SHOULD BUY IT:

Buy it if you want a cheap, simple box at the bedside or in a drawer for one full-size pistol without a tall optic, and you’ll bolt it down. At the time of writing it sat in the under $50 range. Skip it if you need fire protection, a stated steel gauge, or room for two guns.

SPECS AT A GLANCE:

PROS & CONS:

Pros

• Four ways in: fingerprint, PIN, key and USB-C emergency power
• Seller lists inside dimensions, which many cheap boxes don’t
• Mounting hardware in the box
• Very low price band

Cons

• About 2.5 inches of inside height
• Battery type and life not stated
• No steel gauge or fire rating listed

$44.99 & FREE Returns on Amazon (as of Oct 31, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT – details)
Need room for two pistols? Read my BILLCONCH biometric handgun safe review.

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.

Grimtron Heavy-Duty Biometric Safe FAQ

What size handgun fits the Grimtron Heavy-Duty Biometric Safe?

The seller gives the inside at about 11.22 by 6.45 by 2.48 inches and says it holds a full-size pistol plus spare magazines. The 2.48-inch height is the limit, so measure your pistol with any optic or light before you order.

What happens if the battery dies?

Plug a power source into the emergency USB-C port, then open it with your fingerprint or code. The backup key is the other way in. Try the port once after setup so you know how it works.

How many fingerprints can it store?

Up to 100, according to the seller. Enroll each finger a few times at different angles, and try it with dry and slightly damp hands.

How do I mount the Grimtron safe?

It’s listed for floor, wall or freestanding use, with pre-drilled holes and screws and expansion bolts included. At 8.2 pounds, bolt it to something solid if you want it to stay put.

Is the Grimtron fire resistant?

No fire or water rating appears in the listing. Treat it as lockable storage, and keep papers you can’t replace in a rated container.

Founder & Lead Reviewer · NRA Certified Instructor · Retired NC Law Enforcement

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.

Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. · Instructor qualifications