I just spent the entire day installing this safe and am not quite done with covering all tracks of the construction surgery due to all the suitable wall spaces in my old house having studs at considerably less than standard 16"o.c. distance. That little contretemps aside, this product is first rate. Sturdy, easy to use (and to install, if you live in a modern house), this heavy safe looks and feels sturdy and crowbar-proof, yet has a pleasing interior thanks to a velvety interior cladding. Punch in your personal 4-digit code and the door springs open on its own and illuminates the safe interior through a hidden LED light. The effect is almost magic and very inviting. There is also a 6-digit override code in case you forget the 4-digit code. Both are easy to reprogram from their factory settings. While the locking mechanism requires 4 AA batteries to work, there is a secondary exterior battery compartment that can be used in the unlikely case that the interior batteries run out. You would have to ignore the low-battery warnings or not use the safe for a long time for that to happen. Finally, there is a set of rather odd-looking keys to open the safe the old-fashioned way if all of the above were to fail. My biggest worry at this minute is where to store these keys so I would find and identify them if ever needed, but in a place a burglar would not bother to look... I am thinking my safe at the bank. Now to some practical installation hints, as the instructions are very sparse in this respect. First, you need to find a suitable placement from a comfort point of view. The door hinges are on the right and cannot be switched. The safe requires a rectangular opening in the wall, 18-1/8 by 14-1/8 inches. 14 1/8 inches is the surface-to-surface distance between studs in standard construction, and you *will* need side studs to bolt the safe into. Next, you need to identify where the studs are in your preferred spot. A studfinder works best, but knocking the wall with your knuckles can also work if you have an ear for hollow vs. solid sounds. Once you ascertain the proper space, explore the supposedly hollow space between the two studs for any firebreaks (horizontal spacer studs), again with a studfinder or your knuckles and your ear. If you find one, you will likely want to place the safe immediately above it. Once you have a rough idea of the safe's location, make a small pilot hole with a drill, then stick a wire (or disassembled coathanger) into it to plumb the depth. The safe requires 3 3/4 " unobstructed depth, measured from the wall surface facing the room. Assuming all is good so far, draw the outline of the required opening with light pencil on the wall. Next, drill pilot holes at 1 to 2 inches apart along the outline. You want to insure that there are no hidden obstacles anywhere. Small drill holes are a lot easier to patch up then a large hole. The pilot holes will also help you identify the exact location of stud edges and firebreak edge, if any. As you draw the final, verified outline of the opening, make sure that the angles are square! Ideally you have a helper hold the (heavy) safe against the wall you you run a pencil around its outline. A heavy, strong person might be able to do so without help in a pinch. Finally you are ready to cut. For regular sheetrock (gypsum board) used starting in the 1950s, a handsaw is best. Ideally you hold the business end of a household vacuum hose (without attachment) immediately below the saw blade as it works through the sheetrock, as this dust will otherwise have a way of coating every square inch of surface within sight. If, however, you have lath and plaster as I did in my old house, you will need an electric reciprocating saw ("sawz-all") with a short, "bimetal" blade to cut cleanly through the hard gypsum and the wood slats. Err on the side to make the hole about 1/8" wider and taller than the outline of the safe. One more hint: Make a 3 x 3 hole in the center first, then peer around inside for any pipes or wires you may have missed. Flexible romex wire may likely and safely fit behind the safe, but pipes my force you to retreat and find an alternate location. Once you are done with the cutting, if you are lucky, the safe will pop in cleanly into your opening. If you are like me and made the opening too tight, you'll have to cut a little more. With the open safe fitting snug against the wall, mark the 3 drill holes on the left side against the left stud, and repeat the same with the 3 holes against the right stud. Drill holes smaller than the supplied bolts -- you can always re-drill with a larger bit if needed. Don't forget to add the supplied washers as you insert the bolts into the holes you drilled. You will need a socket wrench (I used 17 mm -- 5/8 or 11/16 *might* work, also) with a ratchet arm to do these bolts justice. Remove the velvet shelves while you do this. Once you are done and the safe is installed, vacuum it out and paint any damaged wall surface surrounding it though, if you were very careful, that may not be necessary. Enjoy!
