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: 6 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 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 128.2 lb weight that you can place without a safe dealer.
Gardall FB2013 Fire/Burglary Safe
Buy itOne of the few home-office-sized safes whose maker names a U.L. 1 hour fire label and a U.L. RSC burglary label on the specific model.
- Gardall's own series page lists a U.L. 1 hour 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 hardware included, and a 2 inch door and 3 inch body in composite construction
- Gardall does not list a water rating for the FB series, so sprinkler and hose water is on you
- Its heavy composite body makes placement a job for a dealer or a team
- 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 you can place without a safe dealer.
- SentrySafe states UL Classified protection for 2 hours in up to 1850 degrees F, which SentrySafe calls its longest lasting fire protection
- 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
- Some owners report problems with the digital keypad, so keep the backup key somewhere you can reach
Side by side
The 8 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Gardall FB2013 Fire/Burglary Safe Our pick | 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 a dealer-delivered safe. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
| Rated fire duration | 1 hour | 2 hours |
| Who issued the fire rating | UL, per Gardall's series page, by model | UL Classified, per SentrySafe |
| Interior temperature ceiling | Not stated on series page | Not published |
| Furnace temperature stated | Not published | Up to 1850 F |
| Impact (30 ft drop) rating | Not listed | Not listed |
| Water rating | None listed | ETL Verified, 8 in for 24 hr |
| Anchoring | Center bolt-down, hardware included | Bolt-down hardware included |
| Weight and capacity | Not published on series page | 128.2 lb, 1.19 cu ft |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Gardall FB2013 Fire/Burglary Safe if
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.
Know before buying: gardall does not list a water rating for the FB series, so sprinkler and hose water is on you.
Pick the SentrySafe STW123GTC Digital Fire/Water Safe if
a home office that wants a long rated duration and a real water rating without paying dealer prices or moving a dealer-delivered safe.
Know before buying: sentrySafe publishes the duration and furnace temperature but not the UL class number, so you cannot read the interior ceiling off the listing.
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. 1 hour 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 a dealer-delivered safe.
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: 6 Compared (and One to Skip).