Safe Review: Hornady Tri-Point Lock Box

This is the second gun security product I’m reviewing here on Pro Gun Millennial. Here’s an explanation of what a Quick Access Safe (QAS) is, and what I believe their intended uses to be. I believe that post to be required reading so that we understand each other when it comes to these products, and can discuss them intelligently. Here’s another QA Safe I’ve reviewed previously on Pro Gun Millennial, if you’re interested. Now, let’s get to it.

One Line Review:

Good as a lock box, bad as a QAS.

In-Depth Review:

Why Did I Get This?

I purchased this lockbox (with my own money) in late 2017 so that I had a way to secure things in my vehicle. Legally and morally I don’t worry about just stashing something in my center console or glove box, but that’s not an ideal solution. I purchased this to give myself a little more security when I’m away from my vehicle and need to leave something important behind. It won’t matter if my whole car is gone when I get back, but it’ll keep stuff safe during a smash-and-grab. …or if I just forgot to lock my doors.

Description & Features

The Tri-Point lock box is pretty slim. Advertised dimensions are 11″ x 9″ x 3″, meaning it fits into a lot of places where space is at a premium (like under a car seat). It’s walls are made of steel, so it’s not flimsy by any means. There is plenty of foam padding on the inside. There is so much padding on the inside that one could reasonably remove some if you have something to put inside it that isn’t especially slim. My best example being that I can put my M&P 9 inside it, but the clip on its holster makes the holster too wide to let the box close. My LCR and its holster fit, but that’s because the LCR holster’s clip is narrow enough. The holster also has enough flex that the box can close over it. If you put something inside the Tri-Point Lock Box, it’ll survive some very rough handling.

The lock on this lock box doesn’t inspire the same confidence as the padding. It’s a barrel lock, which makes if a little harder to defeat (or, the tool to do so a little less common), but I don’t expect a whole lot out of something I paid about $30 for. That being said, I have had no functional issues with the lock. The key has entered and rotated the lock without issue for the ~18 moths or so that I’ve owned it, and I’ve no complaints in that regard.

The lock box came with a rubberized steel tie-down cable. It’s got a loop on one end for either attaching to something sturdy and narrow, or for looping around itself around wider and/or immovable objects. The other end of the cable has a metal stud/end that attaches the cable to the box. There are corresponding notches cut into both the left & right sides of the lock box, so it can be attached to which ever side fits your specific application better.

Initial Impressions

It’s surprisingly hefty. It’s made of 14-gauge steel, so that’s not entirely unexpected, but welcome nonetheless.

The lid isn’t spring loaded. Not that I expected it to be, but half the box’s weight is in the lid, and the lack of any sort of opening assist is noticed. It’s not a deal breaker really, but it is a little quirk you’ll have to get used to.

Pros:

Materials of construction. 14-gauge steel may not sound like a lot, but it’s plenty sturdy in this application. I have no qualms about the durability of the box.

Size. This thing fits in tiny paces, like in the nooks and crannies of a car or in an already-full suit case. If you’ve got 3 inches of clearance, you can probably slide this bad boy in there (TWSS).

Padding. There is more than enough padding to hold very securely onto anything placed inside, wider than a 1/4″ or so. As long as you can close the box, and don’t damage what’s inside upon closing, I actually feel comfortable trusting that the contents will survive. This is made to hold onto stuff in rough, bumpy conditions like one experiences in a vehicle. Everything will be where you put it when you get where you’re going.

The lock is key-operated. No worrying about running power to it, not even worrying about batteries! Insert key, twist, and open. It doesn’t get simpler than that! I’m not going to say that it’s super secure ($30, remember?), but the fact that it only opens with a key certainly helps it out. No button presses that someone can watch you input, no finger prints to spoof, no RFID signals to copy. If they don’t have the key, they aren’t getting in without destroying the box itself.

The cable. Steel for strength, rubber to keep it from scratching everything around it all to Hell, attaches to either side of the box itself, and a built-in loop to make it extremely easy to anchor! The cable also comes with the box for free. Major win.

Cost. Did I mention that this thing cost me under $30 before tax? Because it cost me under $30 before tax. There is a lot of value here.

Cons:

The biggest con is that the box is only opened with a key. If you keep your lock box’s key on your key chain, you have to turn your car off to open or close the box. That gets real old real fast. If you want to get something out of it, or into it, you have to have your keys with you. If you want to have access to the box w/o all that hassle you can just key that box’s key separate, but then you have to remember where that key is. It’s kind of annoying sometimes.

The lid is the entire top half of the box itself. That means that you have to pull the box completely out of whatever hiding spot it lives in to open it up. If it lives under your car seat, you have to slide it all the way out to open it, put in/pull out what you’re putting in/pulling out, and then put it back. Combining that with the necessity of the key and the box’s lack of convenience starts to get to you. This isn’t an issue if it lives on a nightstand. This is an issue for more cramped spaces.

Conclusion

This product is unsuitable as a quick-access safe. It just does not have certain features or design elements that make it quickly accessable. Beyond that, it’s not a bad option. For $30, you get a lot for your money! It isn’t the safest, fastest, or most convenient, but you get way more than you’d expect for the price of lunch for two. While this little box currently lives in my car, it recently saw use as an airline-approved firearms case, and as our hotel safe once we arrived. I think that the Tri-Point Lock Box is a better hotel safe than a car safe, mostly because of the cramped interior of most cars.

Should you buy one? Yes. It’s so strong, small, portable, and affordable that you can’t hardly go wrong with owning one.

See you next Friday. -S_S