AMSEC BF1716 Full Review

Are you concerned about losing valuables in a home fire or burglary? Fire season continues to ravage the West Coast (and beyond). Thieves have continued targeting homeowners, especially in suburbs like Bellevue and Kirkland. That’s likely why you’re looking at an AMSEC BF1716. This premium medium-size home safe is one of the best-built American-made safes for sale. 

For more than 75 years, AMSEC (American Security) has produced the best American-made high-end safes. 

As an AMSEC dealer, we’re fond of their product, but we know these safes aren’t for everyone. To help you find the best safe for your needs, we’ll give our honest review of the AMSEC BF1716, including:

• AMSEC BF1716 Cost
• 5 Important American Security BF1716 Security Features
• What this American Security Home Safe Name Stands For
• 8 American Security BF1716 FAQ

The American Security BF1716 is a high-end home safe. It comes with a high-end price tag. The price ranges from $2,583-$4,376. The price difference comes down to the safe’s finish: textured vs. gloss. American Security is known for having one of the best gloss finishes in the industry, providing a more polished and elegant appearance for safes that may be prominently displayed in your home.

Regardless of the finish, why does this safe cost so much for 4,488 cubic inches of storage space? Because buying a safe is no different than purchasing insurance — you get the level of protection you pay for. The AMSEC BF1716 is built for protection. 

The AMSEC BF1716 is available with American Security’s ESL10 (Electronic Safe Lock) that features a basic keypad or a Big Red dial lock. Both options are UL Certified.

Our Master Safe Technician can also retrofit the safe with a Securam Scanlogic, a top-tier biometric lock . The Scanlogic combines a biometric fingerprint reader with a keypad, providing added flexibility and convenience. This lock is also UL Certified.

Why is it important to use a UL Certified lock? Because it meets our minimum security requirements. Additionally, all UL Certified locks have a universal footprint, ensuring it is easy and affordable to service your lock or replace it if needed.

NOTE: You always want to hire a certified safe tech to retrofit your lock and maintain the warranty on your safe. If you retrofit the lock on your safe yourself, you will void the manufacturer’s warranty.

The American Security home safes are built with fire clay, a proprietary mix of concrete with fire resistance additives that offers exceptional fire and security protection. This is a far superior fire insulation compared to the sheetrock used to insulate more safes.

Additionally, the poured concrete and double layers of steel create a barrier that’s harder to cut through than a single layer of steel. In this design, a burglar has to cut through one layer of steel, dig or chip through the fire clay and then cut through another layer of steel.

Despite being a medium home safe, the door of the American Security BF1716 is an impressive 3-½” thick. It includes a ½” steel plate along with fire clay insulation, just like the safe’s body. Furthermore, it’s engineered with an impressively tight door fit, improving its pry-resistance and fire protection. How tight of a door fit? It is guaranteed to be less than 0.125", but often less than 0.083"!

A two-stage fire seal further exemplifies the safe’s fire rating:

• A Silicone Foam Seal on the Door Jamb

• An Expandable Palusol™ Seal on the Door

The silicone seal around the door jamb is the first layer of defense. It forms a continuous barrier against dust, moisture, and other particles — protecting your safe even when there’s no fire.

In a fire, the second line of protection is the Palusol™ seal on the door. Composed of sodium silicate within a thermoplastic shell, this heat-activated seal expands up to five times its original thickness when exposed to extreme temperatures. As it expands, the non-combustible material fills gaps between the door and the safe’s body, creating a highly effective barrier against smoke, heat, and water damage.

SIMPLY PUT: This safe can burn for up to 60 minutes in an average house fire without the paper contents being destroyed.

The door of the safe is also equipped with three 1” solid steel, chrome-plated locking bolts. When the safe of the door is closed and locked, these bolts extend deep into the safe to prevent the door from being removed with forced entry.

American Security offers a lifetime warranty that guarantees a free replacement if your safe is destroyed or rendered inoperable by fire. To utilize your warranty, your safe must be registered. We always recommend registering your safe as soon as it’s delivered.