Liberty Home Safe 8 Full Review

Have you been looking for a small home safe to store valuables from prying fingers? After just a few searches, ads for safes like Mycube and Amazon home safes may start flooding your social media. But if you're looking at the Liberty Home Safe 8, it's likely you want something that offers more protection than an entry-level safe.

For nearly 40 years, we’ve been selling safes in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Having sold thousands of safes, we know choosing the right safe is often a balance of quality and price.

To help you weigh the pros and cons of the Liberty Home Safe 8, we’ve put together an unbiased review of this small home safe. In this post, we’ll cover:

• Top 5 Liberty Home Safe 8 Security Features

• Cost of a Liberty Home Safe 8

• 9 Liberty Home Safe 8 FAQs

Top 5 Liberty Home Safe 8 Security Features

1. Locking Mechanism

The Liberty Home 8 safe comes standard with an easy-to-use Electronic ProLogic lock. For those who would like their safe retrofitted with an old-school Sargent and Greenleaf dial lock, this is an option offered by some retailers (like NW Safe).

Both of these options are UL-listed and are recommended by our in-house Master Safe Technician due to their reliability. It’s important to note that a certified safe technician must perform any lock swap, or you will void your warranty.

2. Folded Steel Frame

This Liberty home safe's 14-gauge folded steel frame ensures fewer weak points and more pry protection.

3. Military-Style Locking Bars & Hardened Steel Plate

The safe’s door is equipped with five military-style locking bars. It is further enhanced with a hardened steel plate to prevent forced entry.

4. Slip-Clutch Mechanism

The small home safe features Liberty's collar-style slip-clutch mechanism. This design offers superior protection against forced entry.

The clutch is what controls the movement of the locking bars when the handle is turned. In a traditional welded design, the clutch would break under excessive forces, such as someone attempting to turn the handle without the combination. When the clutch breaks, both the intruder and you are locked out of your safe.

The collar-style mechanism spins freely when too much pressure is applied. This prevents damage to the safe while effectively deterring break-in attempts.

5. Fire Protection

The Liberty Home Safe has a 60-minute fire rating at 1,200 degrees. We consider this minimal fire protection. We recommend this level of protection for those who are storing $10K or less in valuables and nothing sentimental or irreplaceable.

Cost of a Liberty Home Safe 8

This affordable, entry-level home safe is $999 full retail. Made in America with American-made steel, it offers an enhanced level of protection. Lists of popular home safes, like the one published by U.S. News in August of 2024, typically showcase safes that cost much less.

But what these less expensive safes offer in savings, they lose in security and reliability — featuring less pry protection, less fire protection, and lower quality locks.

9 Liberty Home Safe 8 FAQs

1. Can I adjust the shelving in a Liberty Home Safe 8?

When you’re looking at small safes for your home, one of the things to consider is how adjustable the interior is. Most small home safes have permanent shelving that can’t be adjusted or removed. The Liberty Home Safe 8 has a fully adjustable interior that comes with two shelves.

The interior is lined with soft fabric to prevent scratches on delicate items and includes a standard light kit for clear visibility inside the safe. The door panel features convenient hooks and Liberty's Cool Pocket — a unique fire safety feature made from Liberty’s proprietary heat shield material.

The Cool Pocket is a large file folder. It is designed to keep its contents up to 50 degrees cooler than the rest of the safe during a fire. In one recent tragedy, a customer lost all their belongings in a house fire, except for $27,000 in cash stored in their Cool Pocket.

2. Can my kids get into this small home safe?

Do you plan to give your kids the combination? Do you plan to leave your safe unlocked? If you’ve answered no to both of these questions, then it’s virtually impossible for your kids to get into this safe.

3. How difficult is it to install a Liberty Home Safe 8?

This is the smallest of Liberty’s Home Safe series. It weighs 227 pounds. While you might be able to bench press 227 in the gym, chances are that’s a bit heavy to safely carry around your home without hurting yourself or causing damage to your interior.

Even big box stores offer curbside delivery at a bare minimum. Some even offer first-floor delivery. But you’ll likely need to find an experienced, specialized delivery crew for a second story installation.

Here at NW Safe, we have experienced in-house delivery crews that offer full-service delivery and installation anywhere in your house. We even deliver and install safes for customers who bought their safes from somewhere else. This service includes:

• Safely move your safe to the exact location you want while protecting your walls, floor, and thresholds. (If your safe doesn’t fit where you want it, we can help you find the next best solution!)

• Leveling your safe to ensure proper door swing.

• Teaching you how to use your safe (including helping you program your electronic lock).

4. Where can a Liberty Home Safe 8 be installed?

The Liberty Home 8 can be installed nearly anywhere you want, thanks to it’s relatively small size (it’s just 30.125 high, 24.125" wide, and 20" deep).

Popular installation locations also include:

• Home Offices

• Master Bedroom Closet

• Under a Bedside Table in the Main Bedroom

• Butler’s Pantry

It’s strongly recommended that you bolt this safe to the ground, as it offers additional burglary protection.

5. What if I can’t get my safe open?

Are you concerned about being locked out of your safe? The first question we ask anyone with an electronic lock issue is, "When was the last time you replaced the battery?" A quick battery replacement often solves the problem and saves you a service call. If that doesn’t do the trick, our in-house Master Safe Technician is ready to assist, expertly opening your safe and restoring access.

6. What if I forget my combination?

Regardless of the safe you purchase, we highly recommend registering it with the manufacturer. If you ever forget your combination, having your safe registered allows the manufacturer to help recover it. Registration also ensures you're covered for any potential warranty services.

It's also important to consider who is listed on the registry. If you're married, we always advise registering both partners. This can prevent unnecessary hassle and legal costs down the road, ensuring that either of you can easily manage warranty claims if needed.

7. Why Doesn’t This Safe Have a Key Bypass?

Some online articles tout a key bypass (aka a key backup) as an emergency safety net. In reality, a key bypass is actually a security threat. Any lock with a key bypass is not UL-listed and can be easier to break into.  

8. Why would I regret buying a Liberty Home Safe 8?

We hope you don’t regret your purchase. A safe is a lifetime investment; we want yours to be good. That being said, there are two common reasons we see customers regret purchasing a Liberty Home Safe 8. The first is that it ends up being too small.

You can’t remodel a safe. If you’ve underestimated the volume of your valuables or make future purchases you didn’t predict, you might need a bigger safe.

The second is the Liberty Home Safe 8, might not offer the level of protection you need. If you are storing more than $10K in valuables and/or have irreplaceable items, we recommend looking at a higher-end safe, such as the Liberty - Premium Home 8. 

9. Is there an easy and affordable financing option?

Some safe retailers offer financing options for new home safes and gun safes. Here at NW Safe, we have affordable financing powered by two different options:

• Buy now, pay later with Shop Pay

• 12 Month Same As Cash

Both of these options are contingent on approved credit and may require a down payment.

Is a Liberty Home Safe 8 Right for Me?

If you have less than $10K in valuables and need a small home safe that can be discreetly installed, the Liberty Home Safe 8 is an excellent choice.

Order your new home safe today so you can get on our delivery schedule.