The Stack-On PDS-1500 Drawer Safe is a compact digital safe that protects small valuable items. It's affordable, costing around $40; in fact, it’s the least expensive safe we evaluated. The PDS-1500 is also the smallest safe we looked at, with an interior capacity of just 0.13 cubic feet, which limits what it can hold. Even though it’s small and lightweight, it provides great security for personal documents and small valuables at home, on the road or in the office. The PDS-1500 Drawer Safe has been approved by the California DOJ for gun storage, as it meets standards for firearm safety. However, it isn’t fire-resistant.
This home safe secures your documents and valuables behind a solid steel door. The door is pry-resistant, with concealed hinges and two steel live-action bolts. However, this safe does not meet UL standards for burglary-resistance, offering only basic security.
While it’s difficult for a thief to break into the safe, it’s still a good idea to mount or bolt it to the floor, a shelf or a wall for additional security. Because it’s so compact, you can also install the safe in a drawer. The PDS-1500 comes with all the hardware you need to bolt it down.
This Stack-On safe’s electronic lock has an easy-to-read keypad and includes a low-battery warning light. The keypad includes a timeout period, which temporarily disables the lock after three incorrect attempts at the combination to deter thieves from trying to guess the code. In case the battery dies or you forget your code, the safe comes with a backup key. Stack-On also sells a more-expensive variant of this safe that unlocks using fingerprint recognition, which is a nice option to have.
On the outside, the safe measures 12 x 8.75 x 4.5 inches. The PDS-1500 Drawer Safe weighs 13.5 pounds, similar to the SentrySafe X055, another home safe we evaluated. One of the most notable things about the PDS-1500 is it has a three-year warranty, which is much longer than the one-year warranties some manufacturers offer on safes that cost much more.
