The Fatboy Liberty Safe

When I hear the words "Fat Boy", the first thing I think of is the Fat Boy Harley Davidson motorcycle. The next thing that comes to mind is Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches. A little research online also revealed the new alternative to the original bean bag which was developed in 1998 is called a Fat Boy. A little more looking around revealed a British DJ with the stage name of Fatboy Slim. And of course, a British movie that I enjoyed, Run Fat Boy Run. As in most of these examples, the term Fat Boy is used to denote something that is bigger than normal. And so it is with the Liberty Safe FATBOY.

The FATBOY safe is huge! Liberty safe advertises it to be one of the "largest, toughest security vaults built in America".  Let's take a look at these two claims.

As for being the largest, this bad boy is 42" wide and 30.5" deep, which is about 6" wider and 3" deeper than most full size safes. This means that if you want the safe to only hold guns, the FATBOY will hold a whopping 64 long guns - which is great if you are a collector. But if you're not, you can then get the interior with a gun rack on one side and shelves on the other.

Besides being large, Liberty safe claims that the FATBOY is one of the toughest security vaults on the market. So what makes it so tough? First, it has 12 locking bolts, and the bolts are 25% larger in circumference and 33% longer than those normally used. It also uses triple hardened steel plates to protect the lock from drill attack and has an over-center cam device that makes side punching the lock next to impossible.

Toughness not only means superior protection again burglary, but also against fire. For this increased fire protection, Liberty started by using a thicker 11-gauge steel (also increases security), then they used more fire board than is typically found in competitors comparable safes. In the ceiling, doorjambs and the door, Liberty uses three layers of 5/8" fire board and 2 layers in all of the walls of the FATBOY. Plus, it comes with a superior heat activated door seal to help seal out both the heat and the smoke. The safe has an 83,000 BTU rating and will withstand a 1200 - 1400Ú F fire (which is hot!) for up to 60 minutes.

Perhaps, like other things in life, you really like the FATBOY, but you just don't need something that is that much bigger than normal, then you can choose the FATBOY jr. Just like the daddy version, but everything scaled down. It is just as wide as the FATBOY, but not as deep, allowing it to hold up to 48 long guns. It has less bolts (nine instead of 12), and a lower fire rating (62,000 BTU's, and 30 minutes of protection instead of 60), though it still has more fire board than the competition. Overall, another excellent Liberty safe.

So, what would work best for you? Well, only you can determine that, but before deciding, take a look at what you have to protect and the degree of protection needed. Then choose the Liberty safe that best suits your needs.