Gun safes are pretty handy - they keep your guns safe when they aren’t being used, so there’s no need to worry about intruders stealing your favorite firearms.
Of course, you will eventually want to take your guns out of the safe, but there’s one small problem - you actually can’t see anything in the safe. What is a person to do in this circumstance?
The best thing to do is to invest in some gun safe lighting, especially if your gun safe is particularly large. The only issue is that the market is saturated with lighting for gun safes, so how are you supposed to know what will be the best option for you?
We’re here to help. Read on for some of the best gun safe lighting. We’ve also written a nifty buyer’s guide to help make your decision that much easier.
OUR TOP PICK
If you’re looking for an affordable way to illuminate your gun safe, the Torchstar LED Safe Lighting Kit is great choice.
There are a lot of things to love about this safe lighting kit - it’s operated by a motion sensor, so there’s no need to mess around with finding switches in the dark, and it will automatically turn off when you no longer need it.
The lighting kit consists of four different 12 inch LED strips, a motion sensor and two AC plugs. You only really need one of the AC plugs though - if you’re using a number of lights then you can just connect them to the one power supply in a chain.
The LEDs are linked together in little 12 inch extension cables. It’s simple enough to mount them too, as they have 2M tape backing to mount them easily.
The lights have a modular design, and they are ideal for safes that have a number of different compartments. There is one thing that you need to keep in mind, however.
As this lighting operates using a power supply, you will need to ensure that your safe has a power hole. Otherwise, you will need to drill a hole yourself to connect the lighting to your power supply.
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Affordable
- Ideal for safes with numerous compartments
Cons
- Requires a little bit of installation
EDITORS CHOICE
If you have a slightly smaller safe but you still want plenty of light, then the IllumiSafe may be just the right option for you.
This is a motion sensor light that has 2 LEDs. Sure, it’s not the most powerful option out there, but it works well in a wide variety of situations.
The light works using 3 AAA batteries, so it’s great if you don’t have a power supply for your safe.
The lights comes with a magnetic base, so you can simply stick the lights to wherever you need them to go in your safe. It’s a small lighting system, but it’s still a great choice even if you have a bigger safe.
You will need to change the batteries around every 8 weeks. This isn’t the worst out there, but it can still be pretty inconvenient, especially if you forget to change the batteries and you need your guns in an emergency situation.
Otherwise, they are an affordable option. They’re also highly effective at lighting gun safes, so we highly recommend the IllumiSafe lights.
Pros
- Easy to install
- Motion sensor
- Affordable
Cons
- Pretty short battery life - batteries need to be changed every 8 weeks or so.
BEST VALUE
Are you looking for a lighting kit for a larger gun safe? Well, you’re in luck! The Executive Gun Safe Lighting Kit is perfect for bigger gun safes.
This kit consists of 5 20 inch LED strips and the lights are controlled by a motion sensor.
These are some pretty impressive bright lights - they have an output of 450 lumens in total. This means that they are capable of lighting a rather large amount of space.
You can even connect them together using the connection cables that they come with.
You can also mount the lights in two different ways - using an adhesive backing or some velcro strips. Thanks to this, you can even mount them on carpet or steel shelves. This makes them rather versatile.
As you may expect, this particular lighting kit is somewhat more expensive than what you may usually find on the market. With that being said, the kit is most certainly worth the price.
It even has a lifetime warranty, and this even covers you in the event that the light is stolen or damaged by power.
It’s highly durable and effective too. Its drawbacks seem irrelevant in comparison to all of the great features it has on offer.
Pros
- Durable
- Easy to set up
- Ideal for bigger safes
Cons
- The kit can be a little bit expensive - not ideal if you’re on a budget
RUNNER UP
Electric powered gun safe lighting can be a little troublesome when you don’t have a power hole installed in your gun safe.
In this circumstance, getting gun safe lighting that’s powered by battery is pretty convenient. The Liberty Safe Brightview is a battery powered light - all you need is 3 AAA batteries for it to run!
The light consists of two 8 inch LED light strips. With this, you will have 6 incredibly bright white LED lights, and these are controlled by a motion sensor that activates when you’re nearby. The lights have mounting pins that you can install fairly easily.
They’re very secure too, so you don’t need to worry about your lights falling off your safe. One of the biggest concerns when it comes to battery operated gun safes, however, is the battery life.
Will it hold up for as long as you need it to? Thankfully, we’re pleased to support that this lighting kit has an impressive battery life of around three months!
Not only that, but this is a very affordable light. You won’t need to break the bank to buy this lighting kit, thankfully! There’s so much to love here that it’s sure to be a great asset to you.
Of course, it should be noted that the motion detection isn’t the best because the sensors need at least a tiny bit of ambient light for them to work correctly.
Pros
- Affordable
- Decent battery life
- Good choice for liberty safes
Cons
- Motion detection isn’t the best
RUNNER UP
Our last pick on this list is the Kuled lighting kit. It’s a fantastic choice for pretty much any sort of gun safe you can imagine, with a bunch of fantastic features.
The lighting kit features a 3 pack of 7.5 inch LED lights, and it operates on just 4 AAA batteries.
The lighting is actually pretty bright, with an output of 80 lumens. It has a motion sensor, and you can mount it with either adhesive strips or with magnets.
The lights are highly affordable, and because there are 3 lights included in the set you can even use them to light up other things in the home, such as cabinets.
These lights are pretty affordable and highly versatile, ideal for any part of the house instead of just for your gun safe.
However, it should be noted that the battery life is pretty poor - the batteries can burn out within around 2 weeks so you will need to change them very regularly.
Pros
- Affordable
- Ideal for other functions
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Battery life isn’t the best
Best Gun Safe Lighting Buying Guide
When it comes to buying lighting for a gun safe, buying just anything simply won’t cut it. You need to make sure that you make the right choice for you and your gun safe.
But where do you even start? Here are a couple of things that you should consider before buying your gun safe lighting.
Light Source
There are two main types of lights that you will find for gun safes: LED and CFL bulbs. They’re both great options, but what you choose will depend on your personal preferences and needs.
CFL light bulbs are pretty bright, and thankfully they don’t consume anywhere near as much power as LED lights do.
The issue is that they can be pretty large bulbs, so they are going to take up quite a bit of space inside of your space. This can obviously be an issue if you don’t have a lot of room in your safe, especially if the safe has a lot of racks and shelves.
Alternatively you can opt for an LED strip light. They cost less money to buy and they’re much smaller than CFL light bulbs. You can install them pretty much anywhere you want inside of the gun safe, and they generally tend to last longer too.
Unfortunately, there is a big issue with LED lights. If one of the LEDs ends up malfunctioning, the entire strip needs to be switched out which can be a little inconvenient.
Power Source
Before you buy your gun safe lights, you need to consider what power they need. You can mainly choose between AC or DC power. In short, AC power is the electricity that comes from your home’s power supply.
To use an AC light, you will need to ensure that you have an internal power outlet. These are a good choice if you intend to open the gun safe quite frequently.
Alternatively, you can opt for things like batteries. These are pretty handy if you have no means of connecting to an internal power outlet or you don’t have an outlet nearby. You can’t use batteries for motion sensors though, only switch based lights.
The batteries can lose power much more quickly if the lights are on all the time, which can get pretty expensive. They are a good choice if you have a waterproof or fire proof gun safe.
Operation
How do you turn the gun safe lighting on? There are a few different kinds of ways to turn your gun safe lighting on and off. Switches are the most popular way of operating the lights, though some manufacturers have employed more up to date technology such as motion sensors.
If you have a room that’s already pretty bright then you may not need to turn on your gun safe lights, which can save a little bit of power.
With that being said, switches can be positioned in awkward places, making them difficult to reach. This can be a bit problematic when you’re in an emergency situation.
In this situation, a motion sensor is definitely the best choice. In an emergency, all you need to do is run your hand past the sensor to turn it on. You also don’t need to panic that you’ve left the light on when you aren’t using it.
The light could give away your location to an intruder though, no matter what option you use.
Mounting
It’s important to think about how you will set up the light inside of the gun safe. There are a range of options out there, including screws, adhesives or magnets.
Magnets are probably a decent option for mounting things such as switches, battery packs and motion sensors, but they can snag and shift when you put things in and out of the safe.
If you’re mounting a light, then it’s best to opt for screws. They are sturdy and will help to make sure that the lights don’t move, no matter what the situation is. Sadly screws can require a lot more effort to install. It’s going to be a lot harder to take them down to change bulbs if they malfunction later on.
You could also opt for adhesives. These are very easy to use and they are just as effective. All you need to do is put the lights into the right position, remove the adhesive and then stick them right into place. They’re very strong and they’re easy to remove if you need to take them down.
Brightness
The amount of light that you will need will depend on your needs. You will usually find that lighting is measured in lumens. So for instance, a room measuring around 250 square feet is going to need around 5000 lumens of light.
What about if you’re lighting a safe? In this instance, you will probably need around 1000 - 2500 lumens, though this depends on the size of the safe. A 25W LED bulb should normally be sufficient. You will also need more lights if you have a few shelves inside of the safe.
Durability
The durability of your gun safe lighting is an important aspect to consider. You don’t want to have to replace your gun safe lighting every five minutes because it’s not durable enough.
You should check that the lights feature a durable frame that can last, and check other reviews online to see if other customers have had any durability concerns with your product of choice.
Budget
Before you buy any kind of product, you always want to check that it’s within your budget, right? It’s pretty easy to spend far more than you need to when it comes to gun safe lighting.
It’s also easy to spend next to no money on a product that doesn’t actually fulfill its purpose. It’s worth setting a reasonable budget before you start looking for your lighting, considering all of the features that you absolutely must have in a lighting kit.
It should be noted that if you want things such as motion sensors it may cost you more money, so you need to think about this before you set your budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it necessary to have lighting for my gun safe?
In theory, it’s absolutely not necessary to have lighting for your gun safe. Perhaps your safe is already plenty bright enough or you have stellar night vision.
With that being said, having lighting for your gun safe is a good idea. Ultimately, it means that you’re a lot safer when you’re rummaging in the safe. It also helps with organization.
Is it possible to use gun safe lights for the rest of my house?
The short answer to this question is yes. While it is true that gun safe lights generally are designed for use inside of a gun safe, it’s totally possible to use them in pretty much any other part of the house that you need to light.
You just need to make sure that you set them up properly. They’re actually pretty versatile as a whole.
How can I attach my gun safe lights to my safe?
Mounting your gun safe is actually pretty easy! You can usually attach the lighting onto the safe by sticking it on or mounting it with screws or magnets. This can be done pretty quickly too.
To install your gun safe lighting, you should follow the manufacturer’s guide to tell you what to do with your specific model.
If this isn’t particularly useful, there’s also information online on videos that should be able to help, or you can check the manufacturer’s website.