WHAT IS SAFEX®?
SafeX® Security System is a patented anti-pry locking system built into every safe Rhino Metals sells. Instead of sliding bolts behind the door frame, wide flanged anchor studs are built into the frame itself and pass into the door when it closes. Turning the handle drives a thick steel locking plate behind the rim of those studs, interlocking the door and the body of the safe together.
That difference matters because of how safes actually get opened. Not picked. Not drilled. Pried.
Why Conventional Locking Systems Fail
Traditional flat military-type bars and round bolt systems rely entirely on the integrity of the outer door frame. The bolts extend from the door and slide behind that frame. It looks reassuring from the inside, and it works perfectly well right up until someone attacks the seam.
Lever the body of the safe away from the door and the geometry collapses. The bolts are still extended. The frame they were relying on has simply moved. At that point the locking system has nothing left to hold onto, and the door opens with the bolts fully thrown.
Our own independent testing found this is not a rare edge case. Many of the most popular gun safes sold today, particularly those priced around $2,500 or less, can be opened in a few minutes with basic hand tools by someone who has never seen the inside of one.
Both diagrams show the same failure. The bolts never break. The frame just stops being where they need it to be.
How SafeX® Works
SafeX® reverses the relationship. The anchor studs are not on the door. They are wide flanged studs built into the safe's own door frame, and when the door closes they protrude into it.
Inside the door, turning the handle activates a thick steel locking plate. That plate travels behind the rim of each anchor stud, so the door and the body are mechanically interlocked rather than merely overlapped. Prying the body away from the door no longer separates the two. It pulls them tighter against the locking plate.
The SafeX® Security System: anchor studs built into the frame, captured by a steel locking plate inside the door.
A second benefit, less obvious. SafeX® uses external hinges. Internal hinges create a hotspot in the door frame during a fire, because the hinge body interrupts the fire lining. Moving the hinges outside allows full coverage fire lining all the way around the frame, so the same design that resists prying also blocks heat more effectively.
SafeX® Compared To Conventional Systems
| Flat bar or round bolt | SafeX® | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the studs live | N/A; Bolts/bars slide behind frame | Built into the door frame itself |
| How the door is held | Overlap only | Mechanically interlocked |
| Under a pry attack | Frame moves, bolts lose anchoring | Locking plate captures the stud rims |
| Door to frame gap | Separates under load | Separation sharply limited |
| Hinge type | Commonly internal | External, full fire lining coverage |
Which Rhino Safes Have SafeX®
All of them! SafeX® is a standard locking system on every safe Rhino Metals sells. It is not an upgrade, an option, or a feature reserved for the premium safe products
Kodiak and Longhorn Series are Rhino Metals products, not separate companies. They are our imported lines, built to our specifications, and carry the same patented SafeX® Security System as the products we build in Caldwell, Idaho. A Kodiak and Longhorn are Rhino safes.
Common Questions About SafeX®
What is the SafeX® Security System?
SafeX® is Rhino Metals' patented anti-pry locking system. Wide flanged anchor studs are built into the safe's door frame, and a thick steel locking plate inside the door engages behind the rim of those studs when the handle is turned, interlocking the door to the body.
How is SafeX® different from regular locking bolts?
Regular bolts extend from the door and slide behind the door frame, so they depend on that frame staying in place. SafeX® puts the studs in the frame and captures them with a locking plate in the door, so prying the body away tightens the interlock instead of defeating it.
Do Kodiak safes have SafeX®?
Yes, Rhino Metals safes under the Kodiak Series include SafeX®. This patented locking system is also included in Rhino Metals' Thunderbolt, Lightning, Raptor, Falcon and Longhorn Series.
Is SafeX® an upgrade or does it cost extra?
Neither. SafeX® is standard on every safe we sell, at every price point.
Does SafeX® affect fire protection?
Yes, favorably. SafeX® uses external hinges, which removes the hotspot that internal hinges create in the door frame and allows full coverage fire lining around the entire frame.
See It For Yourself
Every Rhino Metals safe comes with the SafeX® as a standard locking system.
Shop Gun SafesSafeX®, Rhino™, Rhino Metals™, Kodiak®, Longhorn® and Ironworks® are registered trademarks of Rhino Metals, Inc., Caldwell, Idaho. Pry-resistance findings are based on Rhino Metals' own comparative testing of competitor safes. Last updated October 2026.
SAFEX® vs. The Other Guys