Quick answer: pick the SentrySafe SFW123GDC if you want a UL-classified fire rating and an ETL water-resistance figure at a mid-tier price for a desk or closet; step up to the Honeywell 2116 only if you need the larger 2.35 cubic foot interior and are willing to pay a premium-tier price and accept a manufacturer-stated, not third-party UL-verified, 2-hour fire claim.
Where These Two Fireproof Safes Actually Diverge
SentrySafe and Honeywell are both long-established security brands sold directly through Amazon and major retailers, and neither model in this comparison is a niche or unbranded listing. The split between them comes down to three things: certification pedigree, interior capacity, and price band, not brand reputation.
The SentrySafe SFW123GDC carries a UL Classified fire rating, meaning an independent testing lab verified the 1-hour, 1700-degree figure printed on the box. It pairs that with an ETL-verified water rating covering 24 hours of protection in up to 8 inches of water, a specific and independently checked number rather than a vague "water resistant" claim. At 1.23 cubic feet and roughly 90 pounds, it is sized for a closet shelf or desk footprint, not a dedicated safe room. For a deeper look at how it stacks up against a different fireproof brand, see our SentrySafe vs First Alert comparison.
The Honeywell 2116 trades certification rigor for raw capacity. Honeywell states a 2-hour, 1850-degree fire rating for the 2116, but that figure comes from the manufacturer's own documentation rather than a UL classification confirmed for this specific model this run, so it should be read as directional rather than lab-verified in the same way the SentrySafe's rating is. What the Honeywell does deliver without ambiguity is size: a 2.35 cubic foot interior, nearly double the SentrySafe, inside a 295.5 pound body with dual digital and key locking and a water-resistant door and cabinet seal. That weight and price put it closer to a small home safe than a document box; if fire rating for hard drives specifically is the priority rather than raw volume, our fireproof safe for hard drives and SSDs guide covers media-specific ratings this pair does not address.
The SentrySafe SFW123GDC
The SentrySafe SFW123GDC is a 1.23 cubic foot digital-lock fire and water safe built for legal and letter-size documents, external drives, and small valuables.
- Fire rating: UL Classified for 1 hour at up to 1700 degrees Fahrenheit, independently verified rather than manufacturer-claimed only.
- Water rating: ETL Verified for 24 hours of protection in up to 8 inches of water.
- Lock type: Backlit digital keypad with a secondary mechanical key.
- Capacity and weight: 1.23 cubic feet interior, approximately 90 pounds.
- Price band: Mid-tier, meaningfully below the Honeywell.
The Honeywell 2116
The Honeywell 2116 is a larger-format steel security safe built for households that need more interior room than a document box provides.
- Fire rating: Manufacturer-rated for 2 hours at up to 1850 degrees Fahrenheit. Treat this as Honeywell's own figure rather than an independently confirmed UL classification for this model.
- Water resistance: Water-resistant door and cabinet seal; no independently verified submersion duration is published, so it is not a direct match for the SentrySafe's ETL figure.
- Lock type: Dual digital and key lock with an LCD display panel.
- Capacity and weight: 2.35 cubic feet interior, 295.5 pounds.
- Price band: Premium tier, well above the SentrySafe.
Fire Rating, Water Rating, and Capacity Side by Side
| Feature | SentrySafe SFW123GDC | Honeywell 2116 |
|---|---|---|
| Fire rating | UL Classified, 1 hour / 1700°F | Manufacturer-rated, 2 hours / 1850°F |
| Water rating | ETL Verified, 24 hr / 8 in submersion | Water-resistant seal, no published duration |
| Lock type | Digital keypad, backup key | Dual digital and key, LCD display |
| Interior capacity | 1.23 cu ft | 2.35 cu ft |
| Weight | ~90 lbs | 295.5 lbs |
| Price | $$ | $$$$ |
| Link | View | View |
Price tiers are approximate. $ = under $50, $$ = $50 to 150, $$$ = $150 to 300, $$$$ = over $300. Tap any link for the current Amazon price.
The Buying Decision, Room by Room
Buy the SentrySafe if you want the more rigorously verified fire and water numbers at a price that fits a home office budget. Its 1.23 cubic foot interior comfortably holds a stack of legal documents, a passport, and a couple of external drives, and the ETL water rating is a real advantage if your storage spot is a basement or garage with flood risk. It is also the better starting point if you are weighing fireproof storage against a dedicated document safe; our fireproof safes for documents comparison covers several other document-focused picks in the same price range.
Buy the Honeywell if the extra interior volume is the deciding factor and the higher price and 295.5 pound weight are acceptable for a permanent placement. It suits a household that needs to store binders, a laptop, and jewelry together rather than a single folder of documents, and the dual digital-and-key lock adds a layer the SentrySafe's single keypad does not have. Just budget for professional installation given the weight, and do not treat the 2-hour rating as lab-equivalent to the SentrySafe's UL classification.
Neither model is built for firearm storage. If you also need to secure a handgun or long gun alongside fireproof document storage, treat that as a separate purchase; our best biometric gun safe comparison covers dedicated firearm storage that these document-focused safes are not designed for.
What Buyers Report About Each Brand
Themes pulled from public product documentation, retailer listings, and active home-security and personal-finance forums (/r/homedefense, /r/personalfinance) as of September 2026:
- SentrySafe's digital keypad is the most-cited convenience feature. Owners across multiple SentrySafe models describe the backlit keypad and interior light as easy to use in a dark closet, and note the mechanical backup key as reassurance if the battery dies.
- Honeywell's larger safes draw comments about delivery and placement, not the lock itself. A safe in the 300-pound class arrives via freight rather than standard parcel in many cases, and buyers report needing a hand truck or a second person to move it into its final spot.
- Fire-rating confusion is a recurring theme across the fireproof safe category generally. Buyers of both brands and others report assuming a "2-hour" or "fireproof" label means the same thing as a UL Classified rating, when it may be a manufacturer's own internal test standard. Checking whether a rating is UL Classified versus company-stated is worth the extra minute before buying either brand.
- Anchor bolting matters even for a heavier document safe. A 90-pound SentrySafe is still liftable by two people; owners who bolt it to a closet floor report more peace of mind than weight alone provides. Our guide to bolting a safe to concrete covers anchor hardware that applies to document safes as well as gun safes.
These notes are aggregated from public product documentation and forum discussion. Safe Picked does not own or test the products listed and does not make first-person claims about hands-on use.
Jacob’s read on this category
The trap in fireproof safe shopping is treating every printed fire-rating number as equally trustworthy. A UL Classified rating means a third-party lab actually burned the safe and measured the interior temperature; a manufacturer-stated rating means the company ran its own test to its own standard, which can still be accurate but has not been checked by anyone outside the company. The SentrySafe here has the independently verified number; the Honeywell has the bigger box and the company's own number. Neither fact makes one safe bad, but a buyer choosing based on "2 hours beats 1 hour" without knowing which number is independently verified is comparing two different kinds of claim as if they were the same measurement.
SentrySafe and Honeywell Questions
Which has the better fire rating, the SentrySafe or the Honeywell?
The SentrySafe SFW123GDC carries a UL Classified rating of 1 hour at up to 1700 degrees Fahrenheit. The Honeywell 2116 is manufacturer-rated for 2 hours at up to 1850 degrees Fahrenheit, a company-stated figure rather than an independently confirmed UL classification for this model. The SentrySafe's number is the more externally verified one, even though it covers less time.
Which is cheaper, the SentrySafe or the Honeywell?
The SentrySafe SFW123GDC sits in the mid-tier price band. The Honeywell 2116 sits well into the premium tier. Check the current Amazon price on each listing before buying.
Are either of these safes waterproof?
The SentrySafe SFW123GDC carries an ETL-verified rating for 24 hours of protection in up to 8 inches of water. The Honeywell 2116 has a water-resistant door and cabinet seal but no published independently verified submersion duration.
Which safe should I buy for a home office versus long-term storage?
The SentrySafe fits a desk or closet at 90 pounds and a lower price. The Honeywell's 295.5 pound weight and larger 2.35 cubic foot interior suit a dedicated storage room where the higher price and permanent placement are worth the extra space.
Sourcing Behind This Fire-Rating Comparison
Both listings link to live Amazon pages that ship within the United States. Specs and certification claims were checked against manufacturer documentation and multiple independent retailer pages for each model. Where a fire or water figure came only from the manufacturer's own materials rather than an independently verified test body, that distinction is called out explicitly above rather than presented as equivalent to a third-party classification.
If you spot a product that has been discontinued or a price that is stale by more than 15 percent, let us know.