[REVIEW] VARA Safety Reach Biometric Safe / Holster

VARA Safety is a new company with a new industry-first product; Reach. It’s category doesn’t quite have a name, because it’s the first of it’s kind. Essentially, it’s a safe/holster combination, utilizing the latest in biometric technology.

You can see what we covered previously on the Reach here.

Here’s what the VARA Safety website has to say about the Reach;

Reach is a new generation of firearm safety designed for families. It is engineered for immediate access and security to help provide better protection for homes.

• Weight: 2.35 lb
• Boxed size: 7”x8”x3”
• Power supply: Universal 100-240V
• Biometric reaction time: ~0.5 secs
• Comes with a charging mount and holster insert of your choice
• Will be CA DOJ compliant

WHAT IS IT

Reach isn’t a holster or a safe, but acts like a combination of both. It’s a device that secures a handgun, while still giving any authorized users quick access. It’s main function, to me, would be to mount it on a night stand next to the bed.

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The fingerprint pad is positioned in a way that your thumb will naturally go to when reaching for your firearm.

CONSTRUCTION

The body is made from aircraft-grade aluminum, and the cuts and construction look very refined.

The base, as well as the sleeves that hold the firearm, are made from injection-molded abs polymer. This polymer is high-impact and very durable.

The entirety of the product is beautiful, and blends in nicely with it’s modern look and feel.

IN THE BOX

• Reach biometric safe unit
• Holster Insert (handgun model)
• Product User Guide Mechanical
• Override key
• Charging Mount w/ hardware
• Power supply with 5 foot cable
• 1 Year Standard Warranty
• 30-day Easy Return Policy

VARA Safety Reach User Guide

BIOMETRICS

Touting access to your firearm in half a second, the unit doesn’t disappoint. However, when technology meets firearms, many gun owners are not quick to accept.

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This is a special case for me, because biometrics and fingerprint readers have come so far. The use of this idea outweighs any potential errors, for me.

The unit can store a total of 5 users, or 5 registered fingerprints. There is also a ‘master’ user, which is needed to add additional users.

During the videos that I completed for the review (at the top of this article), I had 1 fail of the fingerprint reader out of dozens. I chalk it up to user error, because my thumb was misaligned while trying to contort to look at the camera. Still, I didn’t want any cuts in the video while unlocking multiple times.

With that said, any user should treat the Reach just like they would a new holster; Practice with it. Get a feel for how it operates, go through the paces just as you would when holstering and drawing your firearm from it’s holster. It doesn’t take long to get to a high level of confidence with the Reach.

FIREARM COMPATIBILITY

The ‘sleeves’ are what we’re looking at here. It’s the part of the Reach that will house the firearm, securing it until you need it. Varioius sleeves are available, depending on the make and model handgun you’re looking to use with the unit.

For mine, they sent me a sleeve for a Glock 26. However, this one sleeve will accommodate all double-stack Glock handguns. Translation: I don’t need to buy extra sleeves for my 5 double-stack Glock’s that I have.

The healthy list of compatible handguns, so far, is as follows;

• Glocks 19 / 19X / 23 / 45 / 26 / 27 / 17 / 22 / 34 / 35 / 21 / 20 / 30 / 30S / 29 / 31 / 32 / 33 / 37 / 38 / 39
• 1911 (no rails) – Springfield 1911 / Colt 1911 / Ruger 1911 / Sig 1911 / Taurus 1911 / Kimber 1911 / S&W 1911
• CZ 75 / SP-01 / P-01
• Glocks 42 / 43 / 43X
• H&K VP9 / VP9SK / VP40 / VP40SK
• Ruger LC9 / LC9S / EC9S
• S&W M&P 9 / M&P 40 / M&P 45 / M&P 9 M2.0 / M&P 40 M2.0 / M&P 45 M2.0
• S&W M&P 9 Shield / M&P 40 Shield / M&P 45 Shield / M&P 9 Shield M2.0 / M&P 40 Shield M2.0 / M&P 45 Shield M2.0
• Sig P320 / P320 Carry / P320 Compact / P320 M17 / P320 X-Series / P250
• Sig P365
• Springfield XD 9 / XD 40 / XD 45 / XD 9 Mod 2 / XD 40 Mod 2 / XD 45 Mod 2 / XDM 9 / XDM 40 / XDM 45 / XDM 10
• Springfield XDS 9 / XDS 40 / XDS 45
• Walther PPQ / PPQ M2 / PPS / PPS M2

WHO NEEDS IT

The ideal candidates for a Reach would be a household with children, or have other people in the home that shouldn’t have access to your firearm.

Another ideal candidate would be someone who wants to keep their firearm close by at night, secured, but still wants extremely quick access.

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I go a little further in the video about stating my case for anyone who keeps a handgun close to them while they sleep.

Take this scenario as an example: Let’s say you keep a handgun in your nightstand drawer. If you needed to get to it quickly, how many seconds would it take you to open the drawer, grab your firearm, and have it ready to go? Probably a few.

With Reach, as soon as your thumb hits the reader, the firearm will literally be placed in your hand in half a second, just as if you were drawing from a holster. All the while staying secure from unauthorized access.

Another popular location seems to be the vehicle. Mounts are available for vehicles, between the driver seat and center console, which could be practical in certain situations. There are a few hurtles here, such as concealed carry laws that vary by state.

If you have a large enough center console, this might be a good option as well. I drive a Jeep Wrangler, and the center console would accommodate such a device.

SAVE WITH OUR DISCOUNT

During pre-orders, you can save 10% with our special coupon code ‘CNATION’. To take advantage of this special savings, click here.

PRICE

The current MSRP is $299, and units will begin shipping on August 31st 2019. With our exclusive coupon code ‘CNATION’, you can take home a Reach for $269.

EXCLUSIVE: Save 10% on your VARA Safety Reach with coupon code ‘CNATION’. Click here to get this offer.

CONCLUSION

Reach is a project that we have stood behind for over a year, and is the first product that Concealed Nation has ever officially endorsed. Keeping that in mind, this review is straight-forward and truthful. We want to see this product be successful, but also understand the importance of providing our readers with honest opinions and reviews.

Backing a product is not something that we take lightly, and are confident in our decision to align with the folks at VARA Safety, because we believe in their ideas and technology.

For the real conclusion;

The VARA Safety Reach has benefits for nearly every gun owner, in many different applications. This device, priced relative to the technology that you’d be receiving, is going to kick off a process of making gun owners safer with great technology. Of course it’s not something for everyone, but one thing is absolutely for sure; it will save lives.