What do you think of "The HitchSafe"?

click_here!!!

Hi,
I don't know much about cars or hitches.

I was browsing the net recently and I saw this cool tool. It's made by an American company, and it allows you to store your keys in a small combination safe attached to the hitch of your vehicle.

It's more secure than leaving your keys under a rock or under the wheel or whatever, which is what my Dad does now. It'd be useful to surfers/beach people also, I'd imagine.

Review:

HitchSafe Key Vault
I do a lot of outdoor stuff like fishing, hunting, diving, etc and when I leave my car I am always trying to figure out what to do with my keys. In the past I had three places I hid the keys but I never felt really comfortable about it. I never liked taking keys with me because I worried too much that I might lose them. I used to be able to take them diving, but now that most keys have electronics attached, it has made it impossible.



I recently discovered the HitchSafe, an attachment that slides into my tow hitch that has a compartment that can hold credit cards, drivers licenses, keys, etc. The hitch has four dials on the drawer allowing you to create a custom unlock combination. And it comes with a cover that conceals the HitchSafe.



I recently bought a second for my wife as she is always getting locked out of her car and so she now keeps her spare key in there. In the past she has tried those magnetic boxes that stick to the underside of the car, but they kept falling off and it was hard for her to find it, let alone reach underneath and grab it.

This is exactly the kind of tool I wish I had thought of.

-- John Davis
HitchSafe Key Vault
$65 (Roughly €45.45 before delivery, forex commission, etc).

Available from Amazon.com (US site).
Manufactured by HitchSafe

YouTube review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NbH8e966JY

Will it work with Irish hitches?
According to the manufacturer's FAQ:

The HitchSafe fits all standard 2" hitch receivers (does not fit the 1-1/4" receivers that are not very common) with the following exceptions:

Toyota Tacoma 05-07 and 07 Tundra has an extra band of metal around the receiver and requires longer bolts.
05 Toyota Forerunner- some, not all OEM factory hitches have rounded corners on the receivers which is resolved by slightly filing off each corner on the HitchSafe.

Also:

• Do you think this product is a good buy?
• Do you think the price is a bit expensive at €45 plus delivery and other charges?
• On the other hand, wouldn't loosing your keys and replacing them be more expensive + inconvenient?
• My calculations about how safe the lock is:
  It's a combination lock with 10000 combinations. On average you would need 5000 tries to get the right combination. If it takes approx 5 seconds to go through each, then you would need nearly 7 hours on average to get the right code. This makes it pretty damn secure.

My Dad's birthday is in two months, so I was wondering would this be a good gift? He'd probably either use it on a Ford Transit or a Skoda Octavia. As far as I know, the hitch types of both vehicles are the same.

Thank-you.

red menace

If he uses the hitch regularly prob not so good.

click_here!!!

Actually, I don't think it's compatible with normal hitches: this installation instruction video shows a completely different hitch, I think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZNNDO_t9Iw

alias no.9

Get a spare key blade cut to fit your car, without the electronic bits. Leave the proper set hidden in the car. Use the spare in the lock on the door or boot to open and lock the car. Hang the spare key on a chain around your neck, or strapped to your wrist. Problem solved for €10.