CP Reviews - License Plate Safe

Let’s face it, paddlers park their car and then are on the water for hours at a time. We need a place to store our key after locking the car. Over the years, I have relied on realtor combo locks and always left a key waiting for me. In a pinch, I have hidden keys somewhere in the vehicle and hoped no one saw me do it. And I have used magnetic key boxes that snap to the car, but are also susceptible to theft or falling off. And if you are like me, having a spare key always locked up but accessible means I won’t ever get locked out of my car! So many times I have been saved  from this scenario. But each of these solutions has short-comings. Is there a place to store the lock. Is it secured to the vehicle? Is it weatherproof? Does it fit my contents? And with my recent upgrade to an actual modern car that doesn't have a tape-deck and roll-up windows, I needed to figure out storing my FOB so that the car didn’t sense it’s RFID and unlock due to its proximity.

Enter License Plate Safe!

I was getting new cross-bar racks on my car (thanks Rack-It!) for my beloved Good-Boy OC1 Vbars, and asked them what folks do who want to stash a key or FOB? They shared with me they had heard about a product that replaced your normal plastic license plate frame with one that opened up to show a hidden safe compartment. After a little searching I found it. And it seemed to address my needs.

I reached out to the company, inquired about my vehicle and they assured me it would fit. I asked if they might be willing to offer a discount code to my readers if I did a review on CaliPaddler.com and they agreed. So if you end up liking the product after this review and want one for yourself, go to https://LicensePlateSafe.com/CaliPaddler and use discount code CaliPaddler for 10% off your order!

Check out our video unboxing and review as well as the article below.

Anyways, back to the review. I got the item 3 days after placing my order, which was shipped USPS from Arizona to California (shipping is free in the continental US). It came in a black box and after opening it up found it had all the mounting hardware I might need, the unit itself, a faraday pouch for key FOB (more on this below), and a QR Code for installation tips. The unit immediately struck me as solid. I mean its called a safe and that is what this feels like when you give it a good inspection. Solid metal. Website claims it is weatherproof which is good because I intend to store my phone, keys and fob in it and don’t want anything to get wet. Right away I noticed the rubber cover on the combination lock was not watertight however. It probably would be fine, but over time I would want to make sure the combination lock doesn’t rust and become inoperable. My realtor locks in the past never rusted but salt air corrosion would sometimes build up on the combo lock numbers and make them hard to turn. WD-40 always fixed it. And this might require the same after a few years. Not sure. The cover also took a little pressure to push in to latch closed each use. I got pretty good at it after the third use and it is no longer something I think about.

I went out to the car and installed the unit within minutes. Super easy, basically just like you would a license plate, the unit screws into your car. The only difference is the screws are hidden when it is closed and locked. Slide your actual plate into a side slot opening which is also only accessible when unlocked and open and then close the door. Spin the combination to something other than your chosen code and it locks. Set the code to be correct and it is openable again. As simple as it gets.

After initially installing the unit on my car front I decided I wanted it on the back. It is about 1-1.5 inches deep and I didn’t like how it stuck on on my car’s front design. So, a couple minutes go by and I have it quickly on the back now. I was a little nervous it might clock the rearview camera based on where the two reside, but it was a non-issue for me. So the back is where it now lives!

I easily changed the lock combination to a number of my choosing, instead of the factory default zero’s it came to me with. Which was well explained in the website instructions. At this point, everything was super smooth.

When open there is a little area at the bottom that acts like a handy shelf for items to sit within and not fall to the ground. My phone, wallet keys and FOB all fit. With room for bigger items if needed but not sure what that might be (a prized CD perhaps?). Basically the size of a license plate and 1” deep is the useable space inside. One more really cool thing included, and this was an absolute problem solver for me, was an RFID Faraday pouch that blocks my FOB bluetooth signal to the car. New cars sense the proximity of the FOB now, and will automatically unlock when you open the car if it is nearby. Awesome feature to not have to fish your keys out of the pocket or purse to get in with full hands. But when it comes to hiding your keys this creates a real problem. If your car isn’t locked, there is no need to even hide your keys! The included faraday pouch worked great for me however and I was able to have the FOB stored in the locked safe and not able to open any doors when locked.

I have used the unit about 5 times now, and am super stoked on it.

The cost. So I am as cheap and frugal as it gets. (Did I mention until recently I have cars with tape decks?) So the only thing that gave me pause about ordering this was the price. They sell on their website for $129.00. Now when I think about the cost of a locksmith, the cost of AAA Membership, the cost of stolen valuables, (or the price of a stolen car!), they all give me perspective on costs. And suddenly the amount is a lot more reasonable. Upon seeing the quality of the unit also helped me feel good about the purchase. This is not some cheap plastic box from Amazon. And having real people when I reached out was nice too. In the past I paid $50 bucks every few years for realtor locks that eventually wore out and this had more features. So when I did the numbers, if this lasts a few years, I will be paying about the same. Free shipping and no tax (they are in Arizona) was also nice. The one thing that I was really stoked on however was the discount code they offered to extend to Cali Paddlers. If you go to https://LicensePlateSafe.com/CaliPaddler and use discount code CaliPaddler they will give you 10% off your order! So all that said, out the door the unit arrives at $116.10. Every bit counts for this frugal paddler. After all, I have races to register for!

Summary

If you can swing the purchase, I don’t see a better option out there. This safely stores your phone, wallet, keys and FOB, includes the FOB blocking pouch, and is discrete for an additional benefit. It is made of sturdy metal, was super easy to install, and looks great. The combo cover would be nice to see improved and I was told they are always looking to improve the product so who knows, they might upgrade that by the time I publish this review! The unit now lives on my car and will be there for many paddles and beach days to come.

4.5/5 Golden State Stars!

Pros

• Big enough to store key(s), fob with pouch, phone, and wallet.
• Comes with FOB Faraday Pouch to block RFID signal.
• Discreet design does not scream “I’m a safe”.
•  Mounting screws are only accessible when open.
• Durable! Made of metal and appears to be weather/water safe and website claims as much for contents!
• Super easy to install. Same as putting on your plate.
• Comes with mounting screw hardware if needed.
• Free Shipping.
• Can keep spare key/FOB/contents at all times so you are never locked out, can coordinate with other paddlers for point-to-point days, and can leave your main key etc. locked inside the vehicle so it doesn’t risk getting wet.
• Bonus is your License plate can’t be stolen in case this is a problem in your neighborhood, (screws are only accessible when open).

Cons

• Combo dust cover is not watertight and doesn’t perfectly cover the combo lock.
• Cost. $129.00 (cheaper with “CaliPaddler” 10% discount code at https://licenseplatesafe.com/calipaddler) is not a small investment. But if you factor in potential costs of having keys made when stolen, possible car and valuables theft, it is easier to stomach. Plus the quality of this unit is really impressive. Not some crappy plastic box.
  

Additional observations

• Really like the idea that this looks just like a plain black license plate frame.
  
• My car only had two screw holes to attach, so unit reverberates if I slam my hatchback. This however is not the fault of the product which has 4 screw holes and mounting hardware and is not an issue of stability any other time.
• Sticks out an inch which “might” be a problem fitting into those tiny beach parking spots.
  
• My rear-view camera had no issues being blocked.
  
• This replaces your existing License Plate Frame (which for me was a Cali Paddler frame. ☹ Good thing I put it on the front instead. 😊)
  
• Could it be broken open? I have no idea, but perhaps someone with a crowbar or huge screwdriver could pry it open or cut the metal with lock cutters. But if they were willing to make such a scene, they could just as easily break a window and probably not be any more attention getting. And like I said, I am not sure if either of those tools would even do the job. I wasn’t willing to break my unit and test that.
  

The alternatives and why they didn't solve our problems...

• Hide/stash key in wheel well – key is not always present if you lock yourself out, and can be seen by others. Let’s be honest, every time we go this route we are asking for trouble. Thieves know this trick and post up in beach parking lots to watch and check.
• Magnetic Boxes - Cars today are built with lots of plastic and so magnetic lock boxes don’t always have places to reliably snap and stay. Plus if I am driving, I would worry it might fall off if I hit a bump.
• Realtor Box – This was my go-to for years! That said, using a realtor lock box requires a place to hang the unit and cars do not always offer this. Including my new car. Also these realtor locks are small and may not have the space to fit an FRID blocking FOB pouch and phone/wallet.
• Hitch Lock – This is great if you have a hitch installed. But if you don’t, you are out of luck. Plus these are very small and can’t fit a BlueTooth blocking FOB pouch.