In this magical place, thieves would never break into our homes or workplaces, fires would never get out of control, and we would never misplace a family heirloom or, say, a birth certificate. In the real world, safes are a necessity for any home or business that cares about protecting valuables against theft, damage, or loss.
Archaeologists have discovered safes in ancient ruins all around the world and in many a sunken ship. And while the first modern safes were brought to us by a company called Chubb Locks in , not too much has changed in the way of their design, save for digital touchpads.
Today known as Chubbsafes, the company remains in business. But now they have a lot of competition, which is good news because there's no shortage of affordable safes out there.
Below, we highlight the various styles, sizes, and prices, narrowing down the best safes for every type of need. If you have ever stayed in a hotel with a compact safe in the closet, you have seen a unit about the same size as the AmazonBasics 0. Thanks to the low cost of this line of safes, now you can enjoy the same level of security that hotels offer in your own bedroom, office, or anywhere else you need to keep valuables under lock and key — or, in this case, keypad.
The safe is operated using an easily programmed numeric touchpad, though a backup key can open it as well. Inside the Security Safe, you'll find a shelf splitting the storage space into two sections, the bottom one being carpeted to protect against scratches. This design makes the safe ideal for a couple that shares it, or for keeping items separated and sorted.
You could use the lower half for jewelry and watches, while the top shelf could hold cash, documents, or even a firearm. The AmazonBasics Security Safe comes with mounting hardware included, so you can easily bolt it to the floor, the wall, a shelf, or anywhere else you want to secure it. Just note that while rugged and durable and a great way to protect possessions against theft, this safe is not rated as waterproof or fireproof.
Pros: Fire-resistant, compact and easy to conceal or transport, easy-to-use key lock. It's not a Fort-Knox-level security device. And in fact, a criminal with half a brain is just going to carry the thing away and crack it open later. If you need a place to keep some cash, passports, a few pieces of jewelry, and some irreplaceable mementos, this affordable lockbox is a great choice.
This is why my wife and I keep one of these very safes tucked away in a place that will go unmentioned. It can protect its contents from blazes reaching temperatures as high as 1, degrees Fahrenheit for more than a half-hour, and this fire resistance is the primary reason we use one, in fact. But while not amazingly strong, the key-operated lock is certainly tough enough to deter a quick break-in attempt by a thief, and it will absolutely defeat the attempts of curious kids.
As the safe is small enough to be readily portable — it even has a handle — it can come along with you, serving to protect valuables in a car, in a hotel, or wherever else you want to keep things secure and safe from fire. A good safe keeps valuables protected because it's difficult to break open. A great safe keeps things, well, safe because it's not only hard to open but hard to even locate in the first place.
With a bit of effort or the assistance of a handyman , the Paragon Lock and Safe Flat Electronic Wall Safe can be installed in your home or business, and it will lie nearly flush with the wall once in place. It can be covered with a framed piece of artwork, a mirror, a sign, or anything else, really, and therefore avoid detection by anyone with ill intentions. Even once located, the unit still provides more protection than most compact safes simply because it can't be carried away unless the burglar has the time and tools to cut away a large section of the wall.
Which probably won't be the case. The Paragon Lock and Safe Flat Electronic Wall Safe features a keypad that can be programmed with codes as short as three numbers or as long as eight, and the keys are lighted for easy use in the dark. The safe requires four AA batteries to operate, and a low battery light tells you when it's time for new ones. It can also be opened with a key, which comes in handy when the batteries fail. But when it keeps your valuables safe during a fire that rages on for more than two hours, it will have paid for itself many times over.
And when a burglar is unable to open the solid steel door or carry off the pound safe, same story. This is a great example of getting what you pay for, which in this case is great quality. In order to be considered fire-resistant, a safe has to be able to protect its contents against extreme heat for at least a half-hour. Just make sure to fill the anchor hole on the bottom with fire-resistant caulking if you're not using it to bolt the safe down.
Inside you'll find an adjustable and removable shelf and a slide-out top drawer, making organizing your protected possessions easy. Opening the safe requires coordinated use of the combination lock and a key, so it's not a great choice for super fast access if you're storing a firearm, but that locking system adds even more security against theft.
The combination is pre-set and can't be changed, however, so be careful with whom you share it. It's easy to carry this dictionary-sized lockbox away, and its lock will be easily pried open by anyone with a bit of determination.
L-rated fire lock box that you can place inside the gun safe. Fireproof safes do a great job of protecting paper documents and even small amounts of cash from heat and smoke damage, however, fireproof safes use very thin gauge metal in the construction of the safe which makes them easier to attack for a burglar.
The metal is primarily used to hold the fire retardant material and can be easily punctured, cut, or sawed with simple hand tools. DO NOT store high-value contents, such as large amounts of cash, jewelry, or precious metals, in a fireproof safe. Over the past 60 years, we have seen too many fireproof safes that have been easily broken into after the owners mistakenly thought the safe would be protected against a burglary attack. These safes are engineered and designed to protect your valuables against both burglar attacks and fires.
With these safes, you get the best of both worlds: fire and burglary protection. We find that many customers want to protect both important documents as well as high-value items.
For these customers, a composite safe is a perfect solution. As your content value grows over a period of time, the safe you originally purchased some time ago may not be adequate to protect those contents.
Burglar ratings are a mix of manufacturer standards and Underwriters Laboratory burglar ratings. A general guideline for the type of safe versus content value is as follows you should always ask your Insurance Broker to contact Underwriters Laboratory for additional recommendations on content value storage :. Many of our customers have outgrown their safes and wish they invested in something a bit larger.
Often, customers are surprised to find that they can purchase a safe that is substantially larger for just a bit more money. It used to be that floor safes offered burglary protection and some degree of fire protection provided the safe was installed in the floor surrounded by concrete. Floor safes are great for gold, silver, coins, jewelry, and other valuables because they are engineered to protect against burglary attacks. Most people assume floor safes will provide excellent fire protection because five sides of a floor safe are surrounded by concrete.
With the door exposed and made of ONLY metal, heat from a fire rapidly enters the safe. Therefore, most floor safes are not a good product to protect against the ravages of a fire. There are no floor safe manufacturers we are aware of that list a fire rating or fire test. For over 60 years we have been drilling open all kinds of safes including floor safes. When safes have a fire rating of hours, in nearly every case, the paper documents or money have survived.
Wall safes are popular in James Bond movies and spy flicks. You see large amounts of money stored in a wall safe in Hollywood movies. This is not a good idea! Wall safes are typically constructed of thin gauge metal and are not the best place to keep large amounts of cash, high-value jewelry or gold, silver, and coins. No need to break open the safe with heavy tools when all you need to do is saw the wall to extract the safe.
A great use for a wall safe is to keep prescription drugs away from employees, children, or family members. High-end jewelry can be stored for very short periods of time, provided your home or business has a monitored burglar alarm system that is used.
Burglar fire safes are more appropriate for long-term storage of high-value jewelry, precious metals, or cash. Fireproof safes are engineered and designed to protect paper and keep the internal temperature of the safe below degrees, which is the critical temperature where the paper will start to char and burn.
Their method of protection is to create steam moisture inside the safe. Fireproof safes and burglar fire safes should have a minimum of a 1-hour fire rating. Typically, a safe with less than a 1-hour fire rating will not likely protect any paper or money in the event of a fire. Fireproof safes are great for protecting paper documents against fire. They are NOT recommended for protecting large amounts of cash or high-value items from theft. When you want BOTH burglar and fire protection, look for a burglar fire safe or a high-security burglar fire safe.
How do I calculate the interior size of the safe according to what I plan on placing in the safe? Many customers forget to think about how big the inside of the safe needs to be in order to house all the contents. To determine the inside size of the interior of the safe use the following calculation:. Perhaps you also keep an emergency stash of cold hard cash close to hand too. All of these things need to be protected from prying eyes, both when your home is occupied, and even more so when unoccupied, which is often the greater part of the day while you are at work.
This will help you to budget appropriately and come home with a product that really meets your needs. Make a list of all the things you plan to put in your home safe — will it contains keys, documents, jewellery, cash and so on?
Do you also need to store larger items like guns or electronic equipment, when not in use? Hopefully you have home and contents insurance. Check the fine print of your policy. Cash may be one of the items that you plan to put in your home safe, and these are available with various cash ratings. The cash rating refers to the amount of money that your insurance company will cover you to hold in your safe.
Also, be aware that safes need to be professionally installed and fitted to meet the approval of most insurance companies, and this will be a factor covered in any claim application. Which room in your home do you plan to locate your home safe?
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