So, you’ve decided to invest in a safe for your home. But how do you know which is the right safe for you?
Home safes come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, so before you jump into buying one, you might need to consider what you will be using it for and which features will be best for you. But if you don’t have much knowledge about safes, this can be difficult to do. To help you find the right safe for your home, here are several areas you need to take into consideration.
What Size Safe Do You Need?
One of the first things you should think about is the size of the safe you need. The size of your safe can be determined by the items or documents that you need to store in it, in addition to the space you have available in your home.
If you need a safe to simply store important documents, you can opt for a smaller safe. Small safes can typically fit in closets, on shelves, or even under beds. When you think of a safe to store documents, picturing a lockbox is a great way to imagine the size.
If you need a safe to store larger items, such as coin collections, jewelry, and other valuables, you might want to consider investing in a larger safe. Average safe sizes for items like this are 1 or 2 cubic feet, or 12x12x12 inches or 24x24x24 inches. Ultimately, the size you need depends on what you are storing and how much of it.
Do You Need a Fire-Resistant Safe?
Another factor you need to consider is whether you want to invest in a fire-resistant safe. Most safes are already designed to be fire-resistant, but not all. If this is a feature you need to protect important documents or other items that could be destroyed in a fire, then you will need to be sure the safe you purchase is in fact fire-resistant.
If you decide to go with a fire-resistant safe, it’s important to know how they are designed. The walls are typically hollow and thick, which keeps out heat transfer. The insides of the safe are also made with insulating material. However, when a safe is fire-resistant, that often means it is susceptible to burglary.
Are All Safes Burglar-Resistant?
All safes aren’t burglar-resistant, especially if they are fire-resistant safes, which are easier to break into. If the items you plan on putting in your safe won’t be at risk of a fire or are already fire-resistant themselves, then you might want to consider investing in a safe that can’t be so easily broken into.
If the items you want to securely store are valuable, such as cash or jewelry, you might want to invest in a burglar-resistant safe as opposed to a fire-resistant safe. Burglar-resistant safes are made of stronger material, such as steel, have thinner walls, and can withstand tools like hammers, drills, or saws. Burglar-resistant safes are also designed to be much heavier than fire-resistant safes. This weight makes it very difficult to just run off with the safe.
Which Is Better: a Keyed Safe or a Combination Safe?
One last area to take into consideration when shopping for safes is the type of locking mechanism. Keyed safes can often be more convenient for you because using a key to open your safe can be a lot easier. However, keys can be easily lost or stolen, which gives a burglar easy access to your valuables.
With combination locks, your safe is more secure. While it may not be as convenient for you, it makes it harder for someone to break into your safe because a burglar can’t steal your combination like keys. You can also frequently change the combination on your safe to always make sure your valuables are secure.
The Final Say
If you’re looking for home safes, be sure to take into consideration how much you are willing to spend as well. Small safes to store documents can cost as little as $20, but if you’re looking to invest in something heavy duty, be ready to spend several hundreds or thousands of dollars. But what it really comes down to is what you need to store and the type of protection you need for your items. If you are just looking to keep your items safe from fires, then a fire-resistant safe is the way to go. However, if you are looking for protection against security threats, you should look into burglar-resistant safes instead.
Choose a safe that works best for your needs. If you need help choosing a safe, getting into a safe, or even changing the combination, Accurate Lock & Safe is up for the task! Contact us today for safe services.