Safe Buying Guide
When shopping for the best residential safe, there is more to consider than which metal box is big enough to hold your sensitive belongings. Different types of valuables are better suited for different kinds of safes. Safe manufacturers are apt to feature a variety of offerings in different areas. A Fort Knox safe may be best for securing one’s guns, while an Amsec safe may offer the perfect solution for storing cash and important documents.
Another very important aspect to consider when deciding on a residential safe is accessibility. Is the safe owner more concerned about fires or burglars? How fast does the fire or police department respond in the safe owner’s area? Any or all of these factors will determine which safe is the best home safe for a given household.
Small Valuables
For owners of fine jewelry or other small but valuable possessions, there are safes that come standard with perfectly fitted built-in hardwood jewelry drawers. When shopping for a jewelry safe, accessibility is important. If the safe owner plans on regularly accessing the jewelry, then a simple keypad combination or key lock is probably the best choice.
Larger Valuables
For gun owners, accessibility is a major concern, especially in households with children. Gun owners need to have the ability to quickly access their firearms in the event of an emergency but need also need a high level of security at all other times. In the event of a home invasion, fumbling to open a combination lock on a gun safe is less than ideal.
For gun owners looking for expedient access and impenetrable security, a biometric mechanism is likely the best option. Unfortunately, however, biometric tech is still in its infancy, leaving the market is flooded with cheap and unreliable biometric gun safes. Due to the added cost of this technology, many of the higher-end gun safe manufacturers elect not to feature the biometric lock as an option for their safes. Although the best biometric gun safe locks may offer ideal accessibility, until the technology matures, a standard digital keypad lock is probably the best access option for a gun owner.
Fire Gun Safes
Another important aspect to consider when choosing a gun safe is fire protection. While there’s no such thing as a truly fireproof gun safe, there are safes today that will protect guns, and other possessions, in the thick of a fire for an extended period of time. A good fire resistant gun safe will guarantee at least one hour of protection in a standard home or office fire. It is important, however, to consider that fire resistant safes use thinner metal (14-18 gauge) and could be easier to compromise.
Document Protection
For those in need of a home safe to store cash and important documents, a standard wall safe or floor safe may be adequate. Even smaller floor or wall safes will generally have enough room to hold a foot-high stack of 8.5″ by 11″ paper. When determining size requirements for a safe, it is helpful to gather all of the items that will go into the safe in advance. Once it is known how much space is needed, the shopper can then browse through a retailer’s online shop, such as Amsec’s, to zero-in on the best home safe for their particular needs.