Each and every manufacturer of safes, whether jewelry, high security, residential or commercial, will have their own ways of telling you – the customer – that their safes are the most reliable, and the most secure available on the market today. And while this may well be true, it’s important to be able to do your own comparisons so that you don’t just buy the first safe you see, based upon the manufacturer’s guidance.
For the most detailed guidance related to safes and knowing which brands you can and can’t trust, you might choose to talk to a safety expert such as a locksmith, who will give you their unbiased advice based upon their experiences and industry knowledge.
So, what should you look for when comparing safe manufacturers and deciding which particular safe to invest your money in?
Check The Fundamental Features Of The Safe
The very first step you should take when comparing safes, is to look at the fundamental features you expect a high quality, high security safe to offer you, such as:
Its size and dimensions – look at both the inner and outer measurements and dimensions of each safe, so that you can gauge how much you can fit in it. If the manufacturer doesn’t provide such details, you may have to judge the interior capacity based upon the outer dimensions, but this will still give you a good idea as to what you can fit into the safe.
The weight of the safe – the weight of a safe can be an accurate indicator as to how resistant the safe will be to both fire and theft, and the heavier the safe, the more likely it is to be insulated with fire-resistant materials. When checking the manufacturers guidance, look to see whether the insulating properties come form fireboard, or poured concrete. Fireboard is relatively lightweight, and doesn’t do a fantastic job at protecting from the ravages of fire, whereas poured concrete will be far more effective.
A lighter safe will offer you less fire and theft protection, and remember that if you struggle to lift a safe up, so will a burglar! Heavier is always better. That said, do check that the weight is coming from steel, and not from an inferior, composite material.
The safe’s thickness – when looking at the thickness of the steel the safe is constructed from, the higher the measurement, the higher the level of protection. In general, a safe with steel walls measuring ¼ of an inch in thickness or more, or a safe with steel doors that are reinforced with ½ thick reinforced steel or more, will offer a high level of protection.
With this guide, you can make a much more informed choice when browsing for best safes, and invest in one that you can be sure will meet all of your security needs.