Choosing a safe to store your valuables at home can be daunting. If you’re approaching the decision with questions such as, “What is the best fireproof and waterproof safe for home use?” and “What’s the best small safe for home?” then you might be using the wrong framework. Bottom Line Personal asked Robert Vallelunga, owner of ACME Locksmith, to talk us through the home-safe selection process.
First, what are you putting in the safe?
While it makes sense to wonder about fireproofing, waterproofing and other factors, the most important consideration by far is a simple one—what is the value of the things you plan to store in the safe? The answer to that question will help you narrow your choices and ensure that you’re purchasing the right home safe for your needs.
Not surprisingly, more expensive safes provide more protection and fireproofing. Safes sold for home use can vary from simple, thin-walled units to massive, half-ton behemoths with huge bolts, drill plates and multiple layers of fireboard. It wouldn’t make sense to store a priceless coin collection in the former…or $500 cash in the latter. If you’re storing…
Just the basics
If you need a small fireproof safe to store some firearms, papers and less than $1,000 in cash, you can buy one from a big-box store. These safes won’t foil professional thieves, but they will keep guns out of kids’ hands and “keep honest people honest.” Consider: SentrySafe 1.2 cubic foot fireproof, waterproof floor safe with combination lock. $229 at Lowe’s.*
$1,000 to $5,000 worth of valuables
Once you exceed $1,000 worth of stored assets, it’s time to look for a home safe rated “fire/burglary.” These are made of thicker steel, have stronger bolts and are considerably heavier than the products available in big-box stores. Consider: FireKing Fire Safe with Electronic Lock. This safe provides 6.6 cubic feet of storage and is fire- and impact-rated and water-resistant. With three deadbolts and heavy steel construction, it’s solid protection for its price. $1,508 on Amazon.com.
$5,000 to $10,000 worth of belongings
If your stored assets reach this threshold, you’ll want to find a safe that has a “burglary” rating from the industry group Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL). Consider: Hollon FB-450E. At just 1.23 cubic feet, this compact safe weighs in at 242 pounds, thanks to its 12-gauge steel and additional fireproofing material that allow it to survive a 1,700°F fire for two hours or a 30-foot fall. $1,162 at Acme-Safes-For-Sale.com.
More than $10,000 worth of belongings
For this significant level of assets, look for safes with UL ratings of RSC (residential security container)…RSC II…TL-15…or TL-30. Those ratings are in ascending order of security. In actual testing, it took a professional safecracker at least 15 minutes of hands-on work to get into a TL-15 safe. For TL-30, it took 30 minutes. Consider: Burg Wachter CL410E, which features double-walled construction, extra fireproofing and a digital code opener. $960 at SteinLock.com.
*Prices were accurate at press time but may change.
