Getting Ready to Buy a Safe? Need Some Advice?

A home safe can give you peace of mind by protecting important documents, computer data and valuables. But there’s a range of home safes to choose from, so it’s essential to choose the right one for your requirements.

What will your home safe be used for?

First, you need to determine what your home safe will be used for. If you are mainly concerned with fire protection, then you will want to choose one that’s fire-resistant. It’s important to note that fire-resistant home safes have different ratings. If you want to protect documents, the home safe should be rated to not get any hotter than 177°C (350°F). If you plan to protect materials such as 35mm slide film or tape recordings, it should be rated to not get any hotter than 66°C (150°F). If you want to protect data storage devices, such as computer discs and DVDs, it should be rated to not get hotter than 52°C (125°F). Fire-resisting safes for homes are also time rated — they can be rated to withstand heat from 30 minutes to 3 hours. If you are mostly concerned with protecting your valuables against burglary, there are a number of factors to consider. Some home safes are rated according to the strength of the door and walls, the penetrability of the locking mechanism and the difficulty of removing them. Burglars are usually in a hurry and will grab valuables that small and portable. So the larger and heavier the safe, the harder it will be to steal. A home safe can also be secured to make it more difficult to remove.

What size home safe do you need?

The next point to consider is the size of the home safe. You need to consider the number of documents or valuables you want to protect. If these will increase over time, it might be best to buy a larger safe now because it will be more economical than having to upgrade your home safe in the future.

Get expert advice before buying a home safe

It’s important to get expert advice before you buy. A qualified locksmith or specialty safe retailer will know all the types of home safes available and can help you choose the right one for your requirements.