Obviously, the steel walls and door should be hard enough to withstand crowbars and electric drills. Or he can wheel it out the door to his vehicle and work on it elsewhere. A burglar with a crowbar and a hammer can open these safes in less than 20 minutes. The thick walls and door are deceptive, however they are made of fireproof composition material (similar to plaster) sandwiched between thin layers of sheet metal.
They have a thick door (controlled by a combination lock), thick walls and are mounted on casters so they can be moved about for dusting. The floor models might seem to be a better investment. Installation, however, can be a lot of work because you have to cut a cavity into the solid concrete. Manufacturers often recommend embedding a wall safe in a concrete basement floor. It's a simple matter for any burglar to chop into the wall, pull out the safe and carry it to a work shop to open it. Unfortunately, most residential walls are made of fragile wall board nailed to wooden studs. They can be secure if they are mounted in a solid wall or floor. Indeed these places sell safes - usually wall safes and some floor models - that look sturdy but are not adequate anti-theft devices.Ĭonsider the wall safe, for example these are small metal boxes with a sturdy door controlled by a combination lock. If you decide that you do need a safe, where should you go to buy it and what should you look for? Most people would consult a locksmith, a home center or an office supply store for a safe. If all your valuables are worth more than $10,000, you should seriously consider purchasing a quality safe to store your treasures. Now tally up the figure to establish the approximate net worth of your valuables.Ī really good safe will cost from $900 to $2,500 depending on the size and features offered.
List only those items that you want to keep close at hand and also how much it would cost to replace each piece. Your checklist should include jewelry, watches, cash, heirlooms, silver and flatware, coin and other valuable collections, securities, documents, cameras and guns. A HOME safe can be an important investment for homeowners with expensive jewelry, rare coins, important documents or other hard-to-replace items.ĭo you need a home safe? Before you can answer that question, inventory your valuables and make a list of all the items that need to be protected.