[Lester_7]

I need a medium sized safe to keep some saved up money and valuables. Where can I get a good quality one and about how much do they run for?

 

[Neuromancer]

They have safes at walmart for under 50 bucks which are about the size of two lunchboxes put together

 

[Dani 187]

Where or in what room in your house is best to keep your safe?

 

[felix]

If you have any secret trap doors areas behind stuff that is good

 

[TechAdmin]

Check Costco, Sam's and Cabela's. Those three usually run deals on safes. Make sure you don't cheap out on one. Fire rating is very important.

 

[NYRECONMARINES]

Security chests

I want to make this clear....The link provided will feature base level security chest. The bottom line; unlike a safe that weigh a ton. You can pick this up in one hand and BUG-OUT. You only keep some cash, documents, and perhaps a pistol.

I hope this helps...

Sentry Security Box Selection Free Ship

 

[coinguy]

I need a medium sized safe to keep some saved up money and valuables. Where can I get a good quality one and about how much do they run for?

Just remember that you generally get what you pay for. The small 'fire safes' that are sold at wallyworld are great for keeping things safe in a fire, but can be opened by someone with a hammer, chisel and a bit of time.

Gun safes are a good type to consider, as they are usually at least made of steel, instead of a metal sheet over cement like the fire safes. These can also be bolted to the floor which makes them harder to grab and take off with. Smaller sizes with good thick steel aren't too bad in the cost department.

With stores going out of business, you can pick up used store safes pretty cheap right now. I got one a short time ago that is about 2 1/2x2 1/2 x2 1/2 with very solid steel walls and 2 lockable compartments. The doors are very solid with good combo locks. It was designed to drop cash through a small slot in one of them. Even this small it weighs over 200 lbs, so it will give a certain amount of resistance to being carted off. I plan on bolting it to the floor and building a concrete block structure around it that I was going to build anyway. The safe is just an added feature. I paid, as I recall, about $150 for it.

When I had my shop during the 'survivalist' years almost 30 years ago, we sold some that you dug into the floor. The walls were thick plastic and the top was a steel ring with a thick steel combo type door. The idea was that you would encase it in concrete in the floor to provide security for the walls, and the top would take care of itself. We used one as our floor safe in the store. They cost lots less than a similar steel walled variety.

Hope this gives you some ideas. A friend of mine was getting so many used safes offered to him he considered opening a small store to sell them. Only a sudden unexpected divorce changed his plans.

G

 

[Fetthunter]

We have a fire safe that I bought at Walmart (Sentry brand, I believe), for about $60. It's waterproof too (for fire hoses). It weighs about 50 pounds. I built a shelf in our foyer closet to put it on. That way, it's close to the front door in case we need to grab the contents and go.

We also have a Brinks fire box that I got for free (freecycle!), and a new Sentry fire safe from Big Lots for $19.99. It's a $80-$100 safe. (yay, closeouts!).

Everything we own is Brinks or Sentry, save my GunVault gun safe with the touchpad on it.

 

[TechAdmin]

Just to restate that when buying a safe absolutely check and research the fire rating. Would be horrible to think my valuables were safe only to have them destroyed in a fire.

 

[coinguy]

Just to restate that when buying a safe absolutely check and research the fire rating. Would be horrible to think my valuables were safe only to have them destroyed in a fire.

Good point - and something that can be easily upgraded. All but one of my safes are fire rated. We keep just about everything of portable value in them, like our computers, cameras etc.

You can upgrade the fire and heat resistance by using multiple layers of sheet rock. It can be on the inside or the outside but outside will work better without taking up interior space. If you build a box around your safe, it will both camoflage it and increase the fire rating. I know people that have built basically a false wall with a door around the safe, and it looks like a closet. I would run 3 or more layers of sheet rock.

G

 

[Fetthunter]

I made sure that all of mine are rated at fire temperatures for a minimum of 30 minutes.

 

[The_Blob]

if you look in your local classifieds section, sometimes you can find anything from a safe that runs a few hundred pounds to an entire vault free for the enterprising individual with the wherewithal to retrieve it. ^_^

IMO the really bad thing about most 'off-the-shelf' safes is that it is just a convenient way for a thief to take all your truly valuable stuff very quickly...

 

[Canadian]

Get a good quality fire rated safe. Make sure you bolt the safe to the floor. You can bolt them into the beams or into concrete. If your safe is not bolted down they will just carry it away and open it at their house. If it isn't bolted to the floor it's pretty much worthless. You can do the bolting with a wrench and a hammer drill. A good safe will come with all the hardware and instructions.

Always measure the inside of the safe before you buy. Fire rated safes have thick walls and some have very little room inside. Also if you're going to keep electronics or disks / data in your safe it is a separate type of fire protection. A normal fire safe will not protect data sensitive matierals.

Here's a very good Canadian safe maker. With the exchange right now they're about 20% less in price from the Canadian dollar. They add armored plate pieces left over from their armored car business into the safes to make them even harder to break into. These are the best safes I've found.

Inkas - Safe Manufacturing

 

[Farnorthdan]

residential security containers (RSC) =

 

[Turkish]

Eye-opening! Thanks for posting.

 

[oldwildheart]

I have been looking into gun safes and what I see that I dont like is that most have 12 guage metal exteriors, That just doesnt sound secure enough. 10 guage seems to be the minimum.

Of all the manufacturers I have looked at Fort Knox seems to be the most robust/heavy duty but that comes at a heavy cost.

Any suggestions on who have heavier guage exteriors?

 

[stayingthegame]

I have a Browning safe that is fire rated and weighs almost 800 lbs. it is about 3 feet by 3 feet. we also keep in it some of our reloading lead. it has a combination lock as well as the combo dial locks with a key. it takes at least two people to move it empty and they still need a safe dolly. I don' think that it will just sprout legs and leave. :teehee: when we bought it I baulked at how much DH had spent, but now I am very glad. do NOT go cheap. it WILL be a waste of money. think about what will be in it and how much that stuff is worth. and remember you will have it for years and only add to what is in there.

 

[Tweto]

A good safe should not be able to be carried off by to very strong men. A good safe needs special equipment to move it. I have a safe that needs an engine lift to move it and it can only be located on concrete flooring. If it is on wood floors it will damage or break through it. The bad guys can pound on it all day with a sledge hammer and all they will do is damage the paint.

Any safe that is less then this will need to be well hidden by false walls or inside of furniture.

Mine is even hidden, why tempt the bad guys.

 

[jsriley5]

Just put your safe in the corner of the living room. Then put all your valua bles in other hiding places let snag the safe and run off with it and find it empty