First Time Safe Buyer? Read These 7 Expert Tips
Nothing beats a bit of expert advice, no matter what you’re planning to invest your money in, and it’s no different when it comes to buying a safe. If you’ve got some items of sentimental, personal or monetary value that you want to protect, and are considering buying a safe to store them in, you might find the following 7 tips from security experts, helpful:
- Stick to the 10% rule
In general, experts recommend that when buying a safe, you aim to spend around 10% of the cost of the items, on it. Buying a cheap safe to protect items that are worth thousands of dollars, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
- Make sure weight is a factor
The heavier the safe you buy, the harder it is to move should a thief attempt to do so, and a lighter safe typically indicates that less metal has been made in its construction, making it weaker and potentially easier to penetrate than a heavier safe.
- Watch out for the gap
When criminals attempt to break into a safe, they will likely try to get some leverage using the gap between the door and the body of the lock. The snugger the door is to the body of the safe when locked, the harder it will be for someone to penetrate.
- Keep your safe grounded
Some thieves will simply pick up a safe and take it away so that they can try and break into it at their own convenience, and ideally without attracting the attention of law enforcement. It will be heavy, that much is true, but if they’re desperate 9and have been working out a lot!), they just might be successful. Bolt your safe to the floor however, and it’s not going anywhere.
- Be aware of your lock options
Safes often come with a number of different locking options, and you should think carefully about whether you choose a manual dial or electronic lock. Your local safe supplier and installer can guide you on this.
- Understand the differences between safes
When buying a safe, the main question you should be asking yourself is: “why are you getting one?”. Do you want to protect your precious items from being stolen, or from being destroyed in a fire, or both? The ultimate in protection is a high security safe with a fire rating, but the more protection you get, the more it will cost. A frank discussion with a security expert such as a locksmith or safe supplier, should help you make the right decision with respect to what you plan to keep in the safe, and the size of your budget.
- Be clear on what you’ll be storing in it
With varying security, accessibility and damage mitigation concerns for different items you plan to put in a safe (as touched upon above), where you will keep the safe, what you’re going to put in it and how often you need to access those items, will all play a determining role in your final choice.
If buying a safe for the first time, take note of the expert tips above, and don’t rush your decision. A safe is an investment, and it pays to keep this in mind when selecting the right safe for both your needs, and your budget.
