Thread: Getting Nervous... So I Bought A Safe

A floor safe is in the concrete slab is probably the the best way to go if you want a safe - if:
a.) you don't have flooding, or water table issues.
b.) you can install it yourself - nobody knows it is there.

They are cheap and very hard to defeat.

Here is a video demonstrating just how easy it can be to break into a safe if it is not bolted down correctly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPUrqStiSTQ

Originally Posted by swagge1

Here is a video demonstrating just how easy it can be to break into a safe it is not bolted down correctly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPUrqStiSTQ

I've been doing some research and have come to the conclusion that a cheap safe will work for my purposes.

Of the two times that my home was burglarized, the crooks were not professional at all. In fac the first time they were just young kids. We did not have an alarm at that time, so the people had time to ransack our house.

The second time was the week before this Christmas. We had an alarm and the police arrived in 15 minutes. The crooks moved fast, and completely bypassed my coin collection which was sitting out in the open. The cops realized that these people did not know what they were doing.

I think that the typical creep who breaks into a house is not going to come prepared to pry a safe open. I think my cheap safe bolted to the floor will provide one more layer of protection to deter the typical thief.

Originally Posted by playin4funami

My safe is only to keep the kids and wife out of stuff,otherwise I don't depend on it for true security. Some of you all are severely paranoid,or live in places that are unfit for humans!

Very obviously your not in the New York or Chicago area. PARANOID? In the Chicago city limits they recently reported the Murder rate is down to less than the usual 700/year. However, auto thefts are still in the 40,000 area. Home invasions are as common as drive by shootings. Robberies on the streets are hardly ever kept on records since there are so many. PARANOID? Try taking a walk in the park by the lake some night by yourself.
A nighbor of mine USED to think a large safe was the answer plus an alarm system wired to a company. He went on vacation and a moving van pulled up while his family was gone. As they emptied the house, neoighbors asked the so called movers what was up. They told the neighbors that the people liked it so much where they were at, they decided to stay there. While they were removing everything the phone rang. It was the security company. They asked what was happening and the so called movers told them it was an accident with a door. They took everything including the large safe bolted to a wall and then took the alarm system too.
PARANOID??????????????

Well theose guys flipping that safe in the video are not doing that with tish one, its made by gem SLS GEM ANTI-LANCE TXTL60, stands 4 feet tall and weighs just under 8000 pounds..http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...uK-1A5ID12iRlw

overkill??

:-O WHATTT?...they took the alarm too, talk about a wipeout. I could not imagine that.

Originally Posted by Just Carl

Very obviously your not in the New York or Chicago area. PARANOID? In the Chicago city limits they recently reported the Murder rate is down to less than the usual 700/year. However, auto thefts are still in the 40,000 area. Home invasions are as common as drive by shootings. Robberies on the streets are hardly ever kept on records since there are so many. PARANOID? Try taking a walk in the park by the lake some night by yourself.
A nighbor of mine USED to think a large safe was the answer plus an alarm system wired to a company. He went on vacation and a moving van pulled up while his family was gone. As they emptied the house, neoighbors asked the so called movers what was up. They told the neighbors that the people liked it so much where they were at, they decided to stay there. While they were removing everything the phone rang. It was the security company. They asked what was happening and the so called movers told them it was an accident with a door. They took everything including the large safe bolted to a wall and then took the alarm system too.
PARANOID??????????????

Originally Posted by Leadfoot

Guns, dogs, alarms, safes, and video surveillance all help.

All pale in comparison to the security of a safety deposit box, IMO.

For me a safe deposit box is still the best idea, and I have two at separate local banks. I can walk to either in about 8 minutes if I need to photograph or sell something. Plus there is a great pizza place nearby so it's a win win situation. It works for me.

i own a nice large safe working on 3 filing cabinets or one large one.. get insurance and get ya safe wired..

A few years ago there was a guy who was working when two guys pulled a tow truck up to His house, backed the boom through the front door, hooked up to the safe that was in the basement (bolted down) and ripped it out. They drove 2 miles down the road and opened the safe with some torches.
A neighbor witnessed the whole thing (while on the phone with 911) and said that the thieves took no more than a few minutes to pull the safe out. This was in the country, so the police response time would not be good. (Although in certain parts of cities You could drive down the street with a safe dragging behind You and nobody would think twice)

Bottom line is that We should be really careful who We talk to about Our valuables. The tow truck bandits knew that there was gold in a safe, and took the measures necessary to get it.

I love this topic. I first bought a safe for my firearms as a classy and orderly way to store them. Mainly to keep them from being mishandled. I could have simply run a locking cable through the trigger guards and if that was clipped then my responsibility is over and its on the thief, or kids at that point. There are heaters you can put in safes to dehumidify them and work at low energy, but I would never put coins in a safe with fired guns or especially guns that have been cleaned and oiled. That would have the possibility to negatively turn coins all kinds of colors. I can see any safe bolted to the floor having its side wall drilled and a cordless sawsall make a huge door on the side. I choose to not get all uptight about it and bet that it won't happen. I don't let the safe sales people beat a drum of fear to get me to buy stuff I don't need. I prefer a drill resistant steel safe bolted to the floor and dehumidified and a smaller fireproof safe placed inside that for papers. The Sentury fire safe is rated at 1200 degrees for 30 min, and the gun safe creates a dutch oven that holds the air inside at close to 300 degrees makeing the firesafe easily able to outlast a housefires fuel.

Concerning coins though, I consider them an asset to my family. If they become the flame that attracts thieves and murderers, then I should keep them away from myself and family. But I refuse to let that wreck it for me. Owning coins is a joy and although there is certainly risk involved, I find myself traveling with coins and cash and sometimes feel weird at times, until I look around a bourse and realize we are all in the same situation and the anxiety passes. If I ever was a victim of theft, I most certainly would feel horrible, but it would not crush my financial situation and actually only be a minor setback to a wonderful life.

I would have to say that the greatest security you can have for any of your valuables is to be as discrete as possible about them in the first place... I.E. " Loose Lips, Sink Ships "