Researching a safe...

Some of the current Sentry safes you can open with a powerful magnet;
or just drop it on a corner and it'll open;
or use a circular saw and cut it open;
or about 2 minutes with a crow bar on the thin front door metal sheet - especially the models that don't have bolts on all 4 sides of the door.

I have a very old Sentry safe which is a small 2 cu ft model, but has 6 locking bolts on all 4 sides. It's fairly heavy too that I got when they first started their website an shipped directly to customers. So if you knock off the hinge the door stays put. But the initial steel outer layer isn't too thick so it can be easily bent back.

I have another modern Sentry fire safe I bought from Walmart a couple years ago which holds specific paper work and stuff. I actually don't even lock that one, it's for just in case of a fire.

Sentry does make some Cash boxes which seem okay. But I'm always leery of certain types of safes that relie upon the door hinge as part of the safety mechanism with only bolts/slab that locks in on the open side.

Some smaller safes with a slab door and a small locking box, with a reset button on the inside you can change the combo with a wire hanger.
Fun stuff.

 

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There is an empty bank building in town. You can have their safe for free if you can remove it. :>)

 

I don't think I'd focus too much on brand, although it does matter. There are many grades and features within the brands - that is what to focus on. Apples to apples.

And be sure to find one that supports "Safe Monkey" when they release it.

I gotta say, I'm very impressed with my Trunk Monkey, and can't wait for the same features to be installed on a safe.

 

I use the same dehumidifier. It works well and only needs to be recharged maybe once a month.

My opinion on a home safe is if you plan on buying one, don't skimp. When searching for mine I ended up with a Liberty Safe. It's the Franklin series. It was a bit more expensive than most safes you would find at a sporting goods store but well worth it to me. And I totally agree. Buy the biggest or you have room for. I wish I had bought a bigger one.


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Best advice I ever got about buying a safe was buy one (which I didn't so now have four). Spend the money on a good one. I finally found a used TL 15 that weighs 2,500 pounds on Craigslist for $700 and cost another $500 to move.