The Best Safes For Your Home or Office

Nobody wants to buy a sturdy home security safe only to discover that it’s not up to scratch or can be easily broken into. Equally, there’s more to buying a home safe than picking the one with the thickest walls or the most stringent fireproofing. A truly secure safe combines security features with common sense and can be hidden in areas where it is unlikely to be found. Perhaps you can hide your home safe behind a piece of inspirational wall art. 

Of course, not everybody needs the most expensive option, especially if they only protect documents and items of sentimental value from fire and water damage. Therefore, it’s important to consider what you’ll be storing in a safe before you choose one. Do you need quick access to a hidden firearm in case of an emergency? Or would you rather have a lockbox for precious valuables and plenty of shelves for jewelry and watches?

Some safes are even portable, making for secure and easy transportation of sensitive documents and cash. Whatever you need to protect, there’s a safe on this list that will keep your possessions safe. And if you’re not quite sure what you’re after, the questions below should help to figure out just what kind of in-home safe is best for you.

Where should you put a safe in your home?

It stands to reason that the best place to keep a safe in your home is somewhere nobody would even think to look. We can’t all have hidden recesses drilled into our walls or secret compartments in our basements. But most people do have a laundry room, and in the event of a burglary, it’s very unlikely a thief will waste time going through your utility cabinets. Pantries are also ideal hiding spots, especially if the safe can fit behind the door. After all, the best-protected safe is not the thickest or the most secure – it’s the one that never gets found!

Are Home Safes easy to break into?

There’s no reason that a good home safe should be able to be broken into any more easily than a high-security bank safe or money locker. The best fireproof home safe can withstand temperatures of nearly 2000° Fahrenheit. High-security safes like the Gardall Fire and Burglary Safe use extremely thick steel bolts to prevent anybody from getting in with a crowbar or other item. Unfortunately, any safe that does get stolen can be broken into eventually. So the best precautions to take are hiding a safe well and securing it to walls or floors with drilled bolts if at all possible, making it impossible for a thief to remove it altogether. 

How can I hide my House Safe?

The best way to hide a safe is to make it impossible to find with the naked eye. As mentioned above, a great method for doing this is to have a safe behind a door in a small closet or pantry so that when the door is opened, the safe is invisible. A wall safe for home use is also a great alternative, as wall safes can be hidden in recesses behind paintings or other home furnishings where few would think to look. Hiding a safe in the floor is a good option, too, though this does make the safe prone to water damage in the event of a flood or fire intervention.

How heavy should a Home Safe be?

The weight of your home safe is only a problem if it needs to be moved from location to location. Suppose you’re looking for a mobile home safe box like the SentrySafe 1160 Lock Box, then the lighter, the better, as you don’t want to be lugging an extremely heavy object back and forth. However, if your safe is remaining in one spot and unlikely ever to be moved, then the heaviest safe is, in fact, the most secure. After all, if a thief can’t lift a safe, then there’s no way they can remove it. 

Will Paper Money burn in a fireproof safe?

Fireproof safes are labelled as such for a reason, and if you take a look at the safe reviews for the SentrySafe SFW123DSB, you can see a great demonstration of this. The safe in question survived the California wildfires in 2018, and both money and documents within were completely saved from burning, despite the exterior of the safe being completely charred. All fireproof safes are good up to a point, though they will fail eventually. Still, there are plenty out there that will keep your money from burning in even the worst of blazes for as long as an hour or more. 

Should I bolt down my Home Safe?

Bolting down your home safe is highly recommended, and not just because it stops thieves from carrying it off. It also means it can’t be tipped over and prevents anybody from using their body weight as leverage when attempting to pry it open with a crowbar or similar instrument. Therefore, bolting your safe is a great idea if at all possible, and a nice aside is that it keeps you safe, too, as it eliminates the risk of a heavy safe ever tipping over and injuring you.

What is the best Home Safe?

When it comes to picking the best safe, what you need to do is be analytical about what you’re trying to protect. The fact is, there’s no point buying a thousand-dollar safe for just a few hundred bucks worth of items to be kept inside. But in terms of build quality, you do get what you pay for when it comes to security features and bolting mechanisms. 

Objectively, then, the Gardall Fire and Burglary Safe is far and away the best fireproof home safe on this list. Though the initial price point may be high, what you’re getting is a highly-secure bank-quality safe with smart burglary protection, 1700° fireproofing, and a super-thick 34-gauge steel shell. Any thief would have a monumental task on their hands accessing this safe, and it’s sure to survive even the worst of disasters. As such, though expensive, it is a more-than-worthy investment for the sake of protecting your most valuable possessions.

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1. SentrySafe SFW123GDC Home Safe

The SentrySafe SFW123GDC is a fireproof home safe with plenty of room for all of your valuables inside its large shelf-lined interior. A digital keypad and manual override key lock allow for quick and easy access, and an interior lockbox adds another layer of protection for storing your most precious items. The outer case is fireproof and waterproof, and constructed from heavy-duty steel, so your valuables are safe no matter what befalls your home.

2. SentrySafe SFW123CU Waterproof Safe

While many home safes are fireproof, few are also as waterproof as the SentrySafe SFW123CU. This safe is waterproof up to 8 inches of standing water for 24 hours, ensuring your documents and electronic items are safe in the event of a home flood. Like SentrySafe’s previous offering, it also contains an interior compartment for extra-secure storage, making this a great versatile pick.

3. Honeywell Small Security Safe

The small but mighty Honeywell security safe is a small home safe with a digital keypad constructed from high-quality steel. The safe’s digital keypad runs on AA batteries, making it a great portable option, and its small form factor means it’s an ideal choice for a hidden home safe that can be tucked away in an unsuspecting location.

4. Amazon Basics Home Keypad Safe

Amazon’s take on a home security safe is a basic but burly contender with a digital keypad and manual override key lock, plus pre-drilled wall-mounting holes. This means you can easily mount the safe inside a hidden recess or against a sturdy surface, making it a great wall safe for home use. The price is very reasonable to boot.

5. Viking Security Safe VS-20BLX

With a digital keypad and fingerprint lock, Viking’s small home safe is a high-tech option built to withstand anything and everything you could throw at it. The safe steel body contains motorized deadbolt locks that keep its carpeted interior safe from prying eyes. In contrast, the fingerprint lock uses a biometric scanner to allow for up to 32 saved fingerprints, making for a brilliant high-security home money safe.

6. Gardall Fire and Burglary Safe

When searching for the best fireproof safe for home use, you might also want to consider industrial options that come in home sizes, such as the Gardall fire and burglary safe. These safes are used in jewelry businesses and security facilities alike, and as such, they are in the uppermost echelons in terms of build quality. Though expensive, the Gardall is incredibly sturdy, and the large size options available are great for those with lots to store.

7. Stalwart Digital Safe

A large home safe that combines a digital keypad with a manual key lock, the Stalwart Digital is a versatile option for those who need to allow access by multiple users. Its digital keypad is fully programable, with the opportunity to utilize a set of master and guest codes for primary and secondary users, respectively. An alarmed lock also alerts you to incorrect keypad attempts so that you can respond quickly to any unwanted visitors.

8. SentrySafe 1160 Fireproof Lock Box

The SentrySafe 1160 Lock Box is a low-budget option best suited for those who are constantly on the go. It’s not the most secure or watertight small home safe, but it is cheap, and the fireproofing and carry handle are nice features to have when you’re on the road. The safe opens with a single manual key, and a backup key is included if it ends up misplaced.

9. BARSKA AX11556 Biometric Safe

A moderately large home safe with a fingerprint lock and biometric scanner, the BARSKA AX11556 can hold up to 120 fingerprints for use in high-traffic environments. The scanner is a great solution for office and business scenarios where many people will need access to the safe and can be easily programmed with no compromise to security.

10. SentrySafe SFW123DSB Fireproof Safe

This variation of SentrySafe’s SFW series comes equipped with a dial combination lock rather than a digital keypad for those who prefer manual technologies over digital solutions. Additionally, the interior document lock has been removed in favour of more shelf space, allowing for storage of larger items such as watch winders, laptops, and further strongboxes.

11. Viking Security VS-50BLX Safe

The Viking VS-50BLX is a variation of the VS-20BLX seen further up this list. The 50BLX is an upright rather than wide-standing model. It comes with a large amount of adjustable interior shelving to allow for greater storage capacity of various small-mid-sized objects, making this a great jewelry safe for home use. The VS-20BLX uses a digital keypad and fingerprint scanner as its locking mechanism and is secured by thick pry-resistant bolts.

12. SentrySafe Executive Security Safe

Few home safes are as huge as the SentrySafe Executive Security safe, but size does have its advantages. This safe is extremely heavy at 240 lbs, which may make it difficult to install, but the benefit is that any thief would struggle to move it without some serious help. The safe can also be bolted down for extra security and has a huge 220 lbs capacity, making it a perfect choice for storing heavier valuables.

13. Amazon Basics Box safe

This fireproof upgrade of the Amazon Basics home safe has a slightly smaller storage capacity at 1.24 cubic feet. This is a decent trade-off for the sake of 1200° Fahrenheit protection, a claim thoroughly tested by Britain’s Intertek insurance company. Once again, an electronic keypad provides easy access for the user, while two motorized bolts and two deadbolts prevent any unwanted attempts at entry.

14. TIGERKING Digital Safe

This large home safe from TIGERKING uses a dual-security setup in which both a manual master key and digital code must be input to gain entry. Alternatively, if you’ve forgotten your code, two keys can be used in tandem as a backup. An alarm system also ensures that you’ll be made aware of any failed entry attempts taking place while your eyes are turned. At the same time, an interior lockbox doubles up protection for smaller valuables.

15. TIGERKING Home Safe

A smaller version of TIGERKING’s previous offering, this in-home safe still manages to squeeze in a bonus interior lockbox behind its six live-locking bolts and durable steel alloy walls. Two codes can be programmed into its digital keypad, allowing for access by multiple individuals. Simultaneously, a handy interior LED light makes it easy to find your stuff quickly in the event of a nighttime emergency.

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