need a safe
 

I’m in a market for a safe, looking to get fire/burglary one. I have no idea which brand is good or what model, basically I’m clueless about safes. It would be my first safe. Any input welcome.

Re: need a safe
 

I suggest you search the archives, we have a number of threads on safes

not trying to kill your thread, but we have likely a dozen threads on this already, with lots of good info

Re: need a safe
 

I myself am looking for a small gun safe to put lots of stuff in..........however, I'm not comfortble with too much $$$ in one place.

Probably best to 'build' your own into a wall or floor or something.

Re: need a safe
 

If you live in a metropolitan area you can simply purchase a knack box, get a couple of very good locks for the sides, and hire a private alarm company like ADT wireless. By the time someone breaks inside your apartment and even starts cutting through your locks, the security patrol would be outside your front door.

Re: need a safe
 

I have this biometric wall safe: http://cgi.ebay.com/Secure-Logic-Bio...QQcmdZViewItem (didn't buy from this seller)

I like it, but I have a couple issues. It "beeps" when it affirms your fingerprint and there is no way to stop the beeping without finding the speaker and cutting the wires. Also, the interior LED is "built in" and must be changed by the manufacturer. It needs to be charged every 6 weeks or so (plug it in overnight).

I use the wall safe to keep our spare cash and loaded sidearm. I have a large firesafe for other important documents. The best floor safes are here: www.sportsmansteelsafes.com. They are pricey, but I think they are the best. My safe has the following features which I like:

1. Key + Sargeant combo lock (both required to open)
2. Heavy = about 400 pounds
3. 2 hour fire rating (most fire safes are 1 hour)
4. Floor bolt kit

The best advice I can give you is this: GET A SAFE THAT IS TWICE AS BIG AS YOU THINK YOU WILL NEED!!!

Re: need a safe
 

Attachment 34985 :smokin:

Re: need a safe
 

Look for an old round door safe on craigslist. Then stick it in a fire/water proof box made from a couple layers of sheet rock and waterproof it.

Burglary/fire/and flood are the things that kill safes.


Here's the run down: UL TL-15=Bare minimum; UL TL-30=decent; UL TL-60=you can keep about $1000 dollars in this bitch and a professional safe cracker would barely be interested in it if it was free.

Make sure anyone who knows about the safe knows you're a crazy mother****er who wouldn't hesitate to store your valuables elsewhere and use the safe for pet rattlesnakes. In otherwords: don't tell anybody. Including girlfriends and family.

Safes can't get stolen if nobody knows about them.


You'll have to pay a locksmith to do this but(worth it if money is no object, if cost is an issue, this is just an additional layer of peace of mind):
If in america: Make sure it has a double bitted lever lock on it(you can settle for an "abloy protec,") in addition to a combination lock.
If in europe: make sure it has a mechanical combination lock in addition to the keyed lock.

Re: need a safe
 

Not sure what your house is like but if you own it, grab a MIG welder and some steel plate, drill holes in the plate, mark the concrete, drill holes in the concrete with a hammerdrill, get some expansion bolts, bolt that plate to the floor, weld 3 plates onto it for sides, put a top on it, figure out some kind of locking mechanism and make a door, fireproof it somehow, and so on... if you're into that sort of thing, you'd probably save money but it would be a pain in the ass if you didn't have those tools or experience.

Re: need a safe
 

If you start looking at Wal-Mart around February (or whenever the local hunting season ends), their gun safes go on closeout. I got a 10-gun safe (not a cabinet)for $99.

Re: need a safe
 

I have three of these safes. Light enough that I can move myself if necessary and easy to bolt down.

http://www.sentrysafe.com/products/p...ail.aspx?s=170

TAB

Re: need a safe
 

Re: need a safe
 

I`ve bought a Gardall 1411 from a guy on craigslist.It was brand new with papers.The guy said he was a private locksmith.The lock works but not without some difficulty,the dial is supposed to come to a stop and open but it takes some time to open after working the dial and the handle trying to find the exact spot.Is this normal?Also,to change the combination you need to call Gardall and they will do it only thru a locksmith.What`s the point of buying a safe if the guy who delivers it knows both your address and the combination?I`m thinking of changing the lock for an electronic one and then changing the combination myself.