Vaults and Safes

Designed for use in jewelry stores, coin shops, and pawn shops, jewelry safes provide a very high level of security against burglars.  A jewelry safe carries a burglary rating, meaning it has been tested to withstand attempts to open it.  An example rating would be a TL 30 rating, which is a very secure safe.  The TL 30 rating means that a professional locksmith, using common locksmith tools, was unable to open the safe in a period of 30 mintues.

Jewelry safes usually have a 5″ thick door and a 2″ thick body.  They have a hardened steel drill-resistant plate surrounding the locking mechanism and use 1-1/2″ thick steel locking bolts.  Most jewelry safes also have a fireproof rating of about 1-1/2 hours.  So if you need the maximum in security for your valuables, consider buying a jewelry safe.  For more information on jewelry safes.

If you’re not keeping your guns in a gun safe, you probably should be.  Many states have passed laws that make it a criminal offense if someone (a child, for example) gets hurt with a gun that you are responsible for.  So a gun safe is necessary to restrict access to your guns to only authorized persons.  Don’t count on hiding them well - kids can find anything anywhere.  A gun safe can also protect your valuable guns from theft and damage due to fire.

Guns safes come in two basic types - pistol safes and gun safes.  Pistol safes are small chest-shaped safes that are primarily designed to restrict access to your pistols.  Gun safes are large, cabinet style safes designed to hold rifles and shotguns.  Some are available with racks for rifles and shotguns as well as shelves for pistols and ammunition.  For more information on gun safes.

Guns safes have 3 main uses.  First, they can be used to restrict access to your guns to only authorized persons.  This is more important now than ever, with many states having passed laws that make it a crime if someone (usually a child) gets accidentally hurt by a gun you are responsible for.  Second, they can be used to protect your guns and ammunition from the harmful effects of a fire (and the water used to put the fire out).  And third, they can protect your valuable guns from thieves.

There are a variety of styles and shapes of gun safes.  Pistol safes, which are small, chest-style safes that open from the top, are designed primarily to restrict access and protect your pistols from fire damage.  They are not really good against burglars because they can be carried off easily.  Rifle and shotgun safes are upright, cabinet style safes.  They open from the front and the interior can be arranged in a variety of ways.  The most common arrangement is to have upright storage for rifles and shotguns, with interior shelving for ammunition and pistols.  For more information on the gun safe.

If you’re looking for a safe to protect valuables at your home or business, don’t forget to check and make sure that the safe carries a fireproof rating.  Most people think about burglary when shopping for a safe, but fireproof safes can be an important line of defense against a fire.  They also provide protection from the water used to put out the fire.  Look for a rating such as “1 hour fireproof rating” on the safe.  This means that it has been tested under actual fire conditions and the temperature and humidity inside the safe did not rise above certain levels.

If you need to protect valuable computer backup media, you’ll need a special fireproof media safe.  These safes are tested to keep the temperature and humidity at an even lower level to keep from harming fragile backup media.  Fireproof safes are designed with special insulating materials and special heat-activated door seals.  So if you’re looking for a safe, be sure to check and make sure it carries a fireproof rating.  For more information on fireproof safes.

If you’re considering purchasing a fireproof safe, there are a number of factors to consider.  First and foremost,  you should make sure the safe carries a fireproof rating.  These ratings are usually expressed as a number of hours, such as a 1 hour fireproof rating.  This means that the safe has been tested to withstand a 1700 degree F fire for a period of one hour, and the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F.  Safes with a fireproof rating having special layers of insulation and door seals to keep the temperature on the inside low during a fire.

Another thing to consider is what you are going to store in the safe.  Do you need shelves, or just a large opening?  How large are the items you are going to store?   Where is the safe going to be located?  These things will determine the size, shape and interior arrangement of the safe.   Also you will need to consider the type of locking mechanism you want.  Fireproof safes are available with keylocks, combination locks, and convenient electronic locks.  Now that you know what to look for, don’t put off buying a fireproof safe any longer - one could save your valuable documents and other valuables from being destroyed in a fire.

Chances are, if you lost your home or business computer backup media (tapes, CDs, DVDs, floppies) in a fire, it would cost you a lot of time and money to replace the data.  In fact some of your data might be impossible to replace.  So investing in a good quality fireproof media safe is a good idea.  Fireproof media safes are designed to endure a fire and leave the computer backup media in a state where it can still be accessed.  These safes carry a fireproof rating, usually expressed in hours.  An example would be a 1 hour fireproof media rating.

This means that the safe has been subjected to a 1700 degree F fire (the typical temperature of a home or business fire)  for a period of one hour, and the temperature in the safe did not rise above 80 degrees F.  Also, they are tested to ensure that the humidity does not rise above 80% when flooded with water.  This is to protect the media from the harmful effects of the water used to put out the fire.  Fireproof media safes are constructed with special insulating materials in the walls, and have special heat and water  seals around the door that expand as the temperature rises.   Now would be a good time to make sure that your valuable comuter backup data is safe from a fire.   For more information on fireproof media safes.

Chances are you have some documents stored away in your home that would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace if they were destroyed in a fire.  You can kill two birds with one stone by getting a fireproof home safe - your documents will be safe from fire and also from burglars.  A fireproof home safe is surprisingly affordable, and it could be the best investment you ever make.  When looking for a fireproof home safe, check the fire rating that it carries.  Fire ratings are usually expressed as a number of hours.

For example, a fireproof home safe that carries a fireproof rating of 1 hour has been tested to withstand a 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour,  and the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F.  In addition, to ensure that the safe protects against water damage, the humidity did not rise above 80%.  This will ensure that there is no permanent damage to your documents and other valuables.  For more information on the fireproof home safe.

Fireproof gun safes are specially-designed gun safes that are designed to protect your guns in the event of a fire.  There are two things you need to worry about - the  fire, and the water used to put it out.  Fireproof gun safes usually carry a rating that is specified in hours.  For example, a 1 hour fireproof rating means that the safe has been  subjected to a 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour, and the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F.  In addition, the humidity did not rise above 80%.  These are low enough levels to protect your guns and ammunition from permanent damage.

Fireproof gun safes are available in a wide range of sizes.  Most offer rack-type storage for rifles and shotguns and convenient shelves for storing pistols and ammunition.  They feature special insulating material designed to keep the temperature low during a fire, and heat-activated expanding door seals to keep out water.  The most common fire ratings available are 1 and 2 hour fireproof ratings.  A gun safe is a good idea under any circumstance, so why not invest in one that is fireproof?

An electronic gun safe is a gun safe with an electronic locking mechanism.  They are much more convenient to open than a traditional mechanical combination dial.  There are two basic types - electronic keypad and biometric.  An electronic keypad locking mechanism is opened by entering a PIN number on a keypad, just like an ATM or debit card machine.  There’s no turning dials back and forth and counting how many times they’ve been turned.  A biometric safe is even easier to use - just place your index finger on a fingerprint scanner, and if it’s a match, the safe will open.   You can even grant access to the safe to others simply by scanning their fingerprint.

It’s a good idea to have a gun safe nowadays - many states have passed laws which make it a crime if someone gets hurt with a gun that you are responsible for.  So you need a gun safe not only to protect your guns from thieves, but also to restrict access to them by authorized people.  They are an absolute necessity to keep children from gaining access to your guns - children have a way of  finding things no matter where you have them hidden.  So why not do the responsible thing and look for a gun safe today?

If your business handles a lot of cash or small valuables during the day, a depository safe could help simplify storage of these items as well as add security to the way they are handled.   A depository safe is one that allows you to make deposits of small to medium sized objects without gaining access to the inside of the safe.  This means that your employees could have access to place items into the safe, but not take them out.  And your cash and other valuables would not be easily accessible  during an in-store robbery.  You could use a depository safe to store cash and valuables during the day, and then place them in a more secure safe or in the bank at night.  A depository safe could well save your business a good deal of money over time.  For more information on the depository safe.