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Four Factors You Should Consider When Buying a Safe

Four Factors You Should Consider When Buying a Safe

(Excerpt from Security Buyers Guide)

When purchasing a safe there are four main points to consider before making a decision:

  1. Size or Capacity of the Safe
  2. Final Placement of the Safe
  3. Type and Degree of Protection
  4. The Price of the Safe

The first determination, size or capacity, is entirely dependent on what you are going to store in the safe. The best way to do this is to measure the largest items you intend to secure. Plan to buy a safe whose interior dimensions all for at least 25% more room. Be aware that the inside and outside dimensions of the safes vary considerably. You must allow for the body and the insulation of the safe. These two factors can reduce the inside size of a safe by quite a bit. The extra 25% will allow additional room for items you have forgotten to consider or new items you will want to add later. Many safe buyers add up to 50% more room to plan for future growth.

The second determination, final placement of your safe, is dependent on how much space you have available and how you will move the safe to this location. Be sure to measure door widths and heights and compare to your safe outside dimensions. Also know that the combination lock and door hinges will add another 2" - 4" in size. Also, if you are thinking about moving a large heavy safe up or down stairs, be sure that the stairs (and the areas that the safe will be moved across) are strong enough to support this weight.

Remember, once you install the safe it'll never get bigger, but you will always find more items you would like to protect.

The third determination, type and degree of protection, is dependent on the nature of the property that you wish to secure. You might start by asking your insurance company what safe ratings they require to provide you with coverage. Safes are built to meet certain fixed standards for either fire or burglary resistance. Non-negotiable paper documents and records usually can be housed in a fireproof safe. However, if the items are primarily valuables such as cash, bullion, coins or jewelry, then they should be stored in an appropriate burglary resistive safe. It is possible to make a burglary safe fire resistive by using small fire resistive inserts or composite materials. Fire safes, on the other hand, rarely offer any level of real burglary protection.

The last factor, price, is determined by the size and type of safe you wish to purchase. Prices can be anywhere from reasonable, for small fire safes, up to very expensive for jewelers safes. Just be cautious, if you find a great bargain on a new or used safe – pause a moment and consider – you may not have a true bargain at all! Don't forget with a safe it's true, "you get what you pay for." It is better to think of a safe as an investment not just a purchase.

Read more about Burglar Ratings on our web site under Burglar Ratings.

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More Information on Safes

If you have any questions, or if you are considering investing in a safe, please contact us at info@safeandvaultstore.com or call 1.877-403-7622. We would be happy to assist you in finding the right safe to fit your needs.

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