When it comes to protecting your valuables, a safe is great option. There are quite a few safes on the market, however knowing the one that is best for you can be difficult. To get the ideal safe for your needs, there are a few factors you should take into consideration, for example the kind of protection that you require from the safe, how much will be stored in the safe, and a few other points. Once you are aware what you require from the safe, it will be a lot easier to choose the perfect model for you.

What Protections Do You Require?

When it comes to what protections a safe is able to provide, there are three main ones – water resistance, fire resistance, and burglary protection. Every safe will offer a different level of protection against each one of those threats.

Fire Resistance

Although a safe cannot be manufactured to be fireproof, it is able to be insulated so that items in the interior are protected from combustion over a certain amount of time. First decide what will be kept in the safe and then search for a safe which maintains that internal temperature below the threshold temperatures which could damage your valuables. For example, you must keep paper under 350 degrees, and DVDs must be kept under 125 degrees.

With most home safes, hours is how the fire resistance is measured offering half an hour of protection. Usually a half an hour should be more than enough time, however if you require more protection and are willing to spend on it, you are able to obtain rating times that are longer.

Water Resistance

Usually safes which offer both theft and burglary resistance will also be waterproof to some extent, however if this feature is an important one, make sure that the safe you opt for meets those requirements.

Burglary Protection

When it comes to burglary protection there are two main factors -steel thickness and locking systems. For increased protection, the preferred system is a combination lock. There are some safes which may attempt to sell you on the amount of locking bolts used by the safe, however keep in mind that a bolt or bolts are merely there to prevent the safe from being able to be pried open. All the excessive amounts of bolts are is a selling point, they are not actually necessary.

The second factor for burglary protection is steel thickness. The way that they measure steel thickness is by gauge, the smaller number is what indicates greater thickness. Usually 12 gauge is more than enough to keep burglars out of home safes, however depending on what your needs require, you are able to go much thicker.
Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Safe

It is important that you decide what you’ll do with the safe. Perhaps the way it looks may be a factor. Will you have to move it on your own? How much are you planning on storing in there? All of these factors are important it comes to the safe you opt for.

Appearance

There are practical safes, and then there are those which also add visual appeal with their embellishments. If you will store the safe in a basement, then the way it looks is probably not very important. However if the area it will be in is someplace where you consistently see it, or where it will be seen by clients or guests, you may prefer one which looks presentable.

Portability

At least two people and even a dolly will be required to move a large safe, however there are small safes which could be picked up by the average adult. If you are going to want to move your safe, it is important to make sure that you are able to do so. This will obviously limit the amount that you are able to store in it, however if you are looking to take your safe with you or to remove it if there were an emergency, it may be worth it.

Size

The simplest way to decide what size safe you will need is to place everything which you want to put in your safe in a pile. That pile can then be measured for its cubic area. The way this is done is by measuring the pile’s length and width, the length is then multiplied by the width. The number you get is then multiplied by the height of the pile. The cubic area of the pile will be the number you obtain from your calculations.

You can then take the pile´s cubic area and multiply that by two, this will provide you with some growing room. There are those who make the mistake of purchasing a safe that can barely hold what they currently have, this is very shortsighted. Almost always safe owners will grow into their safe, as time goes on they will add items. If you want to avoid having purchase another safe later down the line, than it is important to get a safe that is big enough.

Number Size Is What You Should Base Your Safe Choice Off Of

Once you have decided upon all the criteria you require in a safe, you can start shopping around for safes which will fit your needs. To pick a safe which is large enough you can use the required cubic area, you can also look for any other needed factors – burglary protection, fire protection, etc. – this will narrow your options down.

When looking for locksmith services in Houston and shopping around for a safe, it is crucial that you shop with a manufacturer that is reputable. Not every safe is created equal, and although there are certain testing measurements which are standardized from organizations such as Intertek and Underwriters which you are able to count on, you still want to look for a safe which is manufactured with the use of high standards. Manufacturers such as Gardall and Burg Watcher are reputable for having high quality. A great place to start would be by looking over what these companies have to offer.

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