Recommendations for at-home safe

[Deleted]

Now that we'll be traveling again, I need a recommendation for an at-home safe. I need space for 2 handguns and a small amount of valuable jewelry.  I think most of them have a 30-60 minute fire rating; flood resistant or flood proof is not an issue for us.  I need one that can be bolted down to the concrete slab in the closet in the garage.  Any ideas?  TIA

[tractor]

No specific recommendation, you'll have to get out and see what's available. The fire rating is important, and it sounds like you only need a small one. Stay away from the electronic lock, if possible. They work just fine until the battery dies, then you're stuck looking for a battery when you just want to open the thing.

I have a big safe, so I don't bolt it to the floor, it's too heavy for anyone to move 😊

[minnesotapaintlady]

Jun 16, 2022 7:42:48 GMT -5 tractor said:

I have a big safe, so I don't bolt it to the floor, it's too heavy for anyone to move 😊

Mine too.  I have it in the basement right now because having something that heavy on an upper level made me nervous (I keep envisioning it falling on our heads when we're hiding out in the basement during a tornado!), but I decided it really needs to be upstairs due to my flooding issues.  Well, I can't figure out how to get the damn thing up there!  I have no idea how we ever got it into the basement to begin with.  A lot younger and stronger I guess. 

eta:  I don't really have any recommendations either.  I have a Sentry safe and I'm happy with it.  I was really happy they were able to tell me my lost combination after over 30 years since I bought it.

[Anne_in_VA]

We have a small safe that if mounted ina closet wall.  DH actually reinforced the structure where he was going to mount the safe.  I have all of my handbags piled up I’m front of it so you can’t see it and we didn’t tell anyone that we have it. 

[haapai]

I have no recommendations but I'm impressed by your decision to put it in the garage.  It's made me realize that my detached garage is an excellent place for a safe.  Any fire in the garage will be quickly put out.  I can't say the same for my basement. 

On the other hand, you may have an attached garage that will burn longer. 

Are you ever planning on putting papers in the same safe?  That would change the required amount of fire resistance. 

[Deleted]

I really appreciate everyone's input and thoughts. We might put important papers in there, but I'll probably leave documents in the safety deposit box.

We went to a local safe dealer today and found a great one but it's $2600 installed which has me looking at less costly alternatives. It might be overkill for our needs.

[Deleted]

Oh, and the reason for the garage is because we don't want to drill through the hardwoods to bolt it to the slab

[haapai]

You can get a one-cubic foot combination safe rated fireproof for an hour at 1700 for about $200 at Home Depot.  I don't know what the installation will cost you though. 

Bolted to the slab, it should suffice to keep the handguns and the jewellery away from opportunists who don't come prepared.  If you are planning on putting this in your garage, it might be better to go small and sorta chintzy instead of large.  You don't want to set too many imaginations on fire.  Smaller is also easier to hide. 

Personally, I don't like the fact that it has a combination.  I'd prefer a key that you can drop in the safe deposit box over something that your children can memorize or determine through brute repetition.   

[Deleted]

I saw a nice Sentry one on Amazon for about $600 which I think might meet our needs. It weighs about 200 pounds which would discourage the smash-and-grab punks that are the majority of our perps. And it can transition to an apartment if we decide to go that way in the next few years

[tractor]

Minnesotapaintlady, the key to moving big safes is to do it in two parts. 1) remove the door and drag that upstairs first, then 2) move the body. However, it's easier to bring heavy things down than it is to get them up.

Depending on your flooding depth concerns, you might be able to build a higher base for it to get it up off the floor.

[Artemis Windsong]

Our safe was delivered to the driveway.  A heavy Liberty safe.  2 stairs from the garage into the house.  H. moved it himself.  I was bad wife and left.  I have no idea how much it weighs.  The safe did have scratches on it.  And the dolly was ruined.

H. has moved some extremely heavy stuff into pick up beds alone.  That was in his younger years.  Power lifting in jr. hi and h.s. paid off. 

[debthaven]

We have a small safe bolted to the floor at the back of a big closet. We're happy with the safe itself, but it was installed decades ago, and I'm in France, so I can't give you any specifics.

HOWEVER ... now, in my 60s, I have to literally crawl on my hands and knees to access it. We don't use it often, but the crawling gets harder every year LOL. 

Just something to keep in mind. 

[Deleted]

Jun 18, 2022 18:51:33 GMT -5 debthaven said:

We have a small safe bolted to the floor at the back of a big closet. We're happy with the safe itself, but it was installed decades ago, and I'm in France, so I can't give you any specifics.

HOWEVER ... now, in my 60s, I have to literally crawl on my hands and knees to access it. We don't use it often, but the crawling gets harder every year LOL. 

Just something to keep in mind. 

The man at the safe store recommended adding on a top-mounted dial for those of a certain vintage, like me and DH, who might find getting down to floor level challenging.  Obviously the boomer market is influencing the safe industry