What is a safe?

A safe or a security container is essentially a metal box with a lock on it……that’s it…just kidding! Safes can range from the very simple and insecure to the extremely complicated and secure. Below is a few things to keep in mind when purchasing a safe.

Good quality security safes normally come with a cash rating that it can be insured to protect, for example, some of the higher end commercial safes are rated for $500,000. These would typically weigh more than 500kgs and have doors up to 200mm thick filled with hardened steel, concrete and other security devices preventing forced entry. You need to consider what you are trying to protect. You wouldn’t put a $200 watch in a $10,000 safe designed to store up to $500,000 worth of goods. Just like you wouldn’t store $10,000 worth of jewelry in a $50 safe from a hardware store (I see this far more often than I’m comfortable with!)

A fire safe is a container that is not normally rated to be as secure as a safe designed for security. The fire retardant material that is inserted into the safe means that it is much easier to penetrate and force open than a safe with a cash rating. You can have both a fire safe and security safe in the one product. However they tend to be more expensive and have a lot smaller internal dimensions due to the multi layering of security material and the fire retardant material. Adding two layers to the safes walls and door means there is much less room inside for the goods you want to protect.

Some specialist containers like drug or gun safes come with certain regulations surrounding how secure it needs to be and how goods have to be stored. For example, a chemist cant buy a $30 Bunnings “safe” and store pharmaceuticals in it. It doesn’t become a drug safe just because you store drugs in it. It needs to have plate doors and walls at least 10mm thick for it to be rated to store drugs inside it. Just like a gun safe needs 6mm plate doors and walls and bolted to the ground (unless over a certain weight) for you to be allowed to store firearms inside it.

How much does a safe cost to open?

This is a very open ended question, cheap safes can sometimes be easier to open then a simple door lock. Although I wouldn’t even call these products a “safe” and you are better off hiding your valuables then storing them in such a cheap product. These safes are relatively inexpensive to open.

Higher end safes are a different kettle of fish. The idea of a safe is to keep people out, whether that be by destructive entry like drilling/prying/grinding etc or by manipulating/picking/bypassing. Because of this, opening secure safes is a very specialized skill even amongst professional locksmiths. So depending on the security of the container and the situation of the lockout (lost combo, lock failure, attempted break in etc) the price for an opening can jump dramatically. Contrary to popular belief locksmiths don’t carry “master keys” to open every lock in existence in 5 minutes! It’s also a great reason to have your safe serviced regularly to ensure there are no lock failures and expensive opening fees.

In summary, when it comes to buying the safe that you need the best thing to do is pick up the phone and call us. We don’t want you to under pay for a product that leaves your precious family memories and valuables insecure. We also don’t want you to overpay for a product that you might not necessarily need. Here at SK Locksmiths & Security we are happy to provide professional and discreet service and advice on all types of safes and fire containers.

Stay “SAFE!”