Burglary Safe

[zardthebuilder]

i'm thinking about buying a burglary safe. something that will deter most of the garden variety burglars that only go in and out within 10 minutes. home depot sells a 3.3 cu. ft. Mesa safe for $440. seems to meet my needs, but more than i would like to pay. from what i can tell, all the ones sold at costco are not designated as "burglary safe". anyone know of other options with better value? any opinions on Mesa?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/MESA-3-3...c-Lock-in-Hammered-Grey-MBF2020ECSD/203154265

 

[edro]

You're better off hiding valuables than putting them in a "safe".
If you want it for fire protection, that could be a reason.

 

[zardthebuilder]

fire protection is secondary. i can't imagine where i can hide something, and not be found. these burglars typically ransack everywhere.

 

[Greenman]

As I recall safes are rated by the time it takes to break into them. I think the upper end units are rated at half an hour.

 

[boomerang]

IMO, breaking into it shouldn't be the biggest concern. It's far more important to ensure that it can't be carried off to be opened when there is more time to do so. And that doesn't necessarily mean it has to be heavy. Securing it to substantial structure is more important. Typically they are fastened from within the safe itself.

 

[spacejamz]

what are you trying to protect? is using fake coke cans that you can put in your pantry an option? thieves are not going to check your pantry...

 

[zardthebuilder]

mostly documents like old tax returns. backup drives. nothing that can get much value selling to a pawn shop, but could be a hassle if taken. i'm blessed because my wife is not into jewelry. we have no firearms. no drugs. i have a crawlspace. maybe i should dig a hole and burying the stuff.

 

[edro]

What?! You want a safe to keep old tax returns and hard drives?
Put them in a box in your closet.

 

[zardthebuilder]

edro, apparently, you live in a low crime area. good for you. homes are constantly burglarized in my neighborhood. and if they target my home, i want to minimize the damage.

 

[highland145]

I'm with edro. Docs/pics...cloud. Anything else, hide.

My limited understanding, safes are for theft protection or fire protection. You can get both but with a lot more $$. And there's a difference on the sidewall vs back wall steel thickness.......short answer, the companies aren't honest about their "safe"'ness.

 

[HeXen]

I hide stuff up in my rafters in my garage with a motion sensing 150 db alarm. Also lights are disabled, so they'd have to withstand the alarm while finding my ladder with a flashlight and actually look pretty hard to find the goodies. My house has cameras and 2 pit bulls plus my bedroom door is always locked. For the electronics I use daily, I made my own TV stand in the bedroom, it's large and heavy enough to require at least 2 guys and has a hidden way to access to get inside of it and it's not really obvious there's anything inside of it either...so theres a few layers for them to work through first. If they make it out with the goods then they deserved it. I believe in rewarding for hard work.

 

[boomerang]

Another option is to weigh the cost of a safe that will meet your needs against the cost of a safe deposit box.

 

[zardthebuilder]

i have a 3x5 safe deposit box for some irreplaceable stuff. anything larger has a 2 year waiting list. multiple 3x5 boxes are too expensive.

the more i think about it, hiding is better than a safe. attic. that is in interesting hiding place. yes, i need to scan these docs.

 

[spacejamz]

i have a 3x5 safe deposit box for some irreplaceable stuff. anything larger has a 2 year waiting list. multiple 3x5 boxes are too expensive.

the more i think about it, hiding is better than a safe. attic. that is in interesting hiding place. yes, i need to scan these docs.

Will your docs fit inside a cereal box? get a special K box or grapenuts and that should double your chances of it not being looked at in your pantry...LOL

 

[cardiac]

Take the kick panel off from under a kitchen cabinet. Tons of storage under there. Insert goodies - put panel back on. Sounds like it is stuff you won't need access to very often.. Don't use the one under the sink in case of a leak...

 

[Jerem]

The Mesa looks to only have bolts at the sides and not the top and bottom and that is no good. The fixed bolts on the hinge side are okay but without top and bottom bolts this is very vulnerable to a pry attack. Sub $500 is a pretty low number and you may not find much better. A good alarm will help get the bad guys out faster and bolting whatever you buy to the floor is critical. If price is an issue take a look at some of the Winchester gun safes at Tractor Supply. Stay away from the Cannons, they are crap (I have one for my ammo). If you qualify for their (Tractor Supply) card you can get 12mos. no interest.

 

[slag]

edro, apparently, you live in a low crime area. good for you. homes are constantly burglarized in my neighborhood. and if they target my home, i want to minimize the damage.

Obligatory "Move out of the ghetto if you want to have nice things".

 

[DrPizza]

Wow, thanks for this thread - I'll be in the market for a gun safe next year; looks like the ones I was looking at are a piece of cake to pry open.

 

[highland145]

Get a used tl rated safe.

Interesting video. All you wanted to know.
http://www.griffinsafes.com/youtube.html

http://www.griffinsafes.com/tr-tl-rated-safes.html

http://www.griffinsafes.com/3-minute-burglary.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe#Class_TL-15

 

[DrPizza]

Excellent video, thanks! I wonder how easily I would be able to move a concrete lined safe through my whole house to my walk-in closet. Our future goal is to have a quality gun safe that doubles as a fire safe for important papers and valuables. I'd use the ammo storage space for valuables; although ammo prices are high, I'm not worried about someone stealing my ammo.

 

[mizzou]

Get a gun safe for protection AND fire protection.

A firemans axe can get you inside nearly all safes surprisingly...but your average burglar wants to get in things quickly and things they can carry at the heaviest. If your 2x2 cube safe can be picked up, they will pick it up and open it elsewhere. Bolt it to the ground or a wall stud....it will greatly deter them!

 

[DrPizza]

Get a gun safe for protection AND fire protection.

A firemans axe can get you inside nearly all safes surprisingly...but your average burglar wants to get in things quickly and things they can carry at the heaviest. If your 2x2 cube safe can be picked up, they will pick it up and open it elsewhere. Bolt it to the ground or a wall stud....it will greatly deter them!

If you have a cordless angle grinder or circular saw, you can go through many of those 2x2 fire rated safes in a matter of a minute or so. It'll deter kids looking for a quick score; it won't deter a real criminal.

 

[mizzou]

If you have a cordless angle grinder or circular saw, you can go through many of those 2x2 fire rated safes in a matter of a minute or so. It'll deter kids looking for a quick score; it won't deter a real criminal.

dedicated burglars are extremely rare. the vast majority end up like this:
-they are familiar with the interior of your home
-they know when you are away
-they know exactly what they are looking for

You will come home, the drawers will be pulled out in the bedroom, closet opened and tossed. Things moved around. You will find missing change jars, cash, expensive jewelry, medicine, unsecured firearms, laptops/tablets. Occasionally you will find something as large as a stolen TV.



All I'm trying to say is something is 1000% better then nothing. If you can get a real burglar deterrent safe, go for it! But if you can't, don't wait 5-10 years and just leave guns in a closet when you could have had a $250-$500 safe that would probably deter your average burglar just as much as a $5000 one.

 

[Jeff7181]

what are you trying to protect? is using fake coke cans that you can put in your pantry an option? thieves are not going to check your pantry...

Horrible idea. Who keeps Coke in the pantry? It would stick out like a sore thumb...

In all seriousness, I have this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Z8P5Z2

Bolted to the wall under the night stand next to my bed with this mounted just in front of the safe so as soon as I reach down the light turns on and I can see to type in the code and pull out a pistol: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beams-530-Battery-Operated-Motion-Sensing/dp/B00196WS6S

 

[rh71]

I hide stuff up in my rafters in my garage with a motion sensing 150 db alarm. Also lights are disabled, so they'd have to withstand the alarm while finding my ladder with a flashlight and actually look pretty hard to find the goodies. My house has cameras and 2 pit bulls plus my bedroom door is always locked. For the electronics I use daily, I made my own TV stand in the bedroom, it's large and heavy enough to require at least 2 guys and has a hidden way to access to get inside of it and it's not really obvious there's anything inside of it either...so theres a few layers for them to work through first. If they make it out with the goods then they deserved it. I believe in rewarding for hard work.

Hard work - ok, let us try - give us your address.

I'm just using a Harbor Freight $100 1.5cu ft safe that's bolted to a heavy desk from the inside. Just so they can't come in and run out with stuff. I have an audible alarm that keeps them from staying long.