I came across this informative article on the web last night. The author is a locksmith in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan --and he's done a very fair job on the basics of safes.
Note: I've been in this business for years --and I can tell you flat out that while you want to go into buying a safe with some basic knowledge, the industry and product lines change rather quickly. New features, even ones added in the last 6 months, make safes "safer" --offer more storage options, and many models blur the lines between gun, fire, and high security safes.
To kill a LOT of search and study time, I'd like to suggest you spend 10 minutes on the phone with someone who lives and breaths safes (as in 1000's of them). Call anyone on our team at The Safe Place: 775-358-7233.
The article I found and appreciated for it's general overview, here:
When buying a safe, you will have three basic types of safes to choose from:
The fire-resistant safe
The burglar-resistant safe
The combination fire and burglar resistant safe
Fire Resistant Safe
The fire-resistant safe is designed to protect paper from fire. It is constructed with a thin metal double wall design which allows a fire-resistant insulating material to be put between the walls. In the event of a fire, the insulating material releases moisture which keeps the interior safe temperature below the burning point of paper. These safes are rated by the length of time they will protect their contents under test conditions. A 1/2-hour rating is used only for small fire-insulated boxes. Most fire-resistant safes have 1-hour or 2-hour ratings. These are adequate for the protection of paper records in normal residential or commercial fires. The 4-hour rating is used for record rooms. If a safe is labeled as a fire resistant container, that label is usually provided by the Underwriters Laboratory (UL). However there are other testing agencies which test and label safes, such as Japan Institute of Standards (JIS). These labels are equivalent to UL labels.
The burglary resistance of a fire safe is minimal. Any metal box with a combination lock is described as a Class 1 burglary resistant container.
The media safe is designed to protect electronic media such as computer disks and video tapes. Like regular fire safes, media safes have UL ratings for protection times. Electronic media are more sensitive to heat and humidity than paper so media safes are differently constructed and much more heavily insulated than regular fire safes with the same rating.
Burglar Resistant Safe
The burglar-resistant safe is designed to contain valuables. It is constructed with solid metal walls and a heavy door resistant to attack by drilling, cutting or prying. Hardened and drill resistant metals are often used to slow down attempts to break in to this safe. These safes are rated in two ways:
The class rating (1-5) is based on a combination of door and wall thickness, and in the higher ratings (3-5), resistance to certain forms of attack such as drilling and cutting with a torch. Insurance companies use this rating to designate how much cash may be kept in the safe.
The UL rating is a system developed by Underwriters Laboratory which rates safes based on how long they will resist various forms of attack. The UL ratings start at 15 minutes and go to one hour. As well, they add the following letter designations: DR drill resistant, TL tool resistant, TR torch resistant, TRTL tool and torch resistant and finally the X6 designation is reserved for the very best bankers and jewelers safes. They would be designated: TRTL60X6. When buying a safe, keep in mind that any UL designated burglary safe is of high quality and gives excellent protection.
There are two specialized burglary resistant safes that are commonly used for storage of cash, the in-floor safe and the drop safe.
The in-floor safe is a round or square tube with a heavily constructed lid which lifts out when unlocked. The tube is usually installed in a concrete floor or it can be installed on the floor surface in a concrete block which adds weight and protects the tube from attack. The main advantage of this safe is the low cost. Since the exposed lid is the only part that is heavily constructed, good protection can be achieved inexpensively.
The drop safe allows envelopes or bank bags to be inserted into the safe while the safe remains locked. The drop can be as simple as a slot in the lid of an in floor safe, or it can be an elaborate hopper or drawer designed to allow large items to be inserted. These safes are used where frequent cash deposits must be made to deter robbery. Often the manager is the only one with access to the "dropped" cash. These safes are never UL burglary rated and are not recommended for long term storage of cash. They are also quite light and should be bolted to the floor or counter to deter the smash-and-grab thief.
Combination Burglary and Fire Resistant Safe
The combination burglary and fire-resistant safe is designed to give protection against both fire and burglary. It is usually designed as a burglary safe with a secondary wall constructed inside the safe which contains insulation. This safe can be UL rated for both burglary and fire protection.
Another type of combination fire and burglar resistant safe is one where a small burglary resistant container is installed in a larger fire-resistant container. In newer units the fire resistance is UL labeled but often the burglary container is not.
Older Safes
Most older safes are not labeled as either burglar or fire resistant. We can only guess at their true quality and in the case of the burglary containers rate them Class 1, 2, or 3 based on door and wall thickness, according to insurance classifications.
Another point to remember is that often insurance companies ask their clients to buy a safe based on weight or to have the safe bolted to the floor if it isn't heavy enough. Many of those clients come to us wanting to buy an inexpensive fire-resistant safe and have it bolted to the floor. We believe this is a poor solution. Bolting a safe to the floor does not increase its burglary resistance. It might slow a burglar in an attempt to remove the safe, but fire safes can be pried open relatively easily. Thus the burglar may not take the safe itself, but the valuables inside would still be easily accessible.
One final point: we recommend monitored alarm systems for all burglary resistant containers. Given enough time, knowledge and tools, a burglar can break into any safe. Reducing the time the burglar will remain undetected allows the safe to do its job.
Article by Allan Cushon, of Burnett's Key Shop, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
