Attributes to Look for in a Burglary Safe

The phrase “burglary safe” for most would appear to be a redundancy. Aren’t safes meant to protect things from burglars or unwanted access? The word “safe” alone should be enough to mean a secure container for valuables that hinders burglar access. However, in the language of the safe trade, “burglary safe” is a recognized category of safes.

Properties of Burglary Safes

To explain the reason why the “redundancy” exists, it helps getting acquainted with the main features or properties of these safes.

A burglary safe, in general, is one that is deemed to be resistant enough to forcible opening using all kinds of tools a burglar may use. This generally means a “TL” or tool latency security rating. Every safe is designed to provide protection from unauthorized access but not all of them is tested and certified to be able to withstand burglar attacks. For instance, a small jewelry safe with an electronic lock may appear durable and secure enough but it may only be considered a fire resistant safe or one that is waterproof and capable of protecting contents from extreme temperatures, but is not strong enough to withstand punctures on its walls.

Burglary safes are expected to be highly durable and drill and cut resistant. They belong to the high security safes category. Generally, to be considered a burglar-resistant safe, a safe should be rated a minimum rating of a TL 15. It should be able to maintain its security while subjected to at least 15 minutes of abuse or rigorous attempts of forcible access by skilled burglars with a great variety of tools at their disposal.

Recommended Specifications

To know the specifications you should be looking for, you have to know what type of valuable items will be contained in the safe. If you are getting a safe for your paper money, real property titles, or important documents related to assets, it is advisable to get something that is not only tool-resistant but also fire-resistant.

If the valuables you will be storing in the safe is something not that prone to getting damaged with exposed to extreme temperatures, jewelry for example, a pure steel plate safe may suffice. However, you have to be sure that all walls of such safe are resistant to various kinds of abuse such as cutting, grinding, drilling, and torching. The lock should also be sophisticated enough to prevent unauthorized access through prying or through the use of electronic tools. Walls for your burglar-proof jewelry safe should at least be a quarter of an inch thick while the door should be at least half an inch in thickness.

Additional Features

Burglar-proof safes can be more secure if they are set up with alarms or some other similar mechanism that will drive away a burglar or prevent them from continuously trying to compromise the safe to open. Additional locks may also be installed as a retrofit. If your safe is not fire-proof, you can install a fire alarm or sprinklers in the room where the safe is located to make sure that fire will not be able to damage its contents so rapidly.

Most safes considered to be burglar-proof can be used in either residential or commercial settings. There isn’t that much of a difference between safes intended for homes or those designed for offices. However, you have to do your assessments to determine if the safe you are buying is the right one for your security needs by working with an experienced professional.

Follow us for more updates on Facebook.