A secure lockbox has so many uses and is the best way to keep your valuables out of the wrong hands. The best safes are easy to lock and unlock, cannot be pried open, and have enough room to store passports, cash, bonds, jewelry, and whatever else you want to keep from sticky fingers and prying eyes. These safes make the top of our list of favorites.
Amazon Basics home keypad safe
A heavy-duty option
This home safe is made from carbon steel with hidden hinges to make it harder to break into. It features an easy-to-use keypad with a backup key entry.
Pros:
- Programmable keypad
- Heavy-duty carbon steel
- Pre-drilled mounting holes
- Concealed hinges
Cons:
- Not fireproof or waterproof
This 1.8 cubic foot safe from Amazon Basics is suitable for those who want a basic, no-frills setup. There are pre-drilled mounting holes in this big lock box, and it's installable on the floor or wall. You'll access the interior with a touch keypad or an emergency key. This unit is not waterproof or fireproof, but it is a good place to keep jewelry, coins, and other treasures locked down and far from view.
SereneLife electronic safe
For the little things
This electronic safe is made from reenforced steel. It comes predrilled and with the hardware needed to mount to a wall or floor, making it harder to run off with.
Pros:
- Reinforced solid steel
- Pre-drilled holes for installation
- Finger sensor technology
Cons:
- Requires four AA batteries
The SereneLife Electronic safe features a programmable keypad, and while it needs 4 AA batteries to use it, it also has an LED indicator to let you know when the batteries are getting low. If you find yourself in need of them, this safe comes with keys that will also let you get into the safe without using the keypad. If you have a smaller budget, SereneLife is the perfect choice for you.
SentrySafe with dial combination
It's everything you need in a safe and then some
The SentrySafe is both fireproof and waterproof. This makes it extra secure, and extra heavy-duty. It has a tray inside to hold small valuables and a file organizer.
Pros:
- Six live-locking bolts
- Steel construction
- Pry-proof
- Waterproof and fireproof
- Includes tray and drawer
Cons:
- No pre-drilled holes for installation
The SentrySafe has a dial combination and a light inside that comes on when the door is opened. You get 2.05 cubic feet of room inside, which is more than enough for cash, documents, jewelry, heirlooms, and other belongings. The SentrySafe weighs 125 pounds, is drop-proof, and has a pry-resistant hinge bar. If you're torn over which safe is most secure, the SentrySafe has the goods!
TIGERKING double safety lock safe
Digital locks with manual override
This TIGERKING safe has a built-in alarm system to deter thieves and quickly let you know when it's been tampered with.
Pros:
- Six live-locking bolts
- Steel construction
- Digital lock and manual override
- Dual alarm system
Cons:
- Only weighs 60 pounds
The TIGERKING detects violent vibrations or three incorrect keypad entries and lets out a loud alarm tone certain to scare off burglars. It features a double safety lock safe and has an enormous 2.05 cubic feet of room. It's wide enough to place a 14-inch laptop on one of its shelves, so your storage options are many. In addition to its steel construction and six locking bolts. If you need an anti-theft safe, this is one of the top choices on our list of the best safes.
Bottom line
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Choosing the best safe for your home or office is a big job. If you have a fair amount of valuables to store and want an inexpensive but secure offering, go for Amazon Basics. It's affordable, comes with a programmable keypad, and has pre-drilled mounting holes. Its only downside is it isn't fireproof.
For something to keep important valuables safe during a fire or floor, look into the SentrySafe. This safe
Getting the best safe for your home
Before choosing the best home safe for you, we would recommend deciding on where you would store your home safe, what you want to store, and what level of safety you require. A handful of safes on the US market today are specifically made for particular items. Also, think about which type of safe access would best suit you. Do you want a simple lock and key method? Or would you rather have a digital number pad you enter a code into? You’ll find some home safes including models that have fingerprint recognition. This provides your home safe with an extra form of security.
As with many things, the more money you spend on a safe will dictate the workmanship, materials it’s made out of, and often, its quality. This is particularly relevant if you want a safe that is fire-resistant, made from more heavy-duty materials, or has pry-resistant hinges.
Burglary resistant safe
If you are serious about protecting your valuables against burglary, you should consider a safe that is UL-listed for that purpose. Underwriters Laboratories ratings reflect the construction quality of a safe and are based on how long it would take a burglar to force it open. The minimum level of protection and lowest rating, Residential Security Container, is not really considered safe as it means the container only resists weak attacks for five minutes and is relatively easy to break into. However, UL's other ratings, UL TL-15 and UL TL-30 mean the safe can withstand strong attacks, including power tools, for 15 and 30 minutes respectively.
Most safes you can buy online or in retail stores don't provide much resistance against burglars, though Tarsila Wey from First Alert suggests safes with programmable digital locks and concealed pry-resistant hinges offer more security than those that don’t. Storing your valuables in a home safe does at least discourage impulse and opportunity thefts. For the security of major assets, however, we recommend visiting a locksmith or a store that specializes in safes or getting a lockbox at your bank.
Fire-resistant safes
If protecting key documents from fire is your main concern, get a model that has been UL classified for fire resistance. In order to earn a UL classification, a safe must keep an internal temperature below 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour, even if the outside temperature reaches 1,700 degrees. Safes that last two hours at 1,850 degrees earn a higher rating. Many cheap fire chests are UL classified for 30 minutes at 1,550 degrees.
“Many of today’s safes are capable of providing both fire resistance and effective burglary protection,” Tarsila Wey told us in our interview. Of course, if you want a safe that is both fire- and burglar-resistant, you should expect to spend more.
Locking mechanism of the safe
Some safes have one basic locking device, while others are equipped with as many as four, such as basic key entry, combination dial entry, digital combination pad entry, and fingerprint recognition entry. While it's important to choose a lock style that best fits your needs and preferences, each lock type has weaknesses. For example, digital locks have trouble if the batteries die, and burglars can force the lock using the slot for the backup key. Likewise, manual locks can be susceptible to lock picking. Remember, if a safe has a UL listing for burglary resistance, its lock will reflect that.
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