Best Home Safe
In this guide, we delve into the world of home safes, offering a comprehensive overview of the considerations you need to make when purchasing one.
We’ll explore the range of security ratings that dictate a safe’s resistance to burglary and its ability to withstand fire, ensuring your valuables are protected under any circumstance.
We’ll also examine the various types of locks available in today’s market, discussing their strengths and weaknesses to help you make an informed choice.
Whether you’re safeguarding important documents or precious heirlooms, our guide will equip you with the necessary knowledge to select the best home safe that best meets your needs.
Buying Guide: Choosing the Best Home Safe
However, having decided that buying a safe is the right decision, you shouldn’t just jump straight in and pick up the first one you see. Instead, make a careful decision based on your personal requirements, which we’re here to help you figure out.
When choosing a home safe, there are several factors you should consider:
Table of Contents
Master Lock Fireproof Safe
Yale Fire Resistant Safe
Phoenix Titan Fire Safe
Rottner Sydney 40 Fire Safe
Amazon Basics Safe
- Size: Consider what items you plan to store in the safe. If it’s primarily documents, a smaller safe might suffice. However, if you plan to store larger items like electronic devices or heirlooms, opt for a larger model.
- Fire resistance: Based on the fire ratings discussed earlier, identify a safe that can withstand high temperatures and protect your belongings in the event of a fire.
- Lock type: As we’ve explored, there are numerous lock types available, from fingerprint locks to digital keypads. Decide which one offers the balance between security and convenience that suits your needs.
- Location: Consider where you will place the safe. It should be easily accessible for you, but not obvious for intruders.
Now that you’re equipped with this knowledge, let’s move onto our roundup of the best home safes available to buy.
How to pick the best home safe
When selecting the best home safe, it’s crucial to consider your individual needs and preferences. Are you looking to secure valuable jewelry, important documents, or sentimental objects? Is it more important for the best home safe to be fireproof or burglar-resistant? How much space do you have available for a home safe? By understanding your motivations for purchasing a home safe, you’ll be better positioned to choose a model that best suits your needs and budget. Bearing these considerations in mind, let’s take a look at some of the top options available on the market.
What are you going to use the safe for?
The contents you plan to store in your safe significantly influence your choice of safe. If you intend to store smaller items like cash and jewelry, you won’t need a particularly large safe. Additionally, these items typically don’t require frequent access, further simplifying your requirements. On the other hand, if you plan to store larger items such as laptops and cameras, you need to ensure these items will fit inside the safe. It’s crucial to measure your items and compare them with the safe’s dimensions before making a purchase. Realising after the fact that your valuables don’t fit could lead to unnecessary stress and additional costs.
- EN-1143-1 Grade 0 (£6,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 1 (£10,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 2 (£17,500 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 3 (£35,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 4 (£60,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 5 (£100,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 6 (£150,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 7 (£250,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 8 (£400,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 9 (£650,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 10 (£100,000,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 11 (£1,500,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 12 (£2,250,000 cash rating)
- EN-1143-1 Grade 13 (£3,500,000 cash rating)
Balancing Budget and Security
As with many products, when it comes to home safes, you often get what you pay for. If your budget allows for a larger investment, purchasing a more expensive safe often equates to added security features and superior European Norm (EN) grading. These features could include more robust locks, thicker steel walls, advanced fire resistance, and a higher resistance to burglary attempts.
However, not everyone requires the highest level of security. If your primary concern isn’t about storing high-value items or sensitive documents, a less expensive safe might be a suitable option. Lower-cost safes can still offer a respectable level of protection for your belongings without breaking the bank. Remember, the best safe for you is one that aligns with your needs, the value of the items you wish to secure, and your budget. It’s always wise to weigh these factors when making your choice.
Key or Combination Lock?
Choosing between a key or a mechanical or electronic combination lock for your safe largely depends on personal preference and lifestyle habits. A key-locked safe offers the assurance that only those with the physical key can gain access, providing you keep it in a secure place or on your person. On the other hand, a combination lock requires knowledge or guesswork of the code to access the contents. While both offer substantial security, they are not without pitfalls. Keys can be misplaced, and combinations can be forgotten.
In case of forgotten combinations, you might want to store a record in a secure place—just ensure it’s not as accessible as a Post-it note on your refrigerator! Some manufacturers may offer an override key for such circumstances. However, if you’re prone to losing items, you might want to reconsider locking your most prized possessions in a safe that only comes with one irreplaceable key. Opt, instead, for a safe that comes with a spare key and entrust the spare to someone you trust.
Alternatively, you might want to choose a safe provider that’s willing to issue replacements if you ever need them. Of course, if you possess absolute trust in your memorization or organization skills, you could dismiss this consideration entirely. Remember, the right choice for you hinges on your personal needs and lifestyle habits.
Master Lock Fireproof Safe
Yale Fire Resistant Safe
Phoenix Titan Fire Security Safe
Rottner Sydney 40 Fire Safe
Amazon Basics Fire Resistant Safe
The Reviews
Master Lock Fireproof Safe
A heavy, hardwearing and reliable safe, the Master Lock Fireproof safe is a pretty good model to have in your home.
Fashioned from tough, durable steel, this fire and water resistant safe has a number of great features going for it. For starters, it will resist fires of up to 927°c for up to 1 hour. It will also resist immersion in up to 12CM of water for 24 hours.
The safe may be accessed via an attractive digital keypad located on the door itself, and stays shut with the aid of 3 large, live locking bolts that measure 2.5CM each and are guaranteed to keep your valuables secure. There’s even a pry resistant hinge bar to keep things extra safe.
Other desirable features include a non-resettable master code, a secondary user function (both primary and secondary user codes are resettable) and a spacious interior, with an internal light so you can see what you’re doing in there. This home safe is able to store up to £1000 in cash or £10,000 in valuables.
The FTC is an extra heavy safe (the design includes concrete), weighing in at over 30kg, which makes it particularly hard to steal.
So this safe has a lot of good points. However, it does have some bad points as well. For example, the battery life (it takes 4 AAA batteries) is particularly weak, providing only 35 hours of continuous usage. This could lead users to change the batteries far more regularly than is strictly necessary.
It is possible to remove the batteries and replace them only when needed, but this can be a headache in and of itself.
Possibly the FTC’s biggest let down is the method required to bolt it to the floor. With no wall mounting option, users are required to drill 4 holes into the safe at specific points, although this securely fastens the home safe to the floor, it immediately voids any water resistance.
There is no key override offered by this model, either.
- Capacity – 22.8 Ltr
- Weight – 33.2kg
- Fire resistance – fire endurance (1 hour at 927°c)
- Water resistance – water protection up to 12cm for 24 hours
- Batteries required – yes (4 AAA batteries required.)
- Material – Steel
- Keypad lock – yes
- Lock – 3 large, live locking bolts of 2,5cm diameter and pry resistant hinge bar for a higher level of resistance.
- Protect up to – £10000
- Key backup – Master Code/ 2nd User Function – 2 resettable combinations + 1 Master electronic combination lock (non programmable)
PROS
✅ Resistant to fires of up to 927°c for up to 1 hour
✅ 3 large locking bolts
✅ Interior security light
Yale Fire Resistant Safe
Yale are a world renowned and trusted brand – and products like this are part of the reason why.
The Yale Fire Resistance Safe is a smart, professional looking home safe. Its mere presence might actually be enough to discourage would-be thieves from attempting to open it.
The FG2 has a somewhat disappointing 25-litre capacity. However, despite this, the safe can store up to £1000 in cash or £10,000 in valuables.
The FG2 is also quite heavy, weighing around 36kg at any given time. This, along with its large size, makes this home safe very difficult to carry – and therefore to steal.
The plus points for this safe are numerous. It features 1 hour of more or less total fire protection. It also offers the option of enabling a second user with their own unique code, as well as having a non-resettable master-code for use in emergencies. It even has a programmable ‘time lock’ mode.
Speaking of emergencies, the FG2 also provides a function for powering the home safe even if the batteries run out.
This home safe employs 2 18mm solid steel locking bolts, as well as hardened hinges designed to safeguard against attack.
As good as this home safe is, there are still one or two little drawbacks. For example, there is no internal light. Also, this home safe does not have any kind of key backup.
The keypad lights up when touched (a cool feature). However, the keypad’s life is limited to between 3 to 5 years, depending on the frequency of use. The keypad must also be pressed and held for several seconds in order to properly activate it, which can be something of a pain.
As fun little plus, there is even a key hanger on the inside of the door.
- Capacity – 25 Ltr
- Weight – 36 kg
- Key backup – no
- Fire resistance – 1 hour fire protection
- Water resistance – unknown
- Batteries required – yes (4 AAA batteries required.)
- Material – Steel
- Keypad lock – yes
- Lock – High security electronic lock
18mm Secure safe Locking Bolts
Phoenix Titan Fire Security Safe
The durable and fire resistant Phoenix Titan Security Safe boasts an attractive, modern design, as well as a number of other welcome features, making it one of the best home safe around.
The Titan is fire resistant and will protect digital media (such as USB devices, DVDs, CDs and other discs) as well as paper documents for up to 60 minutes of intense heat. This home safe can store up to £2000 in cash or £20,000 in valuables.
With a whopping 36-litre capacity, there’s space enough to store many valuable items. Also, with a weight exceeding 50kg, this home safe is particularly difficult to lift (and therefore make off with). These specifications, it should be noted, pertain to the largest version of the Titan. It is also available in ‘medium’ and ‘small’ sizes.
The keypad lock features options for dual control, hidden code and scrambled code, so it offers the user a lot of options. The Titan also comes with two backup key, which is a handy and considerate feature.
The Titan is a very user-friendly safe. It doesn’t necessarily require batteries or keypad locking, although these are optional. It comes in three different sizes and the interior even features removable shelves, which can greatly increase the amount of storage space offered.
The Titan has also been fully ‘drop tested’ (a controlled test where a fall through a burning building is simulated) to a height of 9.1 metres.
Probably the only negative point in evidence here is the twin lock system. Whilst a twin lock is pretty secure, it is not the best locking system on the market right now. Sadly, this means that for all its great features, the Titan isn’t quite as secure as many other home safes available to the consumer. Still, that’s just one knock on an otherwise fine product.
- Capacity – 36 Ltr
- Weight – 53 kg
- Fire resistance – 60 minutes fire protection for paper documents.digital media
- Batteries required – yes (4 AAA batteries required.)
- Material – Steel
- Keypad lock – features dual control, hidden code and scrambled code.
- Lock – Twin Lock
- Protect up to – £20,000.00
- Key backup – Two keys Supplied
PROS
✅ key features: Large Capacity
✅ Drop tested from 9.1 metres
✅ Shelves are removable to make more space
CONS
❌ Twin lock isn’t as secure as other home safes
Rottner Sydney 40 Fire Safe
With well over a million keypad code possibilities and a tough, no nonsense design, the Rottner Sydney 40 clearly means business.
This safe is especially good against fire, as it can withstand extreme temperatures for over an hour. It is filled with fire resistant concrete, which helps the Sydney to reliably protect up to £20,000 worth of valuables or £2000 in cash.
There are a lot of other plus points that work in the Sydney’s favour. To name one, the Sydney is available in 7 different sizes, which really gives the consumer a lot of options to choose from.
Also, the home safe itself is fashioned from dense, double walled steel. Not only does this help to guard against attack, it also means that the Sydney is generally quite heavy, making it a difficult object to steal.
The Sydney benefits from an LCD digital lock, as well as a second user function. It can also be opened in an emergency via a master code. This shows a degree of forward planning on the part of the manufacturer, which is always a good sign. Nobody wants to be locked out of their home safe, but everybody knows it can happen. Best to be prepared, as The Scouts say.
However good it may be, the Sydney falls short of perfection in a number of areas. For starters, the storage capacity of 21 litres, whilst fine for a safe of this size, is slightly less than other leading models. Frankly, it could be a little bigger. Additionally, this home safe only has a twin lock, which is not the most secure form of lock available.
Sadly, the Sydney also lacks a key backup, which is mildly irritating, although the presence of a built-in master code does alleviate this concern somewhat.
Overall, Rottner have built a solid, reliable safe. It isn’t the best on the market, but it is a great distance away from being the worst.
- Capacity – 21 Ltr
- Weight – 37.5 kg
- Fire resistance – 60 minutes fire protection for paper documents.digital media
- Keypad lock – yes with over 100,000,000 code possibilities
- Lock – TWIN METAL BOLTS double-locking bolt mechanism
- Protect up to – £20,000 VALUABLES
- Fire Rating – capable of withstanding extreme fires for up to 1 hour
- Key backup – no
Amazon Basics Fire Resistant Safe
Amazon might not be the first brand name you think of when it comes to safe manufacture (or security equipment of any kind, for that matter). Nevertheless, the online shopping giants do actually make all kinds of household items, including this little number.
With a locking mechanism consisting of four thick metal bolts (a lot of leading models only use two), each measuring at least a couple of centimetres, the door to Amazon’s safe seems sturdy enough.
The safe itself weighs a not inconsiderable 15.1 kg, which is hefty enough to discourage theft, but not as heavy as the average fireproof safe. The storage capacity is a modest 30 litres, which is acceptable, albeit not overly impressive. Due to the dimensions of the home safe itself, it is hard to store documents inside without bending the edges.
This safe can be bolted to the floor, but only via a single bolt, which is attached through a hole in the bottom of the safe.
The Amazon Basics safe does have some useful functions, however. These include an emergency master code, a back-up key and a second user function. It also sports a smart, compact design that won’t look out of place anywhere you choose to put it.
Of course, the line Amazon uses to market this home safe is ‘Basics’, which essentially denotes a low-range, budget model. Here, the consumer is looking for value for money, as opposed to superior quality. However, some commitment to quality on the part of the manufacturer would be nice.
The safe is fire resistant, yes, but only up to about 20 minutes. This should probably be OK (the average time a fire spends in a room is 20 minutes), but offers nowhere near the protection of other, better models.
There is no amount of money or valuables that the safe can be trusted to store, as it appears to be unrated in this regard. Perhaps most egregiously, the front plastic electronic combination lock is very flimsy and can be easily pulled away from the main safe. This, quite frankly, is considerably less than one might reasonably expect.
Overall, this is a budget model that will probably contribute more meaningfully to the user’s peace of mind than it will to their home security features.
- Capacity – 30 litres
- Weight – 15.1 kg
- Fire Rating – Fire Resistance of Record Protection Equipment for 20 minutes at 650 degrees Celcius
- Key lock backup – yes
- Keypad lock – yes
- Lock – 4 large 0.75-inch bolts
Summary of the Home Safes
Master Lock Fireproof Safe
Yale Fire Resistant Safe
Phoenix Titan Fire Safe
Rottner Sydney 40 Fire Safe