5 top factors to consider when buying a safe.
1. Property to protect:
The valuables, assets and belongings you need to protect will determine the type of safe that best suits your needs. A safe required to protect cash will be different from a safe to safeguard firearms, prescription drugs or certified files. The purpose of a home or office safe may be to protect and store various items requiring different types of protection, therefore a cash and fire rated safe is required.
2. Type of Protection:
If you are protecting items such as jewellery or cash you will need cash rated safe. Safes with cash ratings have been tested and rated by independent authorities. Testing methods are based on the time it takes to break open the safe. The higher the rating the higher the protection. If you are storing paper documents and files you will need protection against fire. Fire rating levels are based on time periods from 30mins, 60mins, 90mins and 120mins. Multifunctional safes can offer both fire and theft protection.
3. Degree of Protection:
Now you need to identify the level of security to protect your valuables. It is pointless keeping a $15,000 diamond ring in a safe with a cash rating lower than its value. Insurance companies are not likely to consider claim payments if the safe has a lower cash rating than its contents. Depending on the security level safes can offer cash ratings, fire ratings, security certifications and health and government compliance.
4. Size of the Safe:
The items you are protecting will determine the size of the safe you require. As a general rule allowing an extra 40-50% capacity for adding valuables in the future is a good idea. Also an important factor is the size of the space you have allocated for the safe.
5. Location of the Safe:
The location of the safes placement and final installation position needs to be determined prior to purchasing the safe. For residential settings a discrete location should be selected. For retail environments a position that allows employees to quickly move cash to a secure area is ideal. Other factors to consider is the floor construction (timber, concrete, tiles) and the best method of installation.