Wall Safes - Why Buy One And What to Look For

If you have something you want to protect—whether it’s from burglars, fire, or curious kids—a wall safe is a great choice. Wall safes can be installed between studs in a wall, and can be more secure than freestanding safes. Here are a few reasons why you might need a wall safe, and what to look for when you buy one.

It can be concealed. Wall safes throw up an extra obstacle for burglars: before they can start breaking in, they have to find the safe. Installing one behind a big picture or tapestry is an obvious hiding place; it’s better to use a panel designed to blend into your wall. A typical burglar spends about eight minutes in the home—and if your wall safe is well concealed, chances are he won’t spend a lot of time looking for it.

Only the door is accessible. The door is the strongest part of most safes. With a wall safe, only the door is exposed—so burglars have to try and break in through the strongest side. It may be possible for burglars to dig the safe out of the wall in some cases, but this takes time—and most burglars don’t have a lot of it.

It can’t be removed easily. No safe is foolproof. Given enough time and the right tools, burglars can crack even the toughest safes. That’s why burglars prefer to remove safes and take them to a safe place instead of breaking in while they’re in your home. A freestanding safe is in danger of this if it isn’t bolted to a cement floor. Wall safes are much more difficult to remove—adding one more obstacle to break-ins.

When buying a wall safe, you’ll have a few options. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll find on the market, and the choices you’ll have to make in picking the right wall safe for you.

Size matters. If you’re set on buying a wall safe, pick out a good location in your home before you buy. You’ll need to install the safe between wall studs, so measure the distance between studs in your chosen location. Many wall safes are designed to fit in the space between two walls, but some will extend to the anterior wall—make sure you know the measurements you need before going shopping for a wall safe.

Pick the right lock. Wall safes come with many different types of locks—and some are more effective than others. Key locks are common, but they do have some drawbacks: they can be picked by a skilled burglar, and the key can be lost.

Combination locks are a little more secure, and they come in two types: Group 1 and Group 2. Group 2 locks are most commonly found on home safes, and provide combinations up to three numbers long. Group 1 locks are much sturdier, with up to six numbers in a combination, more wheels and gears, and heavier components. They are more difficult for the average burglar to crack. While some combination locks are more secure than others, all have a drawback: they can be difficult to open even if you know the combination. A good combination lock requires the owner to stop exactly on each number, which can be difficult to do—especially during a robbery or fire, when you may want to access the items in the safe quickly.

Keypad or electronic locks are growing in popularity. Lower-end electronic locks simply allow you to enter a pin number into the pad for easy access. More expensive locks can record dates and times for each opening, time windows that allow specific users to open the lock at specific times of day, alarms that sound if the door has been left open a certain length of time, and more.

Biometric fingerprint locks are also becoming more common. Fingerprint locks will only open to a certain fingerprint, and many allow for multiple fingerprints to be programmed in. These are popular because of the added security: burglars can’t learn the pin or steal the key, and it can be accessed easily and quickly by the rightful owner.

Fireproof safes. Some wall safes are designed to protect against fire. “Fireproof” is probably a misnomer when it comes to fire safes; no safe can be fireproof indefinitely. Fire safes keep the temperature within the safe below the point at which paper chars. Most fire safes have a layer of foam or gel that transfers moisture inside the safe into steam when exposed to heat. They are rated according to the amount of time the safe can maintain the temperature, and most fall between thirty minutes and two hours.

A wall safe can be a great way to improve the security of your home or business. It’s strong, easily concealed, and comes in many different varieties—so you’re sure to find one that fits your needs.

Anthony N works for The Safe Shop, supplier of security safes and fire protection fro home and business. Visit the online store at http://www.thesafeshop.co.uk/Categories/wall_security to discover the range of wall safes currently available.