Safe for an apartment: criteria for a successful choice for home use

For many homeowners, the issue of protecting personal savings and valuables is a pressing issue. An excellent equipment for storing important documents, money and other valuables is a safe for an apartment. This article will help determine which of the models are the most optimal and what should be guided in the process of choosing a device.

A safe is a burglar-resistant metal cabinet for storing securities, jewelry, money or weapons.

Characteristics of home safes, their classification according to various criteria

Before choosing a protective device, you need to familiarize yourself with its basic characteristics. A safe is a metal product that has certain protective properties that protect the device from hacking and external factors. Its main purpose is to preserve money, securities and items, as well as various information carriers. It should be noted that production and office models differ significantly from a home safe for documents. In order to choose the best option for your apartment, you need to study various types of devices and their characteristic properties.

Home safe can be built-in or stand alone

The classification of safes is based on the following criteria:

• by the type of protection, the products are burglar-resistant, fire-resistant or combined;
• according to their purpose, they are divided into weapons, office, home, furniture and data safes;
• according to the installation method, safes can be built-in or free-standing;
• according to the method of transportation, products are divided into stationary and portable;
• devices are differentiated by the type of locks, which are coded, electronic, mechanical, biometric or combined.

In addition to the listed classification options, safes may differ in the degree of established levels of protection, camouflage, dimensions and material from which the products are made.

Burglary resistance classes of safes: features and differences

The main function of any safe is to restrict access of unauthorized persons to the objects in it.Therefore, such products are made of special materials and provide them with special devices that prevent them from being hacked or opened by robbers.

In accordance with the specially developed and approved GOST R 50862-96, 12 classes of burglary resistance are established. Moreover, the higher the class of the safe in burglary resistance, the harder it is to open it - breaking the product requires special tools, certain professional skills and time.

12 classes of burglary resistance approved for safes

Important! According to statistics, in big cities, burglaries are recorded every hour. Installing a safe of a compact or hidden type in an apartment will help to preserve at least the most valuable property and documents.

For widespread use, including at home, safes are produced in accordance with GOST R 51053, which correspond to one of ten classes of burglary resistance. Products with a zero degree of protection do not have special anti-vandal certificates. For the manufacture of cases of burglar-resistant safes of the first class, sheet metal with a thickness of 3 mm is used.

Most often there are safes with walls in two or three layers, made on the principle of sandwich panels. The space between the walls is filled with an anti-vandal special filler, which, as a rule, is very dense concrete. To open the walls of such a cabinet by drilling, it will take more than one hour and more than one super-strong drill. You can increase the level of protection by adding pieces of reinforcement or natural stones to the concrete filler. Burglary resistance class also depends on the type of installed locks and transom system.

Fireproof safes for home: classes, device and types

The name itself speaks of the functional purpose of fire-resistant or non-combustible safes for the home. They protect securities and documents from fire, but do not guarantee protection from burglars. The production technology of this product is similar to the manufacturing process of a burglar-resistant two-layer structure, where both walls are made of thin sheet metal, with fine-porous concrete contained between them.

Fireproof safes are more aimed at protecting property from fire than burglars

When closed, fireproof safes, thanks to the multi-stage door edging device (or the so-called thermal lock), are completely sealed. Additional density is created by a special heat sealant. This design of a small fireproof safe for a home will provide fire resistance for one to one and a half hours. It is the period of preservation of the contents during the fire that determines the fire resistance class of safes.

According to the current GOSTs, there are 12 fire resistance classes, which are indicated by numbers that determine the period of preservation of the contents, and a letter that indicates the storage object, where B are papers and documents, D are magnetic disks and digital media. In this case, the marking is as follows: 30B, 60B or 90D, 120D. For example, 60D means that money, documents and digital media will be kept in this safe for an hour without the danger of burning.

Which option is better: fireproof or burglar-proof safe for documents, money and jewelry?

The purpose of a burglar-proof cabinet is to protect against thieves, and a fireproof cabinet is to protect against fire. Therefore, the owners themselves must determine for themselves which model they need. In this case, it is recommended to consider which items are to be stored in the safe. If it is necessary to ensure the safety of paper valuables, then it is better to opt for fire-resistant certified money safes. When it comes to protecting jewelry from burglars, a burglar-resistant product should be preferred.

Useful advice! If it is necessary to ensure the safety of a large amount of money or very valuable jewelry, then it is better to choose not a safe, but a reliable bank, otherwise material resources will become the reason for an attack by robbers. In pursuit of profit, they can not only encroach on property, but also endanger the health and even life of the residents of an apartment or house.

The combination safe combines the characteristics of fireproof and burglar-proof

If both factors of protection are important, for example, when storing a large sum of money, the safe must be both fire-resistant and resistant to burglaries. In this case, the next option is recommended - a combination cabinet. The design of such a device assumes the presence of an airtight layer along the door contour. The walls of the product are three-layer with anti-vandal super-strong filler The doors are equipped with at least two locks, different in their functional structure and principle of operation.

How to choose a safe for an apartment, taking into account its purpose

Depending on what is supposed to be stored in the safe, they determine not only the degree of its protection, but also select the shape, size and location. Based on these factors, metal storage cabinets are conventionally divided into the following types:

• office products;
• furniture safes for home;
• weapons storage devices;
• data safes.

Office safes got their name not only because of their narrow purpose (for use only in the office), but also because of their size. Since in administrative and commercial institutions not only money is subject to storage, but also documents, moreover, of rather large volumes, the parameters of such a product are one and a half, or even twice the size of a small furniture safe.

This type of equipment is usually installed separately, it can be placed under a table or other convenient location. It is important that the product is equipped with an anchoring system to the floor, and also has protection against drilling the lock. The cost of safes is formed depending on the availability of additional functions.

Furniture safes are small in size and fit well into apartment furnishings

Furniture safes for an apartment are built into pieces of furniture - hence the name. Their dimensions are an order of magnitude smaller than the dimensions of cabinets designed for storing weapons or office safes. Moreover, such products are characterized by the following advantages:

• are small in size;
• fit well into any interior or are generally invisible;
• outsiders are unlikely to be able to detect them.

Among the disadvantages of the product, it should be noted the small capacity, as a result of which it is possible to store only the most valuable documents, a small amount of money and jewelry.

Speaking of specific models, it is worth mentioning Aiko furniture safes, which are designed to protect a small number of documents and valuables both in the apartment and in the office. Storage of weapons is allowed. These are burglar-proof models that are anchored to the floor or wall.

Features of hunting rifle safes and data safes

Installing a weapon safe is a prerequisite for obtaining any type of weapon, since current legislation provides for its storage only in special metal fire-resistant cabinets. This safety measure is necessary to restrict access to the gun to those who do not know how to use it, including children.

Weapon safes can be not only freestanding, but also hidden in furniture

It should be noted that safes are selected in accordance with a specific type of weapon. Even for different types of hunting rifles, special cabinets should be purchased: a device designed for a single barrel is not suitable for saving a double barrel in it.

Useful advice! Avid hunters, when purchasing a weapon safe, usually prefer a model that can store several weapons, and of completely different calibers.

Data safes are the latest technology. They are produced in accordance with the latest technology. Such products are the most reliable in terms of protecting digital and magnetic media from fire. The internal structure is a heat and airtight chamber with a sealed door. The safe withstands a two-hour fire test.

Before choosing a safe for your home, you need to get acquainted with the list of additional functions. Many of them may be redundant in everyday life, for example, tempo cash desks, cash cells and deposit boxes. Models with this equipment are ideal for financial institutions.

Data safes are made specifically to protect magnetic and digital media from fire

Portable safes are a separate category of security devices. They are necessary during long travel or relocation. A separate subspecies of this category is a piggy bank-safe with a combination lock, where bills and coins are usually put. You can get them only after entering a special code.

Embedded devices and small safes for homes and apartments

The most popular in the consumer market are small safes for the home - these are, as a rule, compact metal cabinets, which have a low cost and are characterized by an initial class of burglary resistance. Most of them can be built into various furniture or niches in the wall. In such safes, documents and jewelry are kept from prying eyes.

Built-in safes for the home provide reliable protection for small money and valuable items from thieves. The main advantage of such models is compactness. The second advantage is the ability to hide them. If you build products into the floor or into the wall behind the cabinet, then they will simultaneously act as a cache. The third plus of the wall safe for an apartment is the enhanced protection of the walls from all sides, and the front surface is represented by a massive door.

In addition to the advantages already mentioned, it should also be noted that it is impossible to take the safe out of the apartment. Burglars with little time at their disposal most often simply take metal cabinets with them and break into them elsewhere. A built-in safe for an apartment is quite difficult to dismantle. In addition, the process creates noise and takes a lot of time, which attackers are not always willing to sacrifice.

The advantages of a built-in safe are compactness and secrecy

Built-in safes for an apartment also have disadvantages, which include:

• the complexity of the installation of the structure, which is why it is better to entrust the installation to professional builders;
• it is difficult to choose a suitable place, since the built-in model assumes a certain wall thickness.

Safe for an apartment: features of the selection of locks and their characteristics

An important role in determining the class of burglary resistance is played not only by the thickness of the walls and their density, but also by the variety, as well as the number of locks installed on the safe. In this case, the following types of closing devices are used:

• turnkey locks;
• electronic mechanisms;
• mechanical type code devices;
• biometric locks.

Useful advice! To ensure reliable protection against burglary, it is recommended to use several types of locking devices at the same time. The most reliable is a biometric lock, but such a safe is quite expensive.

The key lock is considered a classic option. Lever type mechanisms are mainly used, which open for a long time, while creating a certain noise.

A safe with a biometric lock is one of the most burglar-resistant, but its disadvantage is its high price

The modern model of the lock is a device based on an electronic system.The main advantage of such a locking mechanism is the ability to change the access code to the safe. However, it should be borne in mind that frequent password changes can lead to the owner simply forgetting it. In this case, the safe will have to be broken. The device can be connected to a general alarm - then the lock will work from the mains, so it cannot be opened if there is no power supply.

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A combination lock is a mechanical device that is locked by a set of numbers. Such devices are subdivided into varieties, for example, they can have either a permanent code or a removable one. The second type of device, of course, is much more reliable, but its cost will be higher.

Biometric locks belong to the latest generation. The safe is opened using the owner's fingerprints. This is currently considered the highest degree of protection. However, only wealthy people can purchase a product with such a locking mechanism.

Model selection criteria and main components of the safe price

The cost of the safe is influenced by various factors, in particular the class of protection against burglary and the degree of fire resistance. The higher these indicators are, the more expensive the product is. It should be noted that for a home it will be enough to purchase a product characterized by 1-4 levels of burglary resistance and fire protection. The cost of the safe also depends on its capacity and on the manufacturer.

For home, safes with 1-4 class of burglary resistance and fire protection are usually chosen

A special simple formula will help to determine the optimal value of the safe, according to which the price of the product should be approximately 15% of the total value of the property that is supposed to be stored there. A good safe with first-class burglary resistance can be purchased for 9 thousand rubles, a high-quality fireproof cabinet of 90B class costs about the same. The indicated prices correspond to domestic models. Safes made by well-known foreign companies will cost much more.

If the owner has experience in welding, then you can make a safe yourself, but most likely it will be just a metal cabinet with additional protection. Since the manufacture of a device for storing valuables involves the presence of special equipment and the use of a certain technology, everything must be carefully weighed before making a safe with your own hands.

Useful advice! Production models are tested for burglary resistance at the factory. Walls and locks are subject to inspection.

More reliable protection of the entire premises and the property located in it will provide a safe door for the apartment. When purchasing such a product, it is necessary to take into account the material of manufacture, the class of burglary resistance, the quality of the equipment. Before choosing a safe-door for an apartment, you should pay attention to such details as the quality of the stiffeners, hinges, anti-removable pins, the narthex, the cover strip, the presence of insulation, filler, peephole, as well as the appearance of the lock.

You can make a safe yourself, but to make it resistant to burglary and fire, you need to have special equipment and professional skills

How to choose a safe for your home: basic recommendations

Thus, a safe is a necessary and useful thing in any home, because in almost every apartment there are things that require special protection and enhanced security. So that the device does not become a simple piece of furniture and at the same time fully meets the wishes of the owners, you need to select the product in accordance with a number of requirements.

First of all, you should pay attention to the degree of safety and security of the device.This criterion is determined by the level of burglary resistance and fire resistance. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the material of manufacture, the thickness of the walls, the weight of the structure, the presence of locks and their number.

The manufacturer plays an important role. Among the successful domestic manufacturers of safes, one should mention Paritet-K, Valberg and Griffon. Particularly popular are the products of such Italian companies as Technomax and Stark. The products of the Slovak company Safetronics, the French company Fichet and the Finnish manufacturer Kaso have also proven themselves well in the market. Chinese models are much cheaper, but experts do not recommend purchasing them. The safe is not the thing to save on.

The size of the safe is of great importance. First of all, you need to think over its location, and also decide on the list and dimensions of things that will be stored in it. For example, to save documents, you should purchase a model where an A4 folder can be easily placed. A small safe for an apartment built into the wall is suitable for storing money and valuables.

A small safe for an apartment is suitable for money and jewelry.

It is necessary to take care not only of good locks, but also of reliable fastening of the safe to the wall, if it is built-in, or to the floor, if it is free-standing. Anchor bolts provide reliable protection.

When purchasing a safe, you should not rely only on it. It is advisable to simultaneously provide windows with anti-vandal devices, install reliable doors and connect the apartment to the alarm system.

If you follow the above tips in the process of choosing a safe, you can reliably protect such valuable items as documents, financial papers, jewelry, as well as confidential information. A safe can prevent open access to weapons and databases. In addition, the safe will protect especially important documents from fire and flood.