Safes
come in all shapes and sizes for your home and business. Whether
its a safe for personal belongings or a large jewelry safe, our highly
trained staff of Safe Technicians will help you pick the right safe
for you. We can consult with you on your safe needs, which can include:
- Depository/Under
Counter Safes
- Burglary
/ Fire Rated Safes
- Electronic Safes
- Front Load/Back
Load
- Compact Security
Safes
- Commercial High
Security Safes
- Gun Safes
- Jewelry Safes
- Wall Safes
- Record Safes
We offer safes from
top names in the security business:
Fire
Safes
Safes
that protect against fire are usually made of thin steel sheets (or
sometimes plastic) molded together to form an inner and an outer shell.
These units are filled with an insulating material that will keep the
temperature inside the safe below a certain point for a fixed period
of time. Fire safes prevalent in the market today are usually one or
two-hour rated safes.
There are several
testing agencies throughout the world that certify these types of safes.
Tests vary somewhat from agency to agency but usually include a time
temperature test, explosion test, and impact or drop test. Every fire
safe should be clearly marked with the name of the testing agency and
the tests that were passed.
Fire safes, because
of their construction, are best suited to store non-negotiable documents
and just a few valuables. Cash and high value items belong in a safe
better suited against a burglary attack.
Burglary
Safes
Burglar
safes are usually made of solid steel plate or a combination of solid
steel and composite fill material such as concrete. These safes are
divided into categories based on the level of protection delivered and
the testing endured. Here we will discuss only four classes, B-Rate,
C-Rate, U.L. TL-15 and U.L.
TL-30
B-Rate
This is a
catchall rating for essentially any box with a lock on it. The safe
industry had an unwritten standard of ¼ inch door, ½ inch
body. As steel prices (and shipping costs) increased manufacturers tried
many things to reduce their costs. No tests are given to provide this
rating. When buying a B-rate safe, look at things such as lock work,
hard plates, and relocks.
C-Rate
This is defined
as a ½ inch thick steel box with a 1-inch thick door and a lock.
As before No tests are given to provide this rating. Look at the lock
work, relocks and other features when making your decision.
U.L.
TL-15
Safes
given a U.L. TL-15 rating have all passed standardized tests defined
in UL Standard 687 using the same tools and usually the same group of
testing engineers. I have personally worked with the same 5 people for
15 years. The label requires that the safe be constructed of 1-inch
solid steel or equivalent. The label means that the safe has been tested
for a NET working time of 15 minutes using "…common hand tools,
drills, punches hammers, and pressure applying devices." Net working
time means simply "when the tool comes off the safe the clock stops".
There are over fifty different types of attacks that can be used to
gain entrance into the safe. Usually they will try only 2 or 3 based
on what they know about the product, and they know a lot.
U.L.
TL-30
These
tests are essentially the same as the TL-15 tests except for, you guessed
it, the net working time. They get 30 minutes and a few more tools to
help them gain entrance.
Notes
on U.L. safe tests
Keep in mind
these engineers have the manufacturing blue prints and can disassemble
the safe being tested before the test begins to see how it works. They
know their stuff.
Thoughts on Buying
a Safe
When you begin the search for a safe it is a good idea to speak to your
insurance agent and see if a particular type of safe will reduce your
insurance costs. Many times you can justify the additional expense of
a higher security safe because of the premium reduction. For more information,
or to find the right safe for your needs, call
919-881-1191.
