What to do after losing keys to safe?

February 1, 2008 4:14 PM

What do I do when I lose the key to my Honeywell safe? I recently lost the keys to my own safe. It is a small Honeywell safe which requires both keypad and keys to open. All the pertinent information regarding the safe is actually inside the safe (Oh no!) Does anyone know what to do? Would a locksmith be able to open it if I have the correct passcode?
posted by suddenfrisson to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Call Honeywell?
posted by Max Power at 4:19 PM on February 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

If it's a small safe, a locksmith should have no problem opening it.
posted by mr.dan at 4:45 PM on February 1, 2008

Yeah, locksmiths open safes all the time. In the world of safes, safes arent rated in "hard to open vs easy to open" but in "minutes to open." The idea is that theives are going to be hard-pressed to get, say, 45 quiet minutes but a locksmith can. Here's an article worth reading about this.
posted by damn dirty ape at 4:48 PM on February 1, 2008

This sounds like a small file cabinet, bookcase kind of safe.

You can call Honeywell. There should be a model number, serial number or some other identifying feature on the exterior of the safe. If they have decent customer service they should be able to identify it. They may be able to send you some new keys.

I had this happen once and there we called a local Safe Parts and Repair company that came out and opened the safe. It took a drill and about five minutes. I'm sure a locksmith could probably do the same thing.

If it is a small shelf kind of safe, they're not too expensive (as these things go) and it may just be easier to have it opened and get a new safe.
posted by MasonDixon at 8:35 PM on February 1, 2008

A good locksmith will have no problem opening your safe. Several years ago I worked at an armored car company and witnessed locksmiths opening some strong and sophisticated safes after the locks had been dropped. There is no safe that can't be opened.

However, if you are in dire need of opening your safe asap try a crowbar. I opened a relative's Sentry safe with a crowbar. The safe was about 2 1/4 feet by 2 feet. Take a sturdy crowbar and peel the face of the safe off. A little muscle and will power will do it.

Since then I have read some manuals for smaller safes and a few of them gave instructions on how to open the safe with a crowbar.

I am curious what instructions Honeywell would give for opening your safe.
posted by TrolleyOffTheTracks at 9:04 PM on February 1, 2008

Trolley: I once called a manufacturer about a cheap keyless/PINless safe I'd inherited as part of the chattels of a business, and the nice man I spoke to emailed me a PDF explaining how to open the safe with a screwdriver. It had diagrams.

OP: Phone the manufacturer.
posted by Leon at 12:10 AM on February 2, 2008

Check your user's manual, if you still have it hanging around. After moving, we discovered that ALL our keys had taken a walk. So we checked the user's manual, and it had a URL as well as a key model number. Took about 2 minutes to order, cost $7, and we had 6 new keys in a few days. Which are scattered around the house in the hopes that we won't forget ALL the hiding places.
posted by tigerjade at 7:49 AM on February 2, 2008