Which Safe to buy?

November 3, 2014 4:00 PM

How do you go about choosing a personal Safe?

I am in the market for a Safe (hopefully digital) to keep my passports and paperwork. Nothing fancy, something similar to the safe you see in hotels, like this one. I have no idea what kinds of safes are available and what to look for regarding current technologies.

Good to haves-
-Around $100 or less
-Looking for something that uses current technology and is not easy to open (reading about how some safes can be opened with a screwdriver is weird to say the least).
-Easy to install
-Good ratings

Thank you

posted by jellyjam to Shopping (8 answers total)

I would add fire-resistant to your "Good to haves".
posted by vapidave at 4:18 PM on November 3, 2014 [4 favorites]

You really don't want a safe you can't open if the power is out and something that small could be ripped out of a wall and worked on later. I think you want a safety deposit box.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:23 PM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Unless its heavy enough, they'll just take it with them and open at their leisure, with screwdriver or dynamite. Go for the fire rating most importantly then.
posted by TheAdamist at 6:23 PM on November 3, 2014

In addition to fire resistant, you want water resistant, as often damage from fires can come from the water that is used to put it out.
posted by HMSSM at 6:40 PM on November 3, 2014

Might want to check out the Costco safe finder. It allows you to filter by use, price, size, lock type, fire protection, water resistance, and special features. They appear to have at least 5 safes under $100.
posted by oxisos at 7:25 PM on November 3, 2014

Jellyjam, I just sent you a memail.
posted by kovacs at 7:43 PM on November 3, 2014

I would go with something slightly larger that you can bolt to 2 floorbeams in teh floor of a closet.
posted by WeekendJen at 4:56 AM on November 4, 2014

is there a reason you wouldn't want a safe-deposit box at a bank ?
posted by k5.user at 6:18 AM on November 4, 2014