Why you should not buy a cheap safe

[herbgirl]

Ever wonder why you can get a safe at wal-mart for $100, but the ones at the locksmith shop cost hundreds? Check out this video of a friend cracking this Sentry safe at his shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jDbcPiRaTc&feature=player_profilepage

Pitiful, ain't it? Christ, I could break into one of those things myself. I was blown away at how quickly it could be defeated when hubby showed me the video.

It just goes to show that you really do get what you pay for - and what locksmiths do when they are bored.

 

[WatTyler]

Wow!, I expected that he would at least have to use some cunning locksmiths skills. Nearly anyone could do that - especially after the tutorial!

 

[Nycdeisel]

whoah!

thanks for posting! now I know, and knowing is half the battle!

 

[herbgirl]

If he were opening a 'real safe' it would have taken a bare minimum of a half hour - and that is with the proper tools and info.

this 'safe' is really no more than a box with a lock on it. Locks only keep out honest people. safes keep out everyone but safe techs.
If you really want to keep your shit safe, get a decent safe and lock it up every time you use it. Remember the combo or expect to pay a pretty penny if you ever lock yourself out. But rest assured, most safe tech's ethical standards say that they are not there to OPEN the safe, just unlock it. They are also aware that no matter what they see in there, the contents are none of their damn business. Most locksmiths and safe guys are cool like that.

 

[charliedontsurf]

Yeah, there was more manhandling going on than safecracking, that company should be ashamed.

 

[AGBeer]

Honestly I think the main purpose of that safe (or one similar) would be for a much bigger enemy than some highly trained (or not so) safe cracker.

Im talking about our friend called FIRE. I didnt see in that vid IF that safe was fire-resistant, but when I go looking for a 'wal-mart' safe Im looking at it more to help preserve my valuables rather than protect them.

If I wanted a 'safe safe' I would do it like my great grandfather did. That shit was burried in the FLOOR. I remember when my grandfather had to tear out the concrete around it to get that SOB out. Good times.

 

[herbgirl]

charlie, trust me these guys are highly trained real professional locksmiths, i assure you - damn good ones actually. My understanding is that you cannot open these things like you open a real safe with drills and scopes. No shame at all, they were just screwing around since my friend happened to have one in the shop and had a hankerin to bust something. Good demo for the buying public i think. Nice to know what you are actually getting.

AG, you are correct, some are fire rated, some are burglary rated, your standard wal mart safe will do little more than protect your stuff for a limited amount of time in a fire or protect it from a not so determined criminal with a crowbar. I believe Sentry safes are fire rated, but you can't store media (unless it's media rated) in them because they don't keep the temps low enough in the even of a fire. most people don't know that and end up with melted cds.

Your best bet is to have an old fashioned floor safe like your grandfather (they will last 100+ years if they are serviced regularly) or get a good one and have it bolted down in a closet or something. NOBODY's getting in that way, even the FBI has to call in a safe tech on raids if they think there will be a safe. Mr. Herbgirl has worked on hundred plus year old safe locks (they are beautiful, some even have decorative engraving on the actual parts) and brought them back to like new condition - you will not see construction like that these days, so if you can find an older, used safe get it!

 

[Purple-Days]

Next to that video (related vids) there were several interesting ones on opening 'safes'.

The best one IMO was the hotel room safe, there is an access hole on the bottom and with a 'prod' you can hit the reset button (inside) and dial in a new code, now that's safe... And the same 'safe' can be bounced with a hammer to open it. The electromagnetic solenoid can be jolted out of place with a slight bump.

Another 'metal' safe was opened in about a minute with a chisel. A plastic spacer on the handle was easily removed the latch slid forward and turned and the thing swung right open.

The 'fire safe' in the OP's video was also shown opened another, even quicker way. Circular saw, four cuts and the thing was a clam ready for shucking.

Of course a safe deposit box at your bank is not convenient, but with sprinklers and way better security than you will ever have at your home or business... well ...

I got to visit this plant long ago. http://www.hamiltonsafe.com/

 

[Magic9]

Any safe you can just pick up and go is not very safe. Good for keeping snooping eyes out. Not so good against somebody that really wants in. If you want to keep you're stuff safe, go for the 4-500 pound gun safes (at least 3 locking bolts) and bolt it to the floor. Even if they can pry it from floor, it's some heavy shit to carry.

 

[pakalolo]

I bought my safes (yes I have more than one) for fire protection. They're hardly ever locked.

 

[DevoTheStrange]

All my safes serve two purposes, fire protection, and to keep the kiddos out of stuff I don't want them getting into. I know they are easy to get into, one of them i can easily pick the lock, and have on several occasions when i lost my key. I have never thought of my safes as protection against thief's and burglars.
Honestly... a small safe wont deter a thief when they can just steal the safe right along with all of your other valuables. If you steal a safe, you have all the time in the world to eventually get it open, whether its a few minutes or a few days.