Fire safes for homes are a very wise investment, as they offer both physical security as well as protection from fire.
With so many fire resistant safes available for purchase, it is difficult to choose the safe that would best suit one's requirements.
There are some very important factors to be kept in mind when it comes to choosing a home fire safe.
First, the safe must perform its primary duty - it must act as a 'safe', and offer good security.
The locking systems on the safes must be tough to break, and must preferably be digital or biometric.
If these are too expensive, a basic key-operated safe would be sufficient, but these safes tend to offer lower security.
With some experience, a burglar with some lock-picking tools could easily open the safe.
Moreover, though these safes are fire resistant, they tend to get jammed after being exposed to high temperatures.
The locking mechanisms of the safe expand due to the extreme heat and lose alignment when they contract.
As a result, opening and closing the safe becomes very difficult.
Next, the rating or capacity of the safe must be sufficient.
The safe must be able to withstand temperatures up to 1700 degrees Fahrenheit for at least half an hour, and must be able to protect their contents effectively.
Finally, the safe must not be too light.
It must be heavy, but must occupy too much space.
A small, compact safe is preferable to a large and bulky one.
They must be easy to move around and rearrange, but must not be light enough to be carried away as a whole.
The safes must also be able to withstand impact damage, which is quite common during fire accidents (roof or floor collapse, etc.
).