How to Pick the Right Commercial Safe For Your Business
Saturday, November 22, 2014, 1:00 AM | Leave Comment
You have now decided to purchase a safe for your business. You may have contacted a variety of safe companies within your area. You may be asking yourself how do I decide which safe is best for my business?
You may have already seen a variety of brands, and you may have come in contact with some manufacturers offering savings on safes that may not be nationally distributed.
Just like any other product, there are some safes that are not of good quality. Unfortunately, many safes are questionable.
One of the most frequently asked questions by customers is which safe is best? When choosing a safe, one of the first things you may want to consider is its cosmetic appearance.
Will the safe be used as furniture, or will the safe be placed in a basement or in a closet? Obviously, alluring paint finishes and gold trimmings will not make the safe any more secure, but it does add a favorable cosmetic appearance.
The second step to choosing a safe is evaluating the various choices that are available. Most manufacturers offer sales pitches guaranteeing that their product is of much better quality than their competitors.
However, one of the first things you should look for is the Underwriters Laboratory Security Rating. There are some smaller manufacturers that may argue that this is not necessary.
If this is the case, it usually means one of the following:
The manufacturer is afraid that their safe will not pass the test, or they are unable to afford the fees associated with testing their product. In cases like this, you may be at a greater advantage of looking elsewhere.
Locking systems have been a major concern for many safe buyers. Systems that utilize a combination lock are known for providing the highest level of security.
Some business owners will also purchase a safe based on the safe having the greatest number of locking bolts.
However, locking bolts has only one purpose, and that is to avoid the door from being manually pried open.
Once a specific level has been reached, the size of the locking bolt no longer matters. Many manufacturers will use a large number of locking bolts as a marketing strategy, allowing customers to believe that the safe has a higher level of security.
You may also want to consider the thickness of the steel. Assuming that the safe has a secure locking system, the steel thickness is what matters the most, and it’s a great indicator as to the level of security.
What would be the most appropriate thickness to ensure security? This largely depends on the needs of each business.
Four basic theft protection, a 12 gauge thickness may be sufficient. If you have a much larger business, it may be necessary to have a heavier built safe.
Safes that have a minimum thickness of 3/16 offers greater protection against tool attacks.
By choosing a heavier built safe, this will minimize the possibility of entry with traditional hand tools.
The safe’s security can be increased by placing the safe in an area where there is limited access to the thinner sides of the safe.
Limiting this area may also decrease any possible attacks. Additionally, fire insulated safes are the most misinformed of any safe.
It is important to remember that no safe is completely “fireproof.” Every safe has its limits. Unfortunately, many of the fire ratings provided by manufacturers have not been produced from actual testing, and this makes it difficult when doing any type of comparison.
The final step in choosing a safe is the size. Often times companies will purchase safes that are too small.
The future needs of the safe must also be considered to avoid having to purchase another safe within the near future.
Hopefully, these valuable tips should provide you with great insight prior to purchasing your safe.
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