Which Safe Is Right for You.. A Guide to Selecting the Right Safe for Your Home or Business
Updated: Aug 23
Choosing a safe isn't as simple as picking the biggest or heaviest one you can find. Different safes are designed for different purposes, and the right safe depends on what you need to protect.
Important documents, cash, jewelry, firearms, business records, digital media, and daily cash deposits can all require different types of protection. Some safes are designed primarily for fire protection. Others concentrate on burglary resistance. Some combine both, while depository and commercial safes are built for completely different uses.
At B-SAFE Lock & Key, we have been helping Twin Cities homeowners and businesses with locks, safes, and security since 1972. We service many makes and models of safes, from newer electronic safes to older mechanical safes that have been protecting homes and businesses for decades.
Before choosing a safe, start with one simple question:
What are you trying to protect?
Fire Safes for Important Documents
If your primary concern is protecting paper documents from fire, look for a safe specifically designed and tested for record protection.
Important documents might include:
Birth certificates
Passports
Property deeds
Vehicle titles
Wills and estate documents
Insurance policies
Tax records
Business records
Contracts
Employee records
Financial documents
Fire protection is measured differently from burglary protection. A safe that provides excellent resistance to forced entry is not automatically a good fire safe, and a fire-resistant document safe isn't necessarily designed to resist a serious burglary attack.
Established manufacturers such as Gardall, AMSEC/American Security, FireKing, Meilink, SentrySafe, Hollon, and others have produced fire-resistant safes and record-protection products.
For example, Gardall offers fire safes as well as commercial, media, high-security, depository, and burglary-resistant safes. Some Gardall record safes carry UL Class 350 one- or two-hour fire ratings.
When comparing fire safes, pay attention to the actual rating rather than relying only on advertising words such as "fireproof."
Older Fire Safes Can Still Be Worth Servicing
A good safe doesn't automatically become obsolete because it is old.
Throughout Minneapolis and the Twin Cities, B-SAFE Lock & Key encounters older commercial and residential safes from manufacturers such as Meilink, Mosler, Diebold, Herring-Hall-Marvin, Schwab, FireKing, Gardall, and other longtime safe manufacturers.
Some of these names have been around for generations. Meilink, for example, has a long history in fire-resistant and theft-resistant safes, and Fire King acquired Meilink Industries in 1990.
If an older safe is structurally sound but the combination lock or electronic lock has failed, it may make much more sense to service or upgrade the lock than replace the entire safe.
B-SAFE services older safes as well as newer models, and we can evaluate the safe, lock, boltwork, and overall condition before determining the practical repair options.
Burglary Safes for Cash and Valuables
If the primary concern is theft rather than fire, burglary resistance becomes more important.
Cash, jewelry, collectibles, business assets, and other valuables may require heavier construction than a basic document safe.
A burglary-resistant safe may include features such as heavier steel construction, substantial locking bolts, hardplate protecting the lock, relocking devices, and provisions for anchoring the safe to the building.
For example, Gardall's B-rated burglary safes use heavy steel doors, locking bolts, lock protection, and anchoring provisions.
Manufacturers associated with burglary and security safes include AMSEC, Gardall, Diebold, Mosler, Liberty Safe, Cannon Safe, Superior Safe, Hollon, and many others.
The right level of protection depends on what is being stored and the risk involved.
Safes That Combine Fire and Burglary Protection
Many homeowners and businesses don't want separate safes for documents and valuables.
They may want one safe for property records, passports, cash, jewelry, firearms, and other important possessions.
In that situation, look at both the fire rating and burglary construction.
Don't assume that because a safe is large, heavy, or expensive it automatically provides both.
A good safe dealer or safe technician should be able to explain what the safe was designed to protect against.
At B-SAFE Lock & Key, we would rather help a customer understand what a safe actually provides than simply assume every safe serves the same purpose.
Gun Safes and Residential Security Safes
Gun safes are another large category.
Manufacturers such as Liberty Safe, Cannon Safe, Superior Safe, AMSEC, Gardall, and others manufacture residential security and gun-safe products.
These safes vary considerably in construction, locking systems, fire protection, size, weight, and price.
A homeowner storing firearms along with documents and other valuables should look at more than interior capacity. Consider the safe's construction, fire protection, locking system, placement, and whether it can be properly anchored.
A large safe that isn't properly installed can still be vulnerable to removal.
Depository Safes for Businesses
A retail store, restaurant, convenience store, dealership, office, or other cash-handling business has very different needs from someone storing a passport at home.
A depository safe or drop safe allows employees to deposit cash, envelopes, or other items without giving them access to the main safe compartment.
These safes can be useful for businesses that handle cash throughout the day and want to limit employee access to accumulated deposits.
Commercial and depository safes have been produced by manufacturers such as Gardall, AMSEC, Diebold, Cennox, FireKing, Meilink, and others. Cennox currently offers commercial safe products and maintains a portfolio of current and heritage safe brands, while Gardall offers dedicated commercial and depository-safe lines.
B-SAFE Lock & Key services commercial safes and depository safes, including safe locks, combination changes, opening, and repair on many makes and models.
Commercial Safes, Financial Safes and Older Bank Equipment
Commercial safe work can involve equipment very different from a typical home safe.
Older businesses, banks, jewelry stores, offices, restaurants, and commercial properties may still have safes manufactured by Diebold, Mosler, Meilink, Herring-Hall-Marvin, Gardall, FireKing, and other historic manufacturers.
Diebold and Mosler equipment in particular can be found in older financial and commercial installations. Historical security-equipment references identify Diebold with financial-security systems and cash containers, Mosler with burglary-resistant safes, and Meilink with fire- and theft-resistant safes.
These older safes shouldn't automatically be written off simply because the original manufacturer or model is no longer common.
B-SAFE has experience servicing both modern and older commercial safes. The first step is identifying the safe, the lock, and the problem before deciding whether repair, lock replacement, or another solution makes sense.
Safes for Business Records
Businesses storing contracts, leases, personnel files, financial records, property documents, and other paperwork may need something different from a traditional burglary safe.
A fire-rated records safe or fire-resistant file system may provide much more usable storage for paper documents.
FireKing, Meilink, Gardall, and other manufacturers have produced fire-resistant records-storage equipment designed specifically around document protection.
Think about how the documents will actually be stored. Legal-size files, binders, hanging folders, and large record books can consume interior space quickly.
A safe that appears large from the outside may have substantially less usable interior space because of its fire-resistant construction.
Digital Media Needs Different Protection
Paper and digital media don't tolerate heat the same way.
USB drives, hard drives, memory cards, backup media, and other electronic storage devices can be damaged at temperatures below those that paper documents can withstand.
If digital records are particularly important, look for a safe or media container specifically designed for that purpose.
This is another reason there isn't one "best safe" for everybody.
The best safe is the one designed for what you're actually putting inside it.
Mechanical Combination Locks
The safe lock is another important decision.
Traditional mechanical combination locks have been used successfully for generations. They don't require batteries and, when properly maintained, a quality mechanical safe lock can provide many years of dependable service.
Many older Diebold, Mosler, Meilink, Herring-Hall-Marvin, Gardall, and other safes still have mechanical locks in service today.
Mechanical safe locks are not obsolete simply because electronic locks are available.
If you prefer traditional operation and don't need electronic features, a good mechanical combination lock remains a solid choice.
Electronic Safe Locks
Electronic safe locks offer faster operation and can be convenient for homes and businesses that access their safes frequently.
Safe-lock manufacturers commonly encountered in the field include Sargent & Greenleaf (S&G), La Gard, SecuRam, AMSEC, and others.
Electronic locks do require batteries and contain electronic components that can eventually require service or replacement.
The good news is that a failed electronic lock does not necessarily mean you need a new safe.
Depending on the safe and its construction, B-SAFE may be able to replace or upgrade the locking system while retaining the existing safe.
Likewise, some older mechanical-lock safes can be evaluated for an electronic-lock conversion when the owner prefers electronic operation.
Safe Combination Changes
There are several situations where changing a safe combination makes sense.
A business may have employee turnover. A property may change ownership. A homeowner may purchase a used safe. A combination may have been shared with too many people.
In those situations, B-SAFE Lock & Key can perform safe combination changes on many mechanical and electronic safe locks.
Changing the combination allows the owner to retain the existing safe while restoring control over who can open it.
For businesses, combination control should be treated much like key control: when someone's authorization ends, their ability to access the safe should end as well.
Safe Opening and Safe Lock Repair
Safes sometimes stop opening even when the owner has the correct combination.
Electronic locks can fail. Batteries and keypads can develop problems. Mechanical locks can wear. Boltwork can bind. Handles can become damaged. Internal components can fail.
The solution depends on the safe and what actually went wrong.
B-SAFE Lock & Key provides safe opening and safe repair services throughout Minneapolis and the Twin Cities. We work on many makes and models and evaluate the safe before determining the appropriate service approach.
Our safe services include:
Safe opening
Safe lock repair
Electronic safe lock replacement
Mechanical safe lock service
Safe combination changes
Safe and vault servicing
Safe repairs
Safe installation and anchoring
Safe lock upgrades
Safe Placement and Anchoring Matter
Where the safe is installed matters almost as much as which safe you purchase.
Consider the floor construction, stairs, doorways, hallways, moisture exposure, and the route required to move the safe into place.
When appropriate for the safe and building, bolting or anchoring the safe can make removal substantially more difficult.
This is particularly important with smaller burglary and gun safes. A thief doesn't necessarily need to open a safe inside the building if the entire safe can simply be removed.
Installation should take the safe manufacturer's recommendations and the building construction into account.
Brands B-SAFE Lock & Key Services
B-SAFE works on a wide range of residential, commercial, fire, burglary, depository, gun, and older safes found throughout the Twin Cities.
Depending on the safe and service required, brands we encounter and service include:
AMSEC / American Security
Gardall
Liberty Safe
Cannon Safe
Superior Safe
Diebold
Mosler
Meilink
Herring-Hall-Marvin
FireKing
Cennox
SentrySafe
Hollon
And many other makes and models
We also service safe locking equipment from manufacturers including Sargent & Greenleaf (S&G), La Gard, SecuRam, AMSEC, and others.
If you have an older safe and aren't sure what it is, the manufacturer's name, model number, serial information, lock type, and photographs can often help identify the equipment and determine the appropriate next step.
Which Safe Is Right for You
There isn't one safe that is best for everyone.
Choose a fire safe when protecting important paper documents is the primary concern.
Choose a burglary-resistant safe when protecting cash, jewelry, and other valuables from theft is the priority.
Choose a safe offering both fire and burglary protection when you need both types of protection.
Consider a gun or residential security safe when you need larger storage for firearms and household valuables.
Choose a depository safe when employees need to make deposits without having access to the safe's main compartment.
Consider a commercial records safe or fire-resistant file when a business needs to protect substantial amounts of paperwork.
And consider a media-rated safe when protecting digital storage devices that may require lower internal temperatures during a fire.
If you're not sure which type is appropriate, B-SAFE can help you understand the differences and determine what level of protection makes sense for what you're trying to secure.
Safe Service in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities
B-SAFE Lock & Key has been serving Minneapolis and the Twin Cities since 1972.
We provide residential and commercial safe service, including safe opening, safe repair, combination changes, safe lock replacement, electronic safe locks, mechanical combination locks, safe installation, anchoring, and safe and vault servicing.
We service many makes and models, including both newer safes and older equipment from manufacturers that may no longer be commonly seen today.
B-SAFE also maintains a brick-and-mortar locksmith location in Minneapolis, so customers know who they're dealing with and where to find us.
Whether you're choosing a safe for your home or business, need a combination changed, have an electronic lock that has stopped working, or have an older Diebold, Mosler, Meilink, Gardall, Liberty, Cannon, Superior, FireKing, Cennox, AMSEC, or other safe that needs professional service, contact B-SAFE Lock & Key.
B-SAFE Lock & Key
4757 Lyndale Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55430
763-900-8119
Serving Minneapolis, North Minneapolis, Downtown Minneapolis, Northeast Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope, Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Plymouth, Osseo, Champlin, Anoka, Blaine, and surrounding Twin Cities communities.
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