Safe Luxury

How safe is a home security safe?

I was thinking of buying a home safe to put money, stock certificates, jewellery, documents, etc. because my safety deposit box at the bank is just too small and hard to access and I don't store things like money or passports in it because I can't access it when I want to. So is a home safe really that safe? If someone did break into my home and find the safe how long would it take for them to open it? Is there anything I should look for in a safe? What's the least amount I should spend? I don't want to have some kind of fancy Fort Knox grade safe. I just want something were if a burglar broke in, they wouldn't be able to get at anything in the safe before they get caught. I would bolt it to the wall/floor...I just don't know where yet, as it has to be accessible by me too. A waterproof safe is not much of a need, I would probably place it on the second floor of my house, and I live at the top of a hill were it never floods. I noticed theres quite a bit of a price difference between just a security safe and a fire safe, compared to one that has both. Maybe I should buy a security safe and put a cheaper fire proof box inside?

Public Comments

1. Opening it is not the problem. The problem is, Can they walk off with it? You need one that is Bolted to the floor Or in the wall so they can't take it with them.
2. There's two kinds - the security safes, which might be either very heavy or mounted in a wall, and then there are just fire safes, which are not supposed to prevent theft (although they have locks on them) but mainly are supposed to protect your papers in case of fire. As with most things, the more you can spend, the safer it is. If you hide it well, a random break-in might not reveal it. This is easy with a wall-safe, but otherwise you might have to put it in the basement or attic or cleverly placed in a spot where one would not expect a safe (meaning: NOT a closet, under the bed or whatever, but something less obvious).
3. i lucked out and you can to if you take the time to look -- with all of the mom and pop business going under (i am talking about the ones that have been around awhile) a lot have the old fashion safes that weight next to a ton and are a converation piece!!!