Security safes?

[The Lone Rider]

I've been looking into security safes. Not sure what I should look for, but what I have seen looks outrageously expensive.

I've got a few tid bits I want stashed and locked, but highest priority is dvd's filled with photos of my kid, work disks, and passports.

Fireproof would be great, but the ratings I've seen show they are only proof up to one hour? That seems awfully low!

Also the thought has occurred to me that consumer DVDs burnt on a computer won't survive any amount of heat regardless of if they are in a "fireproof" safe.

Hard to steal or get into would be good to, but that is on the lower side of priorities compared to simply protecting the condition of the contents.

Whats your knowledge on them?

[pete376403]

Copy the DVDs and put them in another location (mums house or something), along with photocopies of important documents, passports,etc.

Offsite backups are good. Ideally in another part of the country if you're really paranoid (or live in Christchurch)

[Mully]

Copy the DVDs and put them in another location (mums house or something), along with photocopies of important documents, passports,etc.

Offsite backups are good. Ideally in another part of the country if you're really paranoid (or live in Christchurch)

Yeah - this.

Or copy to flash drives - one at someone else's house, one at work, etc.

[The Lone Rider]

I need access to half the stuff, including some of the disks.

Such as a passport.

It's not all disks I have that I want locked away.

[Hitcher]

Why not do your backing up into the cloud? There is plenty of space available either for free (e.g. Google, Dropbox) or for hire (e.g. Dropbox).

I can't be bothered fannying around with DVDs and other shit. My daily backup gets done to a $135 1TB data back I procured at Duck Smuth. My monthly backup is done into the cloud.

On the subject of safes, they're a waste of time and money. If they're discoverable, then they're probably removable. Mr Crim can take the whole thing away with them and open it at their leisure. Few people are going to take the time to concrete a gasax-proof tapered cylinder into the floor or their garage.

[The Lone Rider]

1. Refer to the post about hacking and privacy then refer to the "cloud"
2. Many photos are already backed up online
3. There's a long list of why my property would not be worth someone breaking into to steal a safe. That they'd have to find first.

[pzkpfw]

Had to get a safe for the Wife's stuff (insurance purposes) so bought one ("Sandford") the size of half a filing cabinet from Bunnings for $99.

It's battery (4xAA) powered digital-keypad operated, with key for backup.

Then she said it was "too big" (not the first time, ha ha) so got a smaller one of same brand for $49. Neither is fire-proof.

Seem good enough quality for the price. Wouldn't keep state secrets in them, but they are good enough for me/us.

My Nephew the builder will super-delux bolt the small one into the house, otherwise it's too easy to carry the whole thing off. The big one will get built in to my office when that gets built.

Obviously neither will survive a nuclear bomb, or determined vermin, but insurance and off-site backups should mean it all works out.

[Berries]

Whats your knowledge on them?

Don't get one with a numbered dial. If you listen closely you can hear when the right number has been selected. I saw it in a movie.

Seriously, off site or don't bother. Surely you'll have a few days notice if you need your passport?

[The Lone Rider]

Some of those wall mount ones aren't fireproof because the wall mount holes run right through to the inside compartment.

I didn't ask about storing things at work, on a cloud system, at a parents place, or ___________ (fill in the blank with obvious answers that aren't about safes).

What I am getting however, is that few people here know anything about safes.

[Berries]

In that case make sure you don't get a wooden one.

[Pseudonym]

I picked up one that was being binned from work, it was a bit of an experience to re-code and I had to make a tool to do it.
Doubt it would be rated as fire safe but where it is it’s going to be regardless.
I looked at the digital ones from Bunnings etc but I don’t think they’d pose much of a challenge to even the curious let alone the determined.
Best bet, sink it into the garage floor and cover it with a false water main cover or something.
If it’s going inside the house try and stick it in a corner that gets no attention and have the carpet pinned to a bit of 17mm ply that can fold over it.

Pick up quite a large one off TradeMe for not too much.
If you’re a little paranoid pay in cash and hire a car to pick it up.

All I need for my one is something to go inside it to justify all the work!
Anyone out there with a bar of gold they don’t want?

[The Baron]

Safes and fire proof cabinets are two different things.

A safe has a cash rating - Data protection cabinet (fire proof safe) has a fire rating. 1h is a common rating. This is a UL rating at full heat. Most damage to contents is not heat damage but any form of smoke damage is the problem. Alway store contents like disk/photos in plastic zip lock bags. Just a bit extra smoke protection.

Importers are. E W Sinton Ltd Auckland

[The Lone Rider]

Safes and fire proof cabinets are two different things.

A safe has a cash rating - Data protection cabinet (fire proof safe) has a fire rating. 1h is a common rating. This is a UL rating at full heat. Most damage to contents is not heat damage but any form of smoke damage is the problem. Alway store contents like disk/photos in plastic zip lock bags. Just a bit extra smoke protection.

Importers are. E W Sinton Ltd Auckland

Thanks, thats exactly the sort of info I was looking for.

+1 Bling for you.

What is a "cash rating" and "UL rating"

[The Baron]

Cash safes should be cash rated (maybe not mitre 10 cheepies).
Most small safes start with a cash rating of $5000. Bank safes and jewellery safes are at the top end. Jewellery rating is approx four times the cash rating.

UL ratings - 'Underwriters Laboratory' is a company that tests and rates other peoples products in this case fire safes. So the 1hr or 2hr rating is given by UL not the manufacturer of the safe.

Data protection cabinets often have a wooden inner cabinet built in just for smoke protection. So a cabinet in a cabinet.

[oneofsix]

Data protection cabinets often have a wooden inner cabinet built in just for smoke protection. So a cabinet in a cabinet.

Really? I thought it was because wood was a better insulator than metal and therefore didn't transfer the outside heat to the inside contents thereby giving the safe a longer fire rating. the risk with all metal cabinets being that the contents in a totally metal cabinet will burn without the external flame reaching them because they reach ignition temperature by heat transfer.