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Decent Safe for under $1000

All of the safe ratings are for the door. Unless your going to get a 3/8"-1/2" think or more walls, you might as well buy the cheapest shit you can find.

For a cheap safe, I am a big fan of the Dakota XP. Since most of your safes arent going to provide much fire or tamper resitance, might as well get something that is easy to move. Their modular safes are decent and will give just as much protection as some $4K liberty or Browning crap tin can. Assemble them in a walk in closet or a small closet and they only way soemone is getting into them, is hacking through your wall/ect. That gives you more "time" for your money. I still reccomend buying a used GSA container or Jewel safe off craigslist, and building your own interior.
 
Gander mountain which doesnt have good deals very often was selling a liberty with electronic lock and accessories for like 899...It wasnt a bad deal at all but that was about 3 weeks ago
 
noz455sd said:
Gander mountain which doesnt have good deals very often was selling a liberty with electronic lock and accessories for like 899...It wasnt a bad deal at all but that was about 3 weeks ago
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I have one of the bass pro (liberty) ones with an electronic lock that was my first safe. I would recomend against the electronic. Some of the numbers that were thrown around, around 90% of locksmiths work on gunsafes are beacuse of electronic lock failure. They also can lock you out or like the case of mine, when the battery starts to die, it won't even except a correct key. When you need to get into a safe quickly, you need to make sure you have accses. I would trade the 30 second inconvience for the dam near failure proof S&G lock.
 
I recently picked up a Stack-on elite 24 gun safe from sports authority for around 600 bucks. It is my second stack-on safe (other one was overflowing) and I couldn't be happier. It has the electronic lock, but also has a recessed double bitted lock incase the electronics fail.
 
I think it would be interesting to hear from people whose safe has actually been through a burglary. I know you're happy with your safe now, but would you be after a break in?
 
Tehscientist said:
I think it would be interesting to hear from people whose safe has actually been through a burglary. I know you're happy with your safe now, but would you be after a break in?
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Want to know why insurance companies don't give you much of or any break on your premium if you keep your collection/assets in a RSC? It's pretty obvious. They know the statistics and have the tables to back it up.
 
$1000 is really low for a proper SAFE. I found that you really have to spend around $3000 if you want something that can't be opened up like a tin can with a fire axe. Residential security containers is what you're getting...
 
Just get a TXTL60 and be done with it... Because you NEED protection against thermic lances and nitroglycerin. Buy once, cry once. Right? I even found one "on sale." You can thank me later.

http://www.lackasafe.com/products/used-safes-specials/best-safe-world-|-chubb-sovereign-6428

But in all seriousness, here's a TL15 for only $1600. It's too small for rifles but you get the idea. Find a bigger one on Craigslist.

http://www.lackasafe.com/products/used-safes-specials/used-3020-quantum-tl15-high-security-safe
 
There are other threads that show how easy it is to get into an RSC, or gun safe. Seriously, just a few minutes. If it is all you can afford, then it is all you can afford, and it might keep nosy kids out.

But if you can afford an AI with a S&B on it you can probably afford a real safe and more than you think you can afford.

And keep in mind most safes focus on the door, but a thief can attack the sides. Most gun safes are only 12ga steel. Not only can a common and cheap angle grinder, or even circular saw with a metal cutting blade, rip through it in nothing flat, but even a fire axe will have its way with it in short order.

UL has been testing safes for years. Here are some ratings and what insurance companies might insure the contents for:
http://www.securitysafeusa.com/company/faq.html

You can buy an AmSec TL30x6 (all sides tested for attack) safe for about $6,700. It weighs about 4,600 pounds. It is a real safe, and it is only the starting point for serious protection.

I'm almost certain your home insurance doesn't cover your guns and jewelry over a very small amount. Are you paying for a rider for your gear? Have you added up the cost of your gear? There are many guys I've seen posting about their collection that suggests it's worth over $100,000. But you can't afford a real safe? And you don't want to pay for extra insurance? False economy guys.

I know a couple guys above were getting blasted because some people figure they can't afford more than they can. It think if you read carefully one of the guys being criticized acknowledged that and suggested that if money is a concern just get a StackOn or Homak steel cabinet for a couple hundred dollars. You're not getting much less protection than the RSC gun safes and you're saving a whole lot of money.

Even the fancy gun safes that run in the $5,000+ range offer craptacular protection for the money and don't even have the serious UL ratings discussed above. Of course no one wants to feel like a fucktard for having spent that kind of money on a safe that offers little protection so they're going to get pissed. But that's life -- the hard lessons are usually hard. Get over it and get real about how much protection a safe does or does not offer.

And yes, a real pro will get in eventually. It's said that a safe buys you time. Hopefully you've got an alarm system and a responsive PD. The UL ratings above are tested with pros trying to get in -- with the right tools. A good safe might just keep out the random neighbourhood punk or crackhead with the wrong tools -- no matter how much time he has. But even an idiot with the wrong tools can generally get into a RSC gun safe. This forum, and others throughout the web, have stories and pictures of these things and how they were broken into. Just search.

Sorry about being a downer and pouring cold water on everyone's safe parade, but that's the way it is.
 
I am about to get a class C safe off of Craigslist. It's old school and ugly, but $300 for 1/2" steel plate body and 1" door.
 
Ive read multiple places that these safe tests are done by experienced people with any tool they need and theyre also given blueprints of the safes to figure how they want to attack it. Regardless, if you dont live out in BFE and have an alarm a safe should buy you plenty of time for the PD to run them off. Personally, I live in a regular city and th FD is 5 minutes down the road. I also put my safe on an exterior wall so that should help some too. Im a construction inspector by trade, and one of the things I inspect is fireproofing. Youd betruly surprised how well a 5/8" thick piece of firesafe gypsum board can resist fire. Its UL rated at 1 hour, so it really makes it hard for me ot believe that the regular run-of-the-mill safes that have a fire rating wont provide adequate protection from fire as long as you dont live way out in the boonies. I also do spray-applied fireproofing which on most red iron with a 3/8-1/2" coating is UL rated for 30 minutes(depending on the grade and structural element), so I just dont see the cheaper safes offering no fire protection like some of the safe snobs would have you believe that are commenting in here.

At the end of the day, if something happens, Ive got my home and contents insured for a decent amount more than replacement value so if I lost everything I might finally be able to afford a S&B on top of an AI. My advice, buy what you can afford saf wise and bump up your homeowners policy 50 grand for an extra 50 bucks a year. If you have a fire youre going to be claiming on your homeowners anyway so cost of paying the deductible is a mute point in reference to a fire event which seems to be a big point for the safe snobs here and if someone breaks into my safe and steals all my guns, well I pay 2K for my deductible and get them all back. Ill still be out less money than buying the 5K+ safes some of these guys are recommending. Ill play the odds that Ill never get broken into and all my stuff stolen, but if it does thats what insurance is for.

If youve got a truly irreplaceable firearm or heirloom, it needs to be in a bank safe deposit box where its a million dollar safe with a fire suppression system. Just my opinion but I think people over-think this stuff, and/or get off on bragging about the safe theyve got.
 
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1Slow, I didn't comment about the fire protection and I'm not sure how that would work out. But most people need a rider on their insurance policy if they want their guns covered more than a nominal amount. Moreover, it isn't as easy as you suggest to replace guns. Folks here in occupied states like California may have numerous guns -- whether registered "assault weapons", 50BMGs, and handguns not on the AG's roster of approved handguns that they can't replace. I have a safety deposit box at the bank. But in the vault, I've never seen a box that will fit a 50BMG. Which is not to say your advice wouldn't be fine for other people. Document and photo your guns and serial numbers, track down receipts, and keep copies in your safety deposit box or with a relative in case your house burns down or is burgled. YMMV
 
1Slow, thanks for the tips on fire protection.

Everybody gets to do whatever they want. But if I told you that S&B's were going for $1500 on Craigslist would you say I was bragging about my S&B and that a $1200 Leupold Mk4 is still the way to go?

I wanted to protect against burglary. So I bought a safe rated to protect against burglary. It happened to cost •no more• (literally) than an above average RSC, aka "gun safe." A Residential Security Container keeps out kids and druggies, not burglars. It will help in a fire. How much it will help depends on a lot of variables.

If you're not worried about burglary, then there's no need to buy a burglary resistant safe. If you are, there is good information above that can help you locate a properly rated •safe• for a reasonable amount of money.

Also, the information on insurance riders is important. I need to look into that myself.
 
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So I ended up getting a Protectall safe off of Ebay, it's got both C and T20 ratings and has the UL tag right on it. I bought it from a store owner who no longer needed it for $400, and paid about $200 to have it shipped. I'll have to cut out the interior shelving to make room for a rack for my AR. I think the door alone weighs on the order of 350-400 pounds, it's damn heavy. The only down side is I have no way of bolting it down, so I guess I'll just be keeping the honest honest until I can buy my own house and figure out a way to secure it. For now, I feel a lot better about stuffing my AR in there than I do in the rafters of my attic.
 
Ok, so I have been giving this a lot of thought. It seems like those of you that have some actual experience with outcomes of burglaries and safes, all say that any cheaper (not like 5k+) safe is all the same and can be broken into in a very short time period. Taking this into account, I might have decided to just get a cheaper safe.

What do you guys think about this one:
BIGHORN 19ECB Safe

Its going to be on sale for $570 sometime next week. Seems like its alot of safe for the $$. Its about 1/2 the size of the fatboy jr, but its honestly big enough. (If I need a larger safe in 5 years, I'm sure stores are still selling them). Otherwise than the size, am I REALISTICALLY giving up anything by buying this safe vs something in the 1k price range like the fatboy jr?. My main concern is NOT professional buglers but rather the more common threats (neighborhood teenagers and possible a small fire. Houses in the city are extremely close to each other so the fire would get caught quick, and the fire station isn't too far.)

Any advice would be great!
 
If you are not in a hurry, wait until the Black Friday Sale at tractor supply company. I picked up a large Cannon safe there last year for $700. It was originally $1000. I can't remember the model or how many guns it holds (at least 32 I would say), but it is BIG and has the electrical outlet built into it and digital keypad.
 
Unfortunately black Friday is too far, even 4th of July is.. I have nothing at all to safeguard my weapons right now, so.....
 
timelinex said:
Unfortunately black Friday is too far, even 4th of July is.. I have nothing at all to safeguard my weapons right now, so.....
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I only truly REALLY started digging into the durability and actual protection of "gun safes" after I had bought My Liberty Fatboy Jr... I was kinda disappointed and worried for a while about what I had actually purchased, but then realized that yeah, unless I dump a TON more money than I am willing to into an actual safe, then the Fatboy is just as good as any other for even a couple grand more... Even some of the lower-mid Fort Knox safes that cost thousands more were shockingly similar in construction to my $1000 Fatboy. I'm now happy with it and am glad I ONLY spent $1000 on a RSC that holds 48 guns.

I say for your situation, if it fits as many guns as you want, go for it. I was in the same boat as I had a ton of rifles laying around and "borrowing" room in a friends safe. The Bighorns seem to be pretty good based on other similar safes. Try to get a mechanical combo though as most keypad locks in a lot of these end up having problems...
 
A buddy of mine had his safe lag bolted to a slab in his garage. And not with the little baby lag bolts from Home Depot, the same ones we used to anchor 715 yards of concrete between two 20 story luxury apartment buildings to build a $900,000 entrance to an underground parking garage(he provided cheap labor in a pinch so we owed him one). They were leftover from the job and measured 1.25"dia X 9.0". He came home from work one day to a 4'x5' hole in the floor and 2 piles of burnt rubber. Keep that in mind when you spend $20k on one them fancy jobs :p You'll have to insure your safe too!!
 
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khall540 said:
If you are not in a hurry, wait until the Black Friday Sale at tractor supply company. I picked up a large Cannon safe there last year for $700. It was originally $1000. I can't remember the model or how many guns it holds (at least 32 I would say), but it is BIG and has the electrical outlet built into it and digital keypad.
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CAn you even order these online?? It seems like all their safes are in store only, and there aren't any in arizona. It looks like their canon 48 gun safe is on sale for 1k, which I might consider buying if I could actually buy it.
 
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Such a hard decision, I wish it was bigger. I don't need the gun space but it would be nice to be able to store most my ammo in there.

Do you guys know if my 338lm will fit in there? I haven't measured it but Savage says its 45.5" in total length. Seems like because of the top shelf that might only fit if put at an angle. Anyone have any experience with this?
 
Swift said:
A buddy of mine had his safe lag bolted to a slab in his garage. And not with the little baby lag bolts from Home Depot, the same ones we used to anchor 715 yards of concrete between two 20 story luxury apartment buildings to build a $900,000 entrance to an underground parking garage(he provided cheap labor in a pinch so we owed him one). They were leftover from the job and measured 1.25"dia X 9.0". He came home from work one day to a 4'x5' hole in the floor and 2 piles of burnt rubber. Keep that in mind when you spend $20k on one them fancy jobs :p You'll have to insure your safe too!!
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What was the burnt rubber from? Tires? So you're saying that someone hooked a tow strap to the safe and pulled it out of the ground? I guess that's a good reason not to put your safe in the garage. Or next to an exterior wall, if you've seen the similar method of driving off with a huge safe in the movie "Revolver."
 
wm.penn said:
What was the burnt rubber from? Tires? So you're saying that someone hooked a tow strap to the safe and pulled it out of the ground? I guess that's a good reason not to put your safe in the garage. Or next to an exterior wall, if you've seen the similar method of driving off with a huge safe in the movie "Revolver."
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Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see the hole in the floor with my own eyes but where there's a will, there's a way. I don't know the condition of his floor prior to the break-in, it may not have been very strong but a diesel with some bolt-ons making 1000+ tq is pretty capable, esp if you hook it up high and use it's height against it.

If it were me and I was already spending $20k+ on a safe, I'd spend a few hundred more, knock a portion of the wall out, rebuild around the safe and use a layer of concrete, steel or both in between. Otherwise, it has to go inside where it can be hidden. Just my $.02
 
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Swift said:
Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see the hole in the floor with my own eyes but where there's a will, there's a way. I don't know the condition of his floor prior to the break-in, it may not have been very strong but a diesel with some bolt-ons making 1000+ tq is pretty capable, esp if you hook it up high and use it's height against it.

If it were me and I was already spending $20k+ on a safe, I'd spend a few hundred more, knock a portion of the wall out, rebuild around the safe and use a layer of concrete, steel or both in between. Otherwise, it has to go inside where it can be hidden. Just my $.02
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I believe it, but pulling it over is just the first step. Did your buddy's safe cost $20k? For about half that you can get a TRTL30X6... That kind of safe in a size big enough to hold eight or ten rifles weighs three tons. You need a serious winch and a car hauler to load that safe behind a diesel pickup. Or else a big moving truck with a monster hydraulic lift gate. And I can't imagine the racket it would cause to pull that safe out of the concrete. But safes that heavy usually don't have holes to bolt them down anyway...
 
wm.penn said:
I believe it, but pulling it over is just the first step. Did your buddy's safe cost $20k? For about half that you can get a TRTL30X6... That kind of safe in a size big enough to hold eight or ten rifles weighs three tons. You need a serious winch and a car hauler to load that safe behind a diesel pickup. Or else a big moving truck with a monster hydraulic lift gate. And I can't imagine the racket it would cause to pull that safe out of the concrete. But safes that heavy usually don't have holes to bolt them down anyway...
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No it wasn't anything like that. I think it was one of them Liberty jobs from Cabela's or something. I agree that at some point they become grounded behemoths but for a lot of us the price point is just too high.

On a sidenote, he lives in an area where his nearest neighbor is quite a ways down the road and knowing those yokels they'd just drag one of them monsters all the way home and leave a 6' trail of grass, straw, corn and livestock all the way to their back door, assuming their inbred-rigged chains and straps held up.
 
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Swift said:
No it wasn't anything like that. I think it was one of them Liberty jobs from Cabela's or something. I agree that at some point they become grounded behemoths but for a lot of us the price point is just too high.

On a sidenote, he lives in an area where his nearest neighbor is quite a ways down the road and knowing those yokels they'd just drag one of them monsters all the way home and leave a 6' trail of grass, straw, corn and livestock all the way to their back door, assuming their inbred-rigged chains and straps held up.
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He should replace it with a 3 ton TRTL30X6 and setup a video camera to watch their efforts to steal it. I'm sure he could sell such a comedy for more than enough to cover the price of the safe.
 
DroidSniper said:
Model 3224-6 : Fire Safe : Sturdy Safe

These safes seem to have an excellent reputation for theft protection and fire resistance. I have never own one so i really cant vouch but i spent a month looking at different safes and these seem to be the best.
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Sturdy Safes are excellent as far as a Residential Security Container (RSC). A friend of mine has one. They're not cheap, though. After you price out your options you might be able to get a real UL-rated safe on the used market, such as this TL30X6 for $3200:

http://www.lackasafe.com/products/u...-jewelersx6-5520-ul-tl30x6-high-security-safe
 
wm.penn said:
He should replace it with a 3 ton TRTL30X6 and setup a video camera to watch their efforts to steal it. I'm sure he could sell such a comedy for more than enough to cover the price of the safe.
Click to expand...

Don't forget to scrap the axle once he drops it!
 
I actually took a different approach to safe buying. There are not many safes out there (even those with 90 min.+ fire protection) that will actually prevent damage to your guns and high end optics. When I purchased my "Gun Safe" I did so expecting no fire protection and moderate burglary protection. I added a firearms policy through my insurance company. For the $3000-6000 it would cost me for a "Real" safe I can insure my meager collection against theft, loss, or fire damage for many many years. When I bought my safe I specifically looked at storage capacity, and security From my family (grubby little hands). Maybe it won't stop a determined criminal. Very few safes actually would. I located the safe such that it would be less enticing to a crook. To top that off, I have a large breed dog that just so happens to sleep directly in front of the safe door.

Chip
 
I have thought about plumbing a single fire sprinkler connected to my domestic water in the garage above my safe with a simple 1/4 turn shut off somewhere in the line. I think it might just be enough to keep the steel cool in the event of a garage fire. Or frame out a simple sheetrock compartment for the safe (similar to a water heater closet) with a solid core door to take the brunt of the heat in the event of a fire. Sheetrock/gypsum can take a hell of a beating in a fire.
 
Not sure who mentioned it but +1 for bolting down the safe to a concrete floor. If they tip it on it's back a 5' pry bar will open most of the Liberty style/grade safes in under 5min. Also, AmSec has a like of safes (bf series I believe) that has a pour concrete like material instead of drywall used as it's fire barrier. At the end of the day, any safe can be broken into with enough time and the right tools. Your security philosophy should be to not advertise what you have or where (lack of motive), make it take as long as you can for someone to break in (place in corner of room/basement, bolt to floor) and not leave the means for them to get in without bringing their own tools to the party. In general, home security should be about making it unattractive to rob your house (visible security, dog, alarm system, bolted down safe, etc) and have the robbers go to the neighbors instead for an easier score. I tried to use a 10% rule of thumb when trying to figure out how much to spend....value up the expected contents and spend 10% of that.

Fire is a bitch and short of an all concrete room it's pretty hard to plan for.

Also, I didn't see it mentioned and I'm sure most here would know already but do NOT store powder in your safe!
 
I did it. I waited it out till almost 4th of July now, for the good deals. I know for father's day tractor supply has the cannon wide body for 900 plus shipping, which puts it around 1100 I think. That seems like an Ok deal, but hopefully there's something better for July 4th.

What stores other than tractor supply should I be keeping an eye on for safe sales this 4th?
 
Safes have been selling at the same pace firearm related items have, so don't expect discounts on much.
 
Yup, the date passed and nothing close to a deal.... Oh well. Luckily I still have insurance for the time being
 
The BEST safe for a budget is the biggest used TL30 you can fit through the door, and if you have a garage, big bonus due to concrete floor. Be patient and look on Craigslist, but save up a bit more than $1000.

$1000 on CL can get you a pretty decent medium size used gun safe, but it won't stop a strong or planned attack.

$2000 on CL on the right day can get you a TL30 jewelry safe the same size, and short of pros or well equipped robbers, they won't be getting through it at all. At any rate, they won't be getting through it at all in under 30 minutes without blowing it hell.

It's worth the wait and cost to get the TL30, particularly if you have a concrete slab. They're much better than any gun safe.
 
Strykervet said:
The BEST safe for a budget is the biggest used TL30 you can fit through the door, and if you have a garage, big bonus due to concrete floor. Be patient and look on Craigslist, but save up a bit more than $1000.

$1000 on CL can get you a pretty decent medium size used gun safe, but it won't stop a strong or planned attack.

$2000 on CL on the right day can get you a TL30 jewelry safe the same size, and short of pros or well equipped robbers, they won't be getting through it at all. At any rate, they won't be getting through it at all in under 30 minutes without blowing it hell.

It's worth the wait and cost to get the TL30, particularly if you have a concrete slab. They're much better than any gun safe.
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My issue with this is that I'm not in the safe/security business or particularly interested enough in them to know what is a good safe or not. There's hundreds of different models to look for.

Then the second issue is that no safe is going to fit into any of the cars I own.

The third issue is that even if I did find one, I'm not sure how I would man handle something so heavy into place, even if I get it to my house.

Lastly, and least important, old jeweler/business type safes look like shit.
 
Well, they don't look the best. They do look industrial. I suppose you could easily paint and pinstripe it though to suit your tastes. Other than that, it's a box with a door and has the same (if not better) lock than the gun safes do.

No, it won't fit in your car. Best bet is to rent a moving van with a tommy gate that has a rating suitable for that safe. So if the safe is 1900 lbs., you need a one ton tommy gate.

If you have a garage with a concrete floor, you're fine. You back up the truck to the garage, drop the gate with the safe in it, roll it into place with the small dolly you rented, then drop it on low blocks. Have friends help or get ingenious (block and tackle?) to lift or rock the safe to remove the blocks it rests on. There's a mat that you should put between the concrete and safe, regardless of what you use.

If you have a house with a concrete slab floor and want it inside, then just back up the truck and drop the gate to the front door. Lay out heavy plywood flat on the floor to make a path (I'm not sure what you are supposed to do if you have ceramic tile or wood flooring here, but this works on carpet and concrete). Basically, do as above, except here you drop it on the carpet ultimately.

In either case, you could stop by Mako or some other quick auto-body paint shop and get it shot however you like (airbrush would be cool) if you plan on displaying it or it being seen. I agree, the institutional colors they come in are boring. On the other hand, there's always covering it up somehow, just getting ingenious.

Anyway, you don't have to know much. Just be patient, look on CL in the nearest big city/county search(es) and hold out on a safe that's the right size for you (they come in ALL sizes, makes and models). You just need the model number on it (usually riveted in doorframe) to match up to the UL rating (usually riveted in same place). And you want that UL rating to be, ideally, TL15 or TL30 or better. It's pretty simple, actually.

Now if you don't have a concrete floor, things can get tricky... But if you have a stick floor house, you'll likely need to reinforce the floor for any decent gun safe anyway. So why not have a good contractor come and just reinforce it for the heavier TL30 instead?

I don't get it, I'm just trying to help you. I'm not even trying to sell you anything and I even commend you on locking up your firearms. Now I've had the other gun safes, nice shiny ones too, and nothing beats a jewelry safe, nothing. Been around the block, and I do know a bit about security. So that's why I'm saying the UL rating is key, and for price, those two ratings will be the ones you can afford if you save up and are patient and negotiate well and watch CL everyday.

But do what makes you sleep tight at night when away from home. That's what counts, right? Seriously. So good luck in your purchase, that was just my $1.02. Take it easy!
 
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