Looking for something like Sentry Safe A3150 or A3431, over 130 lb weight. Under $300
From reading this newsgroup I understand that it is better to get combination lock instead of electronic, and also that Sentry Safe is really the bottom of the line. So looking for something more reputable but reasonably priced. Also something easily available for pickup in NYC area.
Speaking about 2 models mentioned above: how long will it take for the qualified bulglar to open them? What about unqualified? I understand electronic lock is open in seconds - it's pried out and a couple of wires is crossed.
No matter how big and heavy it is, a Sentry Safe is not intended to keep robbers out! It is a fire safe intended to protect important papers from destruction by fire and heat.
The only reason it has a lock is to prevent casual thieves and hold the door closed during a fire.
Any robber wanting into your Sentry safe can get into it in a couple of minutes and clean it out.
If you want to protect your valuablews from robbers, you need a Money Safe. They come in radious ratings from not much better than a tin can to ones that take hours to get into without the correct combination.
If you want to protect your valuables from robbers and fire, you want a Composite safe and they come in various ratings.
If you want to protect photographs, microfilm or computer media from robbers and fire, be sure to specify this when shopping as these items require a different sort of fire rating than paper. Gold bullion doesn't need to be protected from fire but Bearer Bonds do.
Check your New York City Yellow Pages under Safes and Vaults, phone around, tell them what you want to put in the safe and what you want it protected from and be guided by their recommendations.
Good brands of high-security safes are: Chubb, Diebold, Mosler etc.
A good safe is expensive, but with proper care and servicing will last about as long as the Pyramids.
Let me add something to this. One option is to get a modest burglary safe that will be close to your price range and consider building a cladding that you can fill with concrete. Doing this should safeguard the contents from most home fires and further thwart those wanting to cart off the safe..
A popular option is to bolt down the safe inside the cladding and then if you do move, the bolts can be removed and the safe can be moved even though it is now considerably heaver. You will not get a UL fire rating but 6 inches of concrete will slow down a fire considerably.
Most if not all Sentry's are not really safes. The ones you see at walmart etc are really just fire resistant containers. Even an amateur burglar will be in them in a couple minutes by brute force. Do yourself a favor and get something with at least a B or C burglary rating. Check the Amsec catalog. Stay away from stuff that does not carry a specific burglary rating if you are concerned about burglary.
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As far as spiking open the electronic locks on the serious electronic locks like made by S&G etc the solonoid wires aren't easily accessable just by busting off the keypad. On the low end sentry's they are.
The Sentry models you mention LOOK secure but they are not burglary rated and won't stand up to an attack with heavy tools like a sledge and a good prybar more than a few minutes at most. They can be popped in under 5 minutes with little enough damage to be easily repaired by anybody who knows what they are doing.
That is an option, but it can be a lot of work depending on the kind of floor. The upside is that it is more concealed when installed, but the downside is that you have to get down on your hands and knees and reach down a hole in the floor.
I like in floor safes a lot. I'm a big advocate of the idea that they can't steal what they can't find. An unpleasant fact that a lot of people don't consider is that even if you have a good safe that some hood has no chance of getting open he can do a lot of expensive damage to the thing before he figures that out, mangled hinges, punched spindles, fired relockers, burn your house down trying to torch it etc. Installing an in floor in pier and beam construction is usually pretty easy, find a clear spot, cut hole, put heavy plastic down to protect the rug or whatever, form it up from the top and pour. In an existing slab it admittedly can be a pain but once it's in put a garbage can or something that looks like total junk nobody would want over it and odds are they will totally miss it. The main drawback is usually relatively small size. For currency or small valuables especially things that aren't damaged by water though they are hard to beat IMHO. Even when you can't use one I reccomend concealment whenever possible.
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