Gun safes can be compared to your garage; no matter how big it is you always seem to need more space. Because a gun safe is primarily for theft protection and fire protection, it makes a good home safe for other valuables such as jewellery, documents, coin collections, photos etc. So when you are shopping for a gun safe or pistol safe think of other items in the house you can keep safe and protect in the same safe.

Before you purchase a gun safe and/or a home safe it is important to take note of the following.

Same safe different price

Two safes can have the same size and appearance but differs greatly in price. There is a number of reasons for that.

• Amount of steel - Safes made from thin steel and composites may carry just as good a fire rating as safes made from heavy gauge or plate steel, but they are vulnerable to be axed open easier.
• Weight - Pay attention to the weight of the gun safe before purchasing as the weight can be faked. A plate steel safe will be much heavier than one made of composite. To test this you can knock on the door with your knuckles. A composite safe will sound hollow.
• Quality safes will have a UL listed label - If a safe has a UL listed label it means the safe has passed the Underwriters Laboratories test. Common burglar tools such as crowbars and drills have been given to experienced safecrackers and given a time period of 30 minutes to open the safe. If they succeeded the safe fails.
• Fire rating - Most expensive gun safes have a better fire rating. The fire rating can be found on the inside edge of the door and contains two temperatures and a time. For example it shows 1 500 degrees, 35 minutes and 330 degrees. It means the safe has been exposed to 1 500 degrees and within the 35 minutes the maximum internal temperature of the safe was 330 degrees. No safe is really fire proof if exposed to fire temperature long enough that the internal temperature matches the external temperature.
• Two types of finishes - There is the glossy paint finish and a textured paint finish. The glossy finish is selected if the safe will be on display for example in a living room. It should also be cleaned regularly as it shows marks easily.
• Area where the safe is kept - If your safe will be kept in an unheated room or garage, or an area with high humidity it is recommended to install a dri-rod inside your safe. It is a small heater installed inside to keep your guns and valuables protected from rust and mildew.
  

Purchasing a gun safe, pistol safe or home safe is not an inexpensive investment. So rather make 100% sure of the safe’s facts and the quality of the product. Purchase high quality safes from Adanac Security.