Choosing the Best Home Safe for Your Needs

IKS Locksmiths are MLA approved home safe installation specialists in London. From small compact safes installation to the best luxury safes for your home we are experienced in both commercial and home security.

In previous posts we have discussed how we approach installing safes and where is the best place to install a safe in your home. Here we explain how to choose a home safe.

Choosing a Home Safe – Important Considerations

1. Intended Use & contents- Safe Grade (Cash / Valuables Rating)
2. Size
3. Functionality

Buying a Home Safe is an investment and it is vital to get it right.

1) Intended Use – Safe Grade (Cash / Valuables Rating)

The first question I ask someone when they call me about a safe is what do you intend to keep in it. The items and the value will determine the safe grade and rating required.

Consider what you want the safe to protect against in addition to intruder access.  You may want to choose a fireproof safe or you may require water resistance.

Safe Specifications to consider are:

• The type of safe –  cash, jewellery, document, till, business or home safe
• Resistance to water, fire and being moved
• Insurance rating – cash rating from £1000 upwards (We advise choosing 30% more than you need to future proof) and jewellery rating from £10,000 upwards

2) Safe Size

Again considering what you plan to keep in the safe long term is the key to choosing the right safe for your needs.  If you need a fireproof safe we can help, we are fireproof safes installation specialists in North London.

When it comes to the size you need to consider the size of the objects that you want to store in the safe and where you plan to fit the safe. It’s quite straightforward really. There are a wide range of safe sizes available. An experienced security specialist will be able to present you with the relevant options and assist with selecting the appropriate size – remember to get both internal and external dimensions. 

Safes range from large panic room size to very small key safes, suitable for the elderly, which can be installed outside a property to hold a spare key for carer access.

3) Safe Functionality

Finally how would you like the safe to operate? There are a number of options and it is important to choose the correct locking system for your needs.

Key operated safe

Many people like this traditional locking method which doesn’t require the user to remember a code number.

Combination safe

Again combination safes use a more traditional locking method. These suit those who don’t want to look after a key and perhaps aren’t as comfortable with the reliability of more modern electronic locking methods. They are not as readily available these days as digital safes have really taken over.

Digital Safes

These are extremely popular and in my experience electronic digital safes are very reliable.

Fingerprint safes

The latest in safe locking methods. Fingerprint safes open by swiping your finger over the reader. With a fingerprint recognition safe no key or number is required.

These are relatively new on the market and are high security as they limit access by other users. If you have something which you don’t want anyone else to access this is the safe for you!

Additional Safe Features

There are so many options. From internal lighting to bespoke internal and external colours, automatic watch winders and configuration. You can read more about additional features available in luxury safes here.

The best type of safe will depend on the person and the requirements. Always seek advice from a professional security specialist when investing in a safe.

Choose a Safes Installation Specialist Like IKS Locksmiths

If you are going to invest in a safe it is important to choose the best home safe for your specific requirements and have it installed in the most appropriate way in the best location. At IKS Locksmiths we stock a wide range of safes for varying requirements and we also offer a professional installation service in and around North London. We have some excellent offers on safes at present with some safe models at £100+ less than RRP.

IKS are residential and commercial security locksmiths approved by the Master Locksmiths Association. If you are looking for an experienced home security locksmith or a commercial locksmith for safes, locks or security grilles we provide high quality products and high standards of workmanship at extremely competitive prices.  We would be delighted to hear from you.