!7: Buyers Lock Safes: January 2012

!±8± Lock Snapping - An Alternative to Lock Bumping

This is a means of bypassing a doors security system to gain entry. Lock Snapping doesn't carry the same mystique as Lock Bumping but it is as equally effective.

The principle of lock snapping is an easy one. Apply enough force to the cylinder and it will break across it's weakest point. This is usually accomplished using a pair of mole grips, or a claw hammer, basically anything that can be used the physically grab the cylinder. Obviously Lock snapping leaves much more evidence of a break in than lock bumping, but ultimately the result is the same, an intruder is able to enter your home. In terms of time scale Lock Snapping is equally as quick as Bumping, taking only a few seconds to snap a cylinder.

As lock snapping targets only the cylinder, all the security measures you have on your door such as roller keeps, shoot-bolts, anti lift bars and dead-bolts are rendered ineffective because once the cylinder has been removed the locking mechanism can be operated using a small rod of metal or a screw driver.

Many companies have developed cylinders to combat Lock Bumping but very few have addressed Lock Snapping. Leaving a cylinder open to this exploit is unwise as many potential thieves are aware of the limitations of cylinders currently available on the market, and will exploit this at any and every opportunity.

As home owners we should make our homes resistant to both Bumping and Snapping, failure to combat both of these possible security breeches would be foolhardy as any potential thief could try either of these methods to gain access to your home.

Lock Snapping - An Alternative to Lock Bumping

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!±8± Fireproof Home Safes - 3 Things to Know Before Buying a Fireproof Home Safe

Home safes are meant to protect valuables and precious items from outside intruders. They are often heavy to carry, often over a hundred pounds in weight, securely locked, with some form of lock securing the inside, and often small enough to hide in closets. Clearly, they are well protected from common burglars and thieves. But one thing that owners of home safes often overlook are the internal threats to their valuables. If a fire overtakes a home and burns everything, there is little ordinary home safes can do to protect the goods within them. For that reason, fireproof safes are growing in popularity by the day.

With a protective outer shell to safeguard against the flames, fireproof home safes ensure that everything inside will survive the damage a fire will cause. Thus, while everything outside of the safe, clothes, televisions, and such, may burn to the ground along with a house, contents within a safe which cannot be replaced will not.

Most home safes, be they ones that go into walls or ones that are small and easily hidden, can be bought as fireproof. They cost a little extra, but are well worth the extra investment to guarantee protection for expensive and/or irreplaceable goods.

However - before you decide to purchase a fireproof home safe, be sure you actually need one.

There is no need to overspend on a safe with features and specifications you don't really need. For example. If you intend to place your safe in an already fireproof section of your home, there is no reason to buy a safe that also features that same protection. Additionally, there is no reason to invest in a safe that protects from the flames if you do not intend to use your safe, for whatever reason.

Of course, most people do indeed use their safes to protect costly and important items and do need safety against fire. So it should come as no surprise that most safes priced above the lowest amount possible do indeed protect against the flames. A fire is just as likely as a burglary is, so if you are going to protect against the latter, why not also protect against the former?

One thing to remember before buying a fireproof safe is that they cannot protect valuables against fires occurring WITHIN the safe!

It is not recommended to put flammable materials and/or lighters into a safe ever. You would be quite upset to open your safe, only to find that everything inside had been damaged and destroyed. A safe expert can consult with you on what valuables can and cannot go into a safe. In most cases, all of the important ones will be able to go in.

Lastly, how can you be sure the fireproof home safe you're looking to buy is really fire resistant?

One last important thing to note is that most fireproof home safes undergo UL fire testing. UL fire tests are tests performed on safes by the Underwriters Laboratory, an independent party testing safes against many types of harsh conditions. When a safe passed a UL test it is labeled as "UL Listed". This is the label you want to look for! There is also a second type of label called "Tested to UL Standards". This means the safe has been submitted for testing, but did not necessarily pass the test. Safes subjected to fire tests by the "Underwriters Laboratory" are tested for either 1/2, 1 or 2 hours. When all documents inside a safe remain completely undamaged during these time frames, the safe receives a UL classification accordingly. The higher the classification, the longer a safe is proven to protect the contents of the safe against fire.

The bottom-line is that when it comes to protecting your valuables, all possibilities should be thought of. Losing an item through a fire or through another persons intrusion results in the same ending. And while fireproof home safes may cost a little more, there is never any harm in spending a little extra now to feel more secure later.