Security Safes For the Home - Home Safe Reviews

Find the perfect home security safe for your needs!

If you are considering whether to invest in one or several security safes for the home, picture this scenario: it’s Saturday evening. The kids are gone for the weekend and you are going out on a “date night” with your significant other at a fancy restaurant. This is a special occasion - you are dressed to the nines - so you reach in your secret hiding place for your expensive watch. “What the…”

It’s gone.

Stolen. No doubt about it - thieves know all the typical places people hide valuables. Don’t let this happen. Invest in a quality security safe for the home.

Here are things to consider when buying security safes for the home:

1. What level of Protection Are You Looking For?

Your new home security safe should be credited by Underwriters Laboratories (Underwriters Laboratories® has been doing product safety certification since 1894!) Safes are rated as fire resistant or burglar resistant. Some are rated as both:

Fire Resistant

Fire resistant home security safes carry different certifications depending on how they perform in heat and fire tests. The safe is placed in a burn chamber and then heated to anywhere from 1350 to 2250 degrees (F).

Class C safes protect paper for up to 1 hour at up to 1700 degrees (F).

Class B is up to 2 hours at up to 1850 degrees (F).

Class A protects paper for up to 4 hours at 2000 degrees (F).

The time limit indicates how long the safe will last in the fire before the inside temperature reaches 350 degrees (F) which is the burning temperature of paper. 

Burglary Resistant

Burglary resistant home security safes are rated on how hard it would be to break into the safe by a thief. Using common tools, experienced locksmiths test how long it takes them to open a safe.

Security safes for the home are commonly rated to a 15 minute time. On paper that does not seem very long but the average thief stays in a home for only 6 minutes. They count on a quick score and many will not even bother if valuables are in a safe. They will just move on to another house.

When looking at burglary resistant security safes for the home check the class rating system. Safes are rated 1 to 5 depending on door and wall thickness and resistance to attack.

2. Choose The Correct Locking Mechanism

You can choose manual or electronic locking mechanisms for your security safe for the home:

Manual Locking

Manual (also known as tumbler) locks are the familiar-looking traditional safe mechanism. Most are of high quality and easy to turn. They are not as fast as more modern electronic locks. For some people they are difficult to align properly. Also, for older customers, sometimes it is difficult to read the markings.

Electronic Locking

The majority of safes sold today have electronic locks. The keypad makes entering the combination extremely fast. But be careful-if you enter the wrong combination several times it will lock you out for a certain period of time (commonly 15 to 20 minutes). The large numbers make it easy to read for older consumers or anyone with poor eyesight.

The power comes from 9-volt batteries so you will have to check that there are fresh batteries - the safe itself will tell you if the battery is running low.

You can change the combination on an electronic lock at any time. This is an advantage over many tumbler locks which need a locksmith to change the combination.

3. How much do security safes for the home cost?

Let’s look at electronic lock safes as a gauge: you can get .5 to 1.0 cubic feet (1-hour rated) safes for roughly $250- $450. A bigger model in the 2.0 cubic foot range runs $650-$1150.

The prices jump a little for 2 hour rated safes, about $500-900 for a cubic foot.

Home Safe Reviews:  Here are our Top 3 Security Safes For The Home That Are Under $400...

After numerous home safe reviews and research our team of professionals identified the best security safes for the home that can fit into anyone's budget.

SentrySafe X105 1.0 Cubic Feet Security Safe
* Our pick for best home security safe under $100

The SentrySafe X105 designed to provide practical and secure storage. The features include an electronic lock, pry-resistant construction, live-locking bolts and a carpeted interior. The bolt down capability is a real plus in helping this small safe protect your valuables from an opportunistic thief.

Click Here For Our Full Home Safe Review...

Purchase This Safe On Amazon!

SentrySafe DS3410 Fire Safe - 1.2 Cubic Foot Combination Safe
* Our pick for best home security safe under $200

No matter what you are looking to protect, you will have plenty of confidence in the SentrySafe DS3410 knowing your items are secure. This safe offers 4 live locking bolts and a 3-number clicking dial combination tubular key lock. This safe also comes with one hour of UL classified and ETL verified fire protection. Plus there is a $15,000 guarantee that your valuables are safe even in the occurrence of a fire.

Click Here For Our Full Home Safe Review...

Purchase This Safe On Amazon!

First Alert 2096DF 2.14 Cubic Foot Waterproof Fire Safe with Digital Lock 
* Our pick for best home security safe under $400

The First Alert 2096DF offers a complete security solution for the top 3 hazards you can encounter. These include flood, fire and theft. This safe was created with solid composite construction and a water tight seal that prevents water from creeping in no matter what the disaster. This safe will float if not bolted down but is also completely watertight if fully submerged.

The safe has a 1 hour UL classified fire rating meaning it can withstand an external temperature of 1700 degrees F while having an internal temperature of less than 350 degrees. Tests have also been ran to verify protection of discs, memory sticks, external hard drives, documents, electronics and other valuables.

Click Here For Our Full Home Safe Review...

Purchase This Safe On Amazon!

The home safe reviews above feature our top selections for security safes for the home under $500. After scouring the internet we found that Amazon featured the lowest prices on these safes and many other popular models. With their low prices, ease of ordering and fast shipping Amazon is the best place to purchase home security safes online.