Safes, Vaults & Security

CelticKnot, my safe looks exactly like yours except mine has a few long guns in it. I bought some roll LED strip lights and a transformer from Amazon and put them just inside, facing rearward top and bottom and both sides. The inside of my safe is carpet over drywall, so I used very short, very coarse thread screws to secure the lights. I rigged up a little lever switch from Radio Shack to turn them on when I open the door.

I'm not just bragging when I say it looks awesome. Like the pics you see in a high end safe catalog. I wanted a setup that put a smile on my face every time I opened my safe, and I am thrilled.

Micah,

Is there a good method for figuring out how heavy a safe the floors in my home can support? It is a newer construction house built within the past 10 years. I just don't want to crack the joists if I get one that is too large.

Thanks

@B2tB, those Liberty safes are really sweet and have a great rep, but they're pricey. Personally I think that safe would be great for a coin collection if you can afford it. At almost 1200 pounds, that thing's not going anywhere without a team of gorillas, especially when it's loaded with metal (and bolted down). I had considered one when I bought mine, but I got a very good deal on a quality safe that didn't have all the bells and whistles of a Liberty.

@SilverEye, I like your lighting solution. For mine, I used strip LED lighting (from a company called PPA International) with self-adhesive backing and a slim remote. I kinda wanted your setup where it automatically goes on/off with the position of the door but I had already bought this lighting kit for down-lighting on my kitchen cabinets, so the remote thing is fine. I just keep the remote in one of the handgun pockets on the inside of the door for quick access. I opted to not use the strips in the kitchen because I wanted more of a spot effect on the countertops. Turns out the LED strips worked awesomely for the safe! Like you, I'm VERY pleased with the look of the safe when it's lit up. No poking around for a flashlight or missing something tucked in the back. The lighting kit I have does all kinds of colors and flash/fade like limousine lighting, but I obviously opt for bright solid white. :)

edit: typos; clarity. Darn vino.

My wife and I purchased a safe a few years back we already had a small one but the amount of junk we wanted to put in it just in-case was growing to the point where there was no room left.
I suspect I bought the wrong safe after reading this post as I went based solely on the one with the highest fire rating. It was primarily a gun safe.
I did however get it bolted to the slab as the guy in the shop showed me just how easy it was to use a pry bar and a pallet jack to move just about any safe. I also put it in a closet and had to remove the door frame to get it in then I built it onto the wall with shelving.
My theory being it just has to last the 8 to eleven minutes it takes LE to get to the house assuming my neighbor who is a cop is not home. I suspect it would not stop a true professional but then not much would but it should deter the average intelligent opportunist. The dumb ones assuming they get past the dog and manage to avoid having themselves and their vehicle recorded by the surveillance system which logs to an ip address not a dvr will probably not have the time to get at the contents of the safe before some one shows up.
So the safe is not protection I look at it as part of the complete delaying system that makes breaking in just not worth the effort. it might not be true but its how I justify going with the cheaper option. Besides which other than paperwork and a few thousand rounds of ammunition there is nothing worth taking in the safe all my valuables are in a safety deposit box which might not be the securest possible place for them but I suspect less safety deposit boxes get broken into than homes.

I am really amazed with the digital safe I got. It has unique attributes such as fire security alarm, climate control indicator, user friendly keypad and much more. I used to keep valuables and gun in it.

What is your opinion on the Comsafe brand?

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