There’s no underestimating the power of peace of mind. If part of sleeping well at night is knowing that all your belongings are locked away and protected, that’s totally understandable. To help you feel a sense of safety in your own home, we researched the best home safes you can buy to help you rest easy knowing your passport, jewelry, and other cherished belongings aren’t going anywhere.
What to look for in a home safe
Home safes offer a deceptive range of features—so when you’re thinking about investing in one, it pays to sit down and think about what you actually want. For example, do you live in a climate that’s prone to fires or flooding? If so, make sure that weather-proofing is part of your safe criteria. Before you buy, here are a few key things to consider:
- How heavy-duty do you want your safe to be? Do you want it to weigh a lot, so it’s hard to steal, or do you want it to be light so you can travel with it?
- What kind of lock do you want to deal with? Safes come with everything from simple key locks to biometric locks that open to your eye or fingerprint.
- How much space do I need inside my safe? If you’re only hoping to store a few things, then there’s no need to go out and buy a dog-sized safe, right?
- Do I want the safe to attach to the wall? While some safes are designed to slip easily into drawers, others will bolt into the wall or the floor for added protection. Decide what makes sense for you and how much installation you really want to tackle.
The 4 best fire-proof safes
At 15.5 inches wide, this roomy and stylish safe is the perfect size for stashing your valuables and irreplaceable documents. It offers one hour of fire protection at 1700°F as well as water protection, so you can rest easy knowing that your belongings are protected no matter what life throws at you (or your home).
When the safe arrives, you’ll just need to install a few AA batteries, choose a six-digit code, and bust out a power drill to mount it if you like. “The fact that you can bolt it down is really important to me,” says senior editor Jamie Thilman. “I’ve read that the average burglary lasts less than 10 minutes, so this isn’t going anywhere now that it’s secured to the floor. Truthfully, though, I’m more concerned about losing things in a fire that I wouldn’t be able to replace.”
Firecube weighs 55 pounds and the door closes with a satisfying thud, but it’s small enough to fit easily inside a closet or pantry, atop your desk, or on a shelf. While this option has pretty spotless reviews, take note that it doesn’t offer backup key.
If you’re on the market for a safe with a simple key lock, this is a great option. This baby can withstand half an hour at 1550°F and 72 hours of water submersion. At 12.8 inches wide by 8.5 inches deep by 4.4 inches high, it’s great for hiding away cash, passports, and other important documents; however, its flat shape isn’t ideal for protecting things that are more vertical in shape. So keep that in mind.
No matter what size safe you need, the alloy steel-crafted SentrySafe has your back. You can order five different sizes ranging from 9.6 inches to 19.6 inches in height. It will also protect your belongings at temperatures up to 1700°F for one hour and 24 hours of protection in water. The triple-A batteries that power this unit will last up to ten years, so you can set it and forget it for a decade. Some reviewers note that SentrySafe doesn’t offer the best customer service, so bear that in mind if it’s important for you to have in-person help as you’re setting things up.
Another flood and fire safe option, this SentrySafe is fireproof safe for one hour at 1700°F and waterproof 5 inches up to 24 hours. A reinforced, steel door will keep everything inside nice and secure, and the 14-inch depth offers plenty of room for storing all kinds of things—from home videos to cash to jewelry.
You’ll need a dial combination and a dual key to shut and open this, so if you’re not into two-step security, it’s better to pick another option.
The 6 best small safes for home
This little but strong safe weighs in at just over 11 pounds and provides about nine inches of internal storage space. As the description notes, this safe slides easily inside of a drawer—so you can slip it beneath your socks and never think twice about it. Note that you’ll need to buy batteries separately and set the code when your unit arrives.