Purchasing a safe is major decision and shouldn't be taken lightly. The first thing you need to do is to choose a reputable manufacturer that has a proven track record for making a strong and reliable product. There are many such companies in existence today, but one that I really like is Sentry Safe. They are a family owned company that has been around since the 1930's. They are globally recognized, but still operate out of their hometown of Rochester, NY.
Choosing a good company is the first step, the next question to ask yourself is what type of safe do you need? There are a variety of different types of safes on the market today, many of them very similar. But there are differences that set them apart to serve a certain purpose. Let's take a look at the different types of safes available and what sets them apart.
Home Safes - Sentry Safe makes many different types of home safes, ranging from small chests to safes that mount in the wall to a basic safe that sits on the floor. The largest home safe is usually only about 3 feet tall and maybe a couple of feet wide. They may have a shelf or two, sometimes a file. They are perfect for keeping important paperwork and valuables safe.
Business Safes - a large home safe can often serve for a business safe, but sometimes special features are needed, such as a deposit slot. This allows employees to drop the end of the day cash into the safe, but they have no way to actually access the contents. For the office, you can also get special file safes. Your files go in them just like a regular file cabinet, and besides being locked, they are also fire resistant, very important if you have critical files to protect.
Gun Safes - sure, you can keep a hand gun in any type of Sentry safe, but if you have a large gun collection or just a few rifles, then a special gun safe is necessary. These safes are much larger and heavier, and can hold multiple long guns. The inside is specially designed for this purpose with special gun racks, maybe a top shelf for ammo and other items you want to protect, and some even have special door accessories that allow you to hang various items on the inside of the door. This allows for optimal use of space. Another type of gun safe is a lot smaller and is designed specifically to hold a hand gun. Some will mount on the underside of a desk. Many of these are biometric, meaning that they are opened using your hand print. Very handy for you to have quick access while keeping others out.
Data and Document Security -this is a newer type of safe on the market that has come on with the advent of the computer age. These are very important considering many of us keep important files, and back up files, on external hard drives and flash drives. Most media is damaged at a lower heat than paper, so often a regular safe will not protect digital media in a hot fire. Special data security safes have fire rating to keep them safe. Sentry safe was the first company to develop a fire resistant hard drive. This is really handy because you don't have to remember to lock up your media in the safe, you can set it next to computer for regular use, yet still feel confident that if a fire did occur, your files are safe.
In determining what type of a Sentry safe will work best for you, you just need to consider what you want to protect, and then go from there. Now that you know the basic differences in types of safes offered by Sentry Safe, at least that part of your decision will be easier.
