Safe Buying Tips

Discover which type of safe is best for your needs.

This section of our safe buying guide provides you with no-nonsense pros and cons for each safe type, along with quality advice to ensure you buy a safe that best matches your specific needs.

Select any safe or vault type above for a description and buying tips specifically for that safe type.



IMPORTANT Safe Buying Tips

Check for a thick solid steel door and walls+
Judge a safe by its weight +
Stick with a UL approved lock+
Avoid fireboard or drywall based fire safes+
Consider entry convenience+
Check for relockers+
Consider a custom safe+


Safe Installation Tips

Anchor your safe+
Beware of medium wall gaps+

Burglary Safe Buying Tips

A burglary safe (also known as a strongbox, burglary chest, coffer, freestanding safe, or simply safe) is a freestanding safe that is bolted to the floor. Freestanding safes are the most popular type of safe sold as they are easy to install, can be placed in any location, are roomy, and come in a wide variety of sizes and configurations. A true burglary safe has steel walls thick enough to withstand prolonged attacks from both unskilled and skilled criminals.

View our lineup of high-security Burglary Safes

Pros:

  • Easy to install.
  • Safe contents are very easy to access.
  • Can be placed in conveniently accessible locations.
  • When properly anchored, provides very good protection from attacks.
  • Cons:

  • Harder to conceal than floor or wall safes.
  • Will not protect against fire unless fire protection is specifically stated.
  • IMPORTANT Burglary Safe Buying Tips

    ORGANIZE AND OPTIMIZE +
    Install in an accessible location + +

    Fire Safe Buying Tips

    A fire safe (also known as fireproof safe, composite safe, fire liner safe) is a freestanding safe designed to protect the contents from fire for a rated amount of time.

    Pros:

  • Greatly increases the likelihood the contents will survive a fire.
  • Composite fire/burglary safes provide additional burglary
    protection.
  • Cons:

  • 90% of all fire safes sold provide little to no burglary protection and minimal fire protection.
  • Because of the thick steel and concrete-like casing, composite cladded fire safes are much heavier and generally require professional installation.
  • IMPORTANT Fire Safe Buying Tips

    Do you want burglary protection as well?+
    Carefully consider construction method +
    Consider the weight increase+
    Organize and optimize+
    Install in an accessible location+
    Dehumidify+

    Gun Safe Buying Tips

    A gun safe (also known as a weapon safe) is a freestanding fire and/or burglary safe with an area of the safe configured specifically to house weapons.

    View our line of HD Series Gun Safes

    View our line of Estate Series Gun Safes

    View our most advanced and modular gun safe the Tactical Series

    Pros:

  • Easy to install.
  • When properly anchored, provides very good protection from attacks.
  • Can be placed in conveniently accessible locations.
  • Safe contents are very easy to access.
  • Cons:

  • Harder to conceal than floor or wall safes.
  • IMPORTANT Gun Safe Buying Tips

    Use caution when storing ammunition in your safe +
    Be wary of "special features"+
    Dehumidify+

    Luxury Jewelry Safe Buying Tips

    A luxury safe is a high-grade burglary safe with optional fire protection and extensive upgrades to vastly improve on convenience, appearance, and organization. These highly configurable safes can even include custom jewelry storage with modular drawer insert systems, and watch storage options, including automatic watch-winder panels. Luxury safes commonly offer increased protection levels and come standard with many advanced protection features.

    View our lineup of high-security Luxury Safes >

    Pros:

  • Watch winders keep automatic watches in proper working order
  • Variety of exterior finishes and colors.
  • Higher protection rating options.
  • Loads of added features and available upgrades.
  • Great way to organize and store watches while gaining quick access to all your valuables.
  • Cons:

  • Watch safes are pricier than their standard burglary safe and
    fire safe counterparts
  • IMPORTANT Luxury Jewelry Safe Buying Tips

    ORGANIZE AND OPTIMIZE +
    Look for flexible drawer layouts for your jewelry +
    Install in an accessible location + +
    Allow room for a fully opening door + +
    Position the drawers at a height that best suits you + +

    See our selection available jewelry drawer layouts.

    We can produce custom interior drawer layouts to accommodate any specialty items within your jewelry collection.

    Estate Safe Buying Tips

    Estate safes are a Brown Safe exclusive. These are luxury-grade safes in high-capacity sizes. They are highly customizable and have a wide variety of sizes and interior layouts for the organization of jewelry, weapons, files, etc.

    View our Estate Series of high-security luxury home safes.

    Pros:

  • Same great features as the luxury jewelry safes, but in larger sizes and with more layout options for a diverse range of collections.
  • Highly configurable.
  • Variety of exterior finishes and colors.
  • Higher protection rating option.
  • Loads of added features and available upgrades.
  • Cons:

  • Being larger safes, they are priced higher.
  • The size and weight of estate safes make them difficult to install in upstairs locations.
  • IMPORTANT Estate Safe Buying Tips

    Organize and optimize+
    Consider a second safe for quick access+

    Watch Safe Buying Tips

    Watch safes are designed expressly for the watch enthusiast who requires protection, organization, and convenient storage for their timepieces and other valuables. Quality watch safes are equipped with watch winders to keep automatic watches running in top form. At Brown Safe, we use Orbita® watchwinders exclusively, as they are the recognized leader in advanced watch winding technology. We can accommodate watch collections with both in-drawer units or watch winder panels.

    View our line of MAN SAFE luxury watch safes.

    View our Chronos Series of luxury watch safes

    Pros:

  • Watch winders keep automatic watches in proper working order
  • Variety of exterior finishes and colors.
  • Higher protection rating options.
  • Loads of added features and available upgrades.
  • Great way to organize and store watches while gaining quick access to all your valuables.
  • Cons:

  • Watch safes are pricier than their standard burglary safe and
    fire safe counterparts
  • IMPORTANT Watch Safe Buying Tips

    Organize and optimize+
    Look for flexible drawer layouts for your valuables+
    Install in an accessible location+

    Custom Safe Buying Tips

    Just like the name implies, each custom safe is one of a kind, built to suit the exact requirements of its owner. Brown Safe is one of the few remaining custom safe builders in the world. There are very few limits to what we can build.

    View a few examples of our previously built Custom Safes.

    Pros:

  • Get your safe exactly the way you want it.
  • At Brown Safe it is generally only a marginal price increase to custom build a safe.
  • Cons:

  • Custom sizes do of course cost more, but the price difference is less than most customers expect.
  • Since custom safes are non-standard, a build time of four to six weeks is common.
  • IMPORTANT Custom Safe Buying Tips

    Organize and optimize+
    Leave some space+
    Allow room for a fully opening door+
    Install in an accessible location+

    Vault Door Buying Tips

    A vault door is a large secure door used to create custom-built vaults large enough to allow walk-in access.

    View our lineup of high-security Vault Doors

    Pros:

  • A solid vault provides the highest level of burglary and fire protection.
  • Can be concealed relatively easily.
  • Roomy enough to store just about anything.
  • Custom vault interiors can be made to accommodate a wide range of items.
  • All Brown Safe vault doors include an inner escape device to avoid accidental lock-ins. This also allows the vault to be used as a panic room.
  • Cons:

  • Constructing a vault is a major undertaking, ideally built at the same time a home is being constructed.
  • The cost of building a vault can be quite high.
  • IMPORTANT Vault Door Buying Tips

    Install in an accessible location+
    Consider an additional small safe for quick daily access+
    Check for a thick solid steel door+
    Judge a vault door by its weight+
    Stick with a UL approved lock+
    Avoid fireboard or drywall based fire vault doors+
    Consider entry convenience+
    Check for relockers+
    Consider a custom vault door+


    Common Vault Contruction Types

    Concrete block+
    Poured in place+
    Modular concrete panels+
    Steel construction+


    Tips On Building And Installing A Vault

    Reinforce with rebar+

    It's recommended you use at least ½" diameter carbon steel rebar.

    Vault rooms constructed with concrete block should have rebar placed in every cell vertically and horizontally, then filled solid with concrete.

    Vault rooms made by poured in place construction should have 1-2 curtains of rebar on staggered 8" centers. This will provide a vault with no hole or opening larger than 4".

    Concrete (for poured in place vault rooms)+
    Floor and ceiling+
    Ventilation+
    Door opening+
    Accessories+