Buying a gun safe is a big purchase and a lifetime investment. Therefore, you have to do your research before making the deal. Different models and types of safes are available in the market. Therefore, users may easily get confused when purchasing one. Here are the five most wanted features you must look for while buying a gun safe.
- UL tested locks
The lock is the most important part of a gun safe. Therefore, no compromise must be made while choosing locks. Choose a reliable one that will help you to resist thieves. Go for UL-tested and listed locks if you want the best. UL stands for the Underwriters Laboratories that will be testing and certifying the locks. The organization is in the industry for over a century now and they have now become the golden standard of reliability and safety testing. UL-certified locks will be meeting their requirements and will perform their duties under pressure. Therefore, look for the UL approval seal while selecting locks. It will be an added safety if you can get an internal hard plate curb drill attack.
- Relockers
Even if you have a quality lock, a smart thief may break it with determination. Therefore, consider relockers. They are dependable in situations where your locks fail. If your lock is defeated, the relocker will enter and lock the safe again. Thus, the thieves cannot disengage bolts or bars even after removing the lock completely. Gun safe relockers are of two types – internal and external relockers. It is good to choose a lock that has both. Do not go for a safe without any relocker.
- Multi-directional protection
Choosing basic gun-safe designs will provide you with only locking bars or bolts on the door’s sides opposite to the safe’s hinges. Thus, if the thief is successful in invading the door that comes after those bars or bolts, the safe can be opened. Advanced safe designs come with bolts on both top and bottom to offer more protection against attacks. Some designs also have bolts on the side of the hinge to protect that side too. If there are more sides with bars or bolts, your safe will have extra protection.
- Fireboard
People use gun safes not only to protect their valuables from thieves but also from emergencies like fire. This is mostly done by the proper installation of fireboard layers on the door, ceiling, walls, and floor of the safe. The safe with more layers offers longer protection against fire. However, unlike UL-approved locks, there is no rating or certification for fire protection. Therefore, some companies falsely claim more fire ratings. Therefore, check for the layers of the fireboard rather than just checking fire ratings.
- Versatile interior
The quality of the safe is not just measured by the way it holds your assets. The usability of the safe is also a criterion to determine quality. As you may have many things to store, the interior of your safe must be able to hold it all. It is good to choose a safe that has an adjustable interior. It will help you to adjust your interior according to your needs.