Home Safes
SentrySafe Fireproof Safe Review: Months of Use in a Hall Closet
A retired claims adjuster on the SentrySafe 1-hour fireproof digital keypad safe after two years in a hall closet.
Practical notes from a retired homeowners-insurance claims adjuster on the one-hour fire rating, the bolted-down floor plate, and the paperwork you will wish you had saved.
A retired claims adjuster on the SentrySafe 1-hour fireproof digital keypad safe after two years in a hall closet.
After 25 years of claims work, I can tell you the difference between a safe and a box that just looks like one.
Ten practical reasons a fireproof home safe earns its floor space, from a retired claims adjuster who has seen what fires and burglars leave behind.
Practical notes from a retired homeowners-insurance claims adjuster on the one-hour fire rating, the bolted-down floor plate, and the paperwork you will wish you had saved.
Five steps from a retired claims adjuster who has seen what survives a house fire and what does not.
What a retired claims adjuster actually thinks about the SentrySafe 1-hour fireproof digital keypad safe after two years of daily use, including what the marketing does not tell you.
Practical notes from a retired homeowners-insurance claims adjuster after months of keeping a grab-and-go copy kit in an Andyer fireproof document bag.
A retired claims adjuster compares the Andyer fireproof document bag against the metal lockbox she kept for years, and explains which one actually protects your papers.
After 25 years as a homeowners-insurance claims adjuster, I can tell you exactly which papers survive a house fire. Hint: folders are not on the list.
A retired claims adjuster on what actually survives a house fire, and why a cheap fireproof bag earns its place next to a bolted-down safe.
A retired claims adjuster's step-by-step system for keeping the paperwork that matters most in one grab-and-go place.
After 25 years of walking through burned and burglarized homes, I have opinions about where people keep their paperwork. This is the honest version of my Andyer bag review.
Eight months with a Grimtron biometric safe in a bedroom closet, from a retired claims adjuster who has seen what survives a break-in and what does not.
A retired claims adjuster compares the Grimtron biometric safe with the keypad safe she has used for two years. Speed, reliability, fire protection, and which one fits your home.
Ten practical reasons a fingerprint safe earns its spot in a normal house, from a retired claims adjuster who has seen what actually gets lost.
One retired claims adjuster's story about the night a fingerprint reader beat a keypad.
Five steps to make a fingerprint safe fast enough that you will actually lock it, from a retired claims adjuster who has seen what happens when people do not.
Eight months with the Grimtron biometric safe: what a retired claims adjuster learned about fingerprint locks, 20 lb safes, and the difference between a theft deterrent and a fire safe.
Six months after Ray set the Paragon Lock & Safe in-wall safe between the studs of our bedroom closet, here is what I would tell a policyholder who is thinking about doing the same.
A retired claims adjuster compares the Paragon Lock & Safe in-wall keypad safe against a freestanding safe, and explains where burglars actually look.
Practical notes from a retired homeowners-insurance claims adjuster on why the wall beats the sock drawer.
Practical notes from a retired homeowners-insurance claims adjuster.
Practical notes from a retired homeowners-insurance claims adjuster on choosing a hiding spot, installing the safe, and what to actually keep inside.
What 25 years of claims files taught me about in-wall safes, and what I learned installing the Paragon in my own closet.
Months of hotel stays, road trips, and one long visit to my daughter's apartment. Here is what the Master Lock Travel Safe got right, what it did not, and where I still would not trust it.
Which do you trust with your passport: a safe you carry or a safe the hotel controls? Notes from a retired claims adjuster who tested both on the same trip.
Twenty-five years as a claims adjuster taught me where valuables actually go missing. A cabled travel safe answers most of those places.
Practical notes from a retired homeowners-insurance claims adjuster on keeping passports, cash, and jewelry safe in hotels and the car.
Twenty-five years of claims taught me where hotel valuables actually go missing. Here is the five-step routine I now use, with a Master Lock travel safe as the anchor.
An honest, adjuster's-eye review of the Master Lock travel safe: what the cable actually does, where to anchor it, and the tradeoffs the listing photos skip.
A retired claims adjuster on the SentrySafe 1-hour fireproof digital keypad safe after two years in a hall closet.
What a retired claims adjuster actually thinks about the SentrySafe 1-hour fireproof digital keypad safe after two years of daily use, including what the marketing does not tell you.
Practical notes from a retired homeowners-insurance claims adjuster after months of keeping a grab-and-go copy kit in an Andyer fireproof document bag.
After 25 years of walking through burned and burglarized homes, I have opinions about where people keep their paperwork. This is the honest version of my Andyer bag review.
Eight months with a Grimtron biometric safe in a bedroom closet, from a retired claims adjuster who has seen what survives a break-in and what does not.
Eight months with the Grimtron biometric safe: what a retired claims adjuster learned about fingerprint locks, 20 lb safes, and the difference between a theft deterrent and a fire safe.
Six months after Ray set the Paragon Lock & Safe in-wall safe between the studs of our bedroom closet, here is what I would tell a policyholder who is thinking about doing the same.
What 25 years of claims files taught me about in-wall safes, and what I learned installing the Paragon in my own closet.
Months of hotel stays, road trips, and one long visit to my daughter's apartment. Here is what the Master Lock Travel Safe got right, what it did not, and where I still would not trust it.
An honest, adjuster's-eye review of the Master Lock travel safe: what the cable actually does, where to anchor it, and the tradeoffs the listing photos skip.