41–50 of 122 posts
It's a cool robot, but auto-dialers are a known tool in safecracking. Additionally, the safe in question seems to be a SentrySafe SF082CS, which caries NO security rating from UL. The lowest test rating, RSC, only requires the safe survive a 5 minute attack with hand tools.
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It is designed to trick people into building robots to open it? :-) More seriously though, I consulted a friend and neighbor when buying a safe for my home. This person who owns a locksmith shop and is a registered locksmith (and has been for > 20 years) asked me to look up the median response time of the police to my address. Since I live near the police station it was fairly small. He said you only need a safe that…
You bought a TL-15 safe for your home? Where did you place it? Even the smaller TL-15 safes weigh hundreds of pounds and require some logistics to place. They are very impractical for most apartment dweller types, or even some high-density, old-construction flats because of their weight.
I've seen a TL-15 safe that came as 6 separate modular pieces (i.e., 5 walls and the door each weighing about 100-150 pounds) that you bolted together, internally, with about 50-60 heavy bolts. It was specifically intended for condos, high rise offices, etc., so you could easily transport each piece on a hand cart or dolly, then assemble in place. It was a beautiful design, but no longer manufactured as far as I can tell.
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This leads me to believe that if I am renting an apartment, I am SOL.
> if I am renting an apartment, I am SOL Not at all! If you're renting in a high-rise building, the floors will be concrete below the laminate or hardwood. A good safe will have either 4 holes or 1 center hole in the base to allow you to anchor it to the floor. Use a concrete drill bit to drill a hole in your apartment floor in a discreet area, like in a closet or laundry room. If you can borrow a hammer drill it'll…
Somebody dumb enough to leave a key to their house right next to their house in a city like SF deserves to get burglarized.
Gotta love this attitude, which is widely shared by Bay Area media and law enforcement. - "You shouldn't have parked there. " - "You shouldn't have left anything visible in your vehicle." - "You shouldn't have left anything in visible in the trunk, either." As for "key right next to house" how else do you propose letting agents show your property to prospective buyers or tenants? In SF, property crimes don't matter.…
Give the letting agent a key to hold on to? Use an electronic keypad lock? Perhaps in your specific situation those are not feasible, but it’s not like there aren’t alternatives.
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- "You shouldn't have been driving a car without bullet proof glass" Yeah, this attitude in the Bay Area has also befuddled me too. Its the victims fault.
Bear in mind that local governments view property crime as a form of economic stimulus. You'll be spending money to replace the stolen items, presumably some of that locally, and on repairs, presumably all locally. Meanwhile, whatever money the criminals get back in selling the stolen items (and subsequent profits by their fences) will also presumably be spent locally.
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How do I find a UL-security-rated safe? Does it matter if I don't bolt it to the floor?
> Does it matter if I don't bolt it to the floor? It depends on the type of safe. I'm not a locksmith, but I have researched this, and this is how I understand it. There are "security" safes (aka "burglar" safes), and "fireproof" safes. A security safe should be bolted to the floor, to stop the bad guys ripping it out. It comes with pre-drilled holes for that purpose. However, a fireproof safe should not have any thr…
I know that a lot of people don't appreciate advice though, but still if this relative respects you they should listen.
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Depends on where you are. UL ratings are used in north america. There are similar EU ratings that I dont recall of hand. TL ratings are for theft/entry resistance. There are other modifiers for fire, water, chemical, etc resistance. Unrated "safes", and even some that are said to be rated, are junk. In NA you want to get in touch with a local safe dealer/specialist. Most of their business is commercial, and they are…
This leads me to believe that if I am renting an apartment, I am SOL.
Edit: in an appartment building check your floor loading. A little jewelry/document safe is probably fine. Big get very heavy very quick on a relatively small surface area.
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Depends on where you are. UL ratings are used in north america. There are similar EU ratings that I dont recall of hand. TL ratings are for theft/entry resistance. There are other modifiers for fire, water, chemical, etc resistance. Unrated "safes", and even some that are said to be rated, are junk. In NA you want to get in touch with a local safe dealer/specialist. Most of their business is commercial, and they are…
Would fast and heavy internal gyros be a feasible alternative to bolting? I'm thinking that if the safe cannot be reoriented across all three axis, it'll be very hard to move.
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- "You shouldn't have been driving a car without bullet proof glass" Yeah, this attitude in the Bay Area has also befuddled me too. Its the victims fault.
Bear in mind that local governments view property crime as a form of economic stimulus. You'll be spending money to replace the stolen items, presumably some of that locally, and on repairs, presumably all locally. Meanwhile, whatever money the criminals get back in selling the stolen items (and subsequent profits by their fences) will also presumably be spent locally.
So many people in SF leave their house keys in those 3 digit combination locks for Wag dog walkers. Something like this could crack that in seconds.
A typical front door lock is considerably easier to defeat than the mechanism on one of these safes. Many can be opened in seconds with a bump key or other pick tools.