Choosing the Right Safe: Fire, Burglary, Cash Drop, and Lock Types Explained

When customers ask us what they need to know about choosing the right safe, they often picture a single box that does everything: protects cash, jewelry, documents, and survives a house fire. The truth is no single safe does it all perfectly. Pick the wrong type and you’re gambling with your most valuable items. In this guide, we’ll break down fire safes, burglary safes, and cash-drop safes. We will address what each type designed to do, and why using one for the wrong job can cost you thousands. Then we’ll compare mechanical dial locks versus electronic keypad locks, with hard data on why the old-school dial still wins for long-term reliability.

Part 1: The Three Main Safe Categories

Fire Safes – Built to Beat Heat, Not Hammers

Primary Mission: Keep paper, photos, and some digital media below ignition temperature during a fire.

• Construction: Thin steel walls (often 14–16 gauge) filled with gypsum-based fire insulation. Total weight: 50–150 lbs for home models.
• Fire Rating Examples:
  • UL 350 1-hour: interior <350 °F while exterior hits 1,700 °F.
  • ETL 2-hour or Japanese JIS 2-hour ratings are common on imported “fire chests.”
  • Burglary Resistance: Minimal. A cordless angle grinder cuts the body in under 2 minutes; pry bars pop cheap doors in seconds.

Real-World Risk:
We see homeowners stuffing upwards of $20,000 in cash and heirloom jewelry into a $150 big-box fire safe. A burglar walks off with the entire 60-lb box in 30 seconds, cracks it in the garage with a Sawzall, a circular saw with a metal cutting wheel/blade, or just a pry bar and a bit of muscle, and your “fireproof” safe becomes a gift box. These tools can also be used while the burglar is in your house. It only takes 15 minutes or less.

Burglary Safes – Built to Stop Thieves, Not Flames

Primary Mission: Delay or defeat physical attack (pry, drill, torch, impact).

Construction: Thick steel body (¼”–½” plate) + composite fill (concrete-amalgam). TL-rated models have hardened drill-resistant plates around the lock and relockers.

Burglary Ratings (Underwriters Laboratories):

• RSC (Residential Security Container): withstands 5 minutes of forced entry with common hand tools.
• TL-15 – 15: minutes against sophisticated tools (drills, saws, torches).
• TL-30 – 30: minutes.
• TRTL-60X – 60: minutes including torch & tools.
• Fire Protection: Usually 20–30 minutes incidental insulation—*not* a substitute for a true fire safe.

Real-World Risk:
Business owners store irreplaceable contracts and bearer bonds in a TL-15 burglary safe. A fire will char the paper at 451 °F long before the safe’s walls fail. Result: $100,000 in legal documents reduced to ash inside an intact steel box. Not to mention any cash or other valuables.

Cash-Drop (Depository) Safes – Built for Daily Cash Flow

Primary Mission: Let employees deposit cash/checks without giving them access to the main compartment.

• Construction: Heavy-duty burglary-rated body + a one-way hopper or rotary drum. B-rated (¼” body, ½” door) is common; higher TL ratings available.
• Fire Rating: Usually none—focus is attack resistance.
• Use Case: Retail stores, restaurants, gas stations.

Part 2: Mechanical Dial vs. Electronic Keypad Locks

The lock is the brain of your safe. A failed lock equals a $300–$800 service call. The total price depends on the actual problem and if drilling the safe open is required. Drilling means the holes require repair, and the lock replaced. In some cases repainting the door is necessary to conceal the breach. Cheaper box store fire safes usually have no replacement parts options. The safe is opened using a destructive method and will require full safe replacement. Choosing the right safe also includes choosing the right lock for the safe.

Mechanical Dial Locks (Group 2 or Group 1 UL)

How they work: Purely mechanical wheels and levers. No batteries, no circuit boards.

Mechanical Safe Lock Advantages:

• Lifespan: 40+ years with basic maintenance. S&G 6700/8500 series still in service from the 1970s. ApexAccess Safesmiths have serviced mechanical safe locks that were still working well dating back to the 1800’s.
• Failure Mode: Wear is gradual; a locksmith can service or replace parts for $150–$350. (The actual price depends on location and the locksmith shop’s hourly rate. Avoid shops who “flat-rate” safe work. You may be paying for services not actually performed, or the actual problem may not resolved properly.)
• EMP / Power Outage Proof: Zero electronics.
• User Error: Learning curve, but muscle memory locks in after 10–15 openings.
• Downsides: Slower to open (20–40 seconds); kids and elderly sometimes struggle. (Mechanical safe locks often have dial and ring options that can help to ease the dialing process. These use a higher contrast paint design that is easier to see even in lower lighting conditions.)

Electronic Keypad Locks (AmSec, LaGard, SecuRam, etc.)

How they work: Battery-powered solenoid controls the lock bolt, or simply moves a small locking piece from preventing the safe’s handle from operating the door bolts. The lock typically uses a 6-digit user code + optional manager code (Manager codes are only available on higher priced electronic safe locks).

Electronic Safe Lock Advantages:

• Speed: 6–8 seconds to enter code.
• Multiple Users: Add/delete codes without calling a Safesmith for a combination change.
• Audit Trail: Some models log last 100 openings. (Not a common feature except for certain high priced and/or network enabled safe locks. These are common in large nationwide business chains.)

Electronic Safe Lock Reliability Red Flags:

• Battery Failure: 80% of service calls we get are dead batteries or corroded contacts.
• Circuit Board Failure: Average lifespan 5–8 years in humid environments; capacitor plague common.
• Lockout After 3–5 Wrong Codes: Frustrates staff; requires manager override or locksmith.
• EMP Vulnerability: Unshielded electronics can fry in strong electromagnetic pulse.

Field Data (our shop, 1990–2025)

• Mechanical dials: <2 % required service in about 10 years. We also typically check the lock when performing a combo change and address any wear and tear issues. Most of the time, the lock is working fine and as expected. A cleaning and re-lubrication of the lock parts is helpful after 5 years if the lock and safe is located in a high dirt or grime location.
• Electronic locks: 18+ % required service (usually replacement) by year 7 (keypad damage, battery, keypad ribbon, power cable).

The Takeaway – Choosing the Right Safe

Big-box stores sell $200 “fireproof & burglarproof” safes with electronic locks. They look good and appear “strong enough”, but you get what you pay for. Our opinion is that these cheaper safes advertise quick and easy security, but we think it is false advertising at best.

Fire safes, and not the cheap versions are OK as long as they are rated 1 – 2 hours in an actual fire. Fire temperatures are extremely high.

Spend $800–$1,800 on a **real TL-15 composite safe** (¼” steel + 1-hour fire) with a **mechanical dial**, and you’ll sleep better for the next 30 years.

1. Match the safe to the threat. Fire safes for heat; burglary safes for thieves; drop safes for cash flow.
2. Never trust a $150 “fire & burglary” box with anything you can’t afford to lose.
3. Mechanical dials outlast electronic keypads 5:1 in real-world use. Pay extra at purchase; save about $600 in service calls later.

Call ApexAccess today if you have a safe that you have some questions about its rating and your use of it. The article above describes the majority concerns, but we are available for specific concerns or questions. We have also written a separate article about trouble shooting your troublesome safe that may be helpful. We service safes on a regular basis, and we unlock safes whose combination has stopped working. We have been doing so since 1990.