#251646 - 10/10/12 10:12 PM
Re: Fire Safes with Electronic Locks: NO
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 04/01/10
Posts: 1629
Loc: Northern California
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My safes and locks are for keeping children and honest people out. I expect a dedicated thief can get into anything in my price range. I plan accordingly. I make it so my life won't be turned upside down if whatever is in the safe is suddenly gone. Redundancy, not everything goes in one spot. Again, I use mechanical safes and locks only.
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#251658 - 10/11/12 03:55 AM
Re: Fire Safes with Electronic Locks: NO
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Enthusiast
Registered: 11/19/09
Posts: 295
Loc: New Jersey
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I had an electronic safe once, it did come with emergency access keys. One day I needed to get into it in a hurry and, of course, the batteries were dead. In my panic I could not remember where I had hidden the emergency keys. Two quick smacks with a hammer and I was right inside. So much for security.
As much as I'd like the convenience and speed, I'm sticking with old-school key or combination locking safes for now on. I'd rather invest my money on security than fancy technology that is likely to fail again at a critical moment.
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#251668 - 10/11/12 06:13 PM
Re: Fire Safes with Electronic Locks: NO
[Re: Paul810]
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Enthusiast
Registered: 03/28/06
Posts: 358
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Just like there are high end combination locks, there are also high end electronic locks. If you're buying a 'safe' from a typical big box store, you're getting neither.
We've got some high-end TL rated safes, and they're a totally different animal from most of the consumer garbage out there. In these security rated safes you can get high end S&G electronic locks, or even KABA locks, which are electronic, yet require no batteries.
On the high end, electronic locks can do things mechanical locks can't. You can set time delays (so the safe will only open during business hours, even if you have the code), you can track dates and times the safe was opened (as well as who it was opened by if you give them an individual code), you can set it to lock out after a certain number of failed attempts, you can set it for dual mode (essentially requiring two people to open it), etc.
Basically, depending on what your needs are, electronic locks can do things mechanical locks can't even dream of.
With that in mind, if you're buying a cheap firebox or even a rated RSC for your home, you're probably better off with a mechanical dial lock. Even the low-end ones are relatively simple and robust, whereas low end electronic locks often aren't. Paul hit the nail on the head. On the cheap end, mechanical locks are probably more reliable than a cheap electronic locks, mostly due to their simplicity. But when you get to the high end locks, electronic locks offer many advantages that mechanical locks can't. If you walk into any bank or extremely secure facility, you probably won't see too many mechanical dial locks. Mechanical locks also require regular servicing to stay reliable, depending on how often it's used and in what conditions. There are advantages to each, and it's a good idea to have one of each type. Electronic for everyday quick access, and mechanical dial lock for long term infrequent access.
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#251671 - 10/11/12 07:07 PM
Re: Fire Safes with Electronic Locks: NO
[Re: ducktapeguy]
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Veteran
Registered: 03/02/03
Posts: 1428
Loc: NJ, USA
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If you walk into any bank or extremely secure facility, you probably won't see too many mechanical dial locks. When I was talking to a safe installer years ago, he was telling me about how the mechanical high security dial locks used in government facilities are actually designed to be shielded from radiation. When I asked him why, he said that, apparently, someone discovered a portable X-RAY machine can make figuring out a mechanical combination pretty easy. This was one of the driving forces behind a shift to electronic locks. X-RAY an electronic lock and all you can see is the circuit boards.
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#251672 - 10/11/12 07:10 PM
Re: Fire Safes with Electronic Locks: NO
[Re: Paul810]
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Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3842
Loc: USA
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X-RAY an electronic lock and all you can see is the circuit boards. But you can use similar equipment to induce a voltage in the "open sesame" circuit, if you know what you're doing. Everything is a tradeoff.
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#251679 - 10/12/12 03:15 AM
Re: Fire Safes with Electronic Locks: NO
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Veteran
Registered: 12/05/05
Posts: 1563
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Sorry for interrupting this discussion
I have a question related to locks but not related to safes. I have a lock with a key that does not go IN the lock. The key is a piece of rectangular metal. When I need to open the lock, I just use the key to TOUCH the lock from the outside ( on a spcific side) and the lock opens.
It has been with me for years and years now. I use it for a shed under the blazing sun, dust and rain, and hasn't failed so far
Does anyone know what it is and how it works ???
Thanks
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#251685 - 10/12/12 11:46 AM
Re: Fire Safes with Electronic Locks: NO
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Addict
Registered: 12/25/03
Posts: 410
Loc: Jupiter, FL
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#251693 - 10/12/12 07:05 PM
Re: Fire Safes with Electronic Locks: NO
[Re: Paul810]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
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...someone discovered a portable X-RAY machine can make figuring out a mechanical combination pretty easy. Not too many theives have one of these machines just laying around. Buying would probably cost them more than they'd get from any heist. And they aren't exactly "portable" in the sense of "throw one in your car and carry it inside". At least not the medical ones. Besides, do X-Rays really penetrate metal all that well? I would expect most low power X-Rays to be blocked by the steel in the door of a safe. Maybe you might be able to see something if you cranked the power up high enough. But then, the thief would have just fried their gonads in that endeavor. Just doesn't seem terribly feasible for your garden variety thief to go lugging an X-Ray machine around to their home breakins. Not really feasible for a high end thief either.
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