Having a safe for your residential or business needs is an essential investment if you want to make sure that your cash and other valuable possessions are secured. Adding a layer of security by using a home or office safe is a great way to ensure that your essential documents and other belongings are genuinely secure from fire or theft.
But choosing the right home or office safe for you is a process that needs careful consideration. Of course, there would always be a careful assessment of each safe’s size, fireproofing, water resistance, and theft resistance. However, one of the factors that you should not neglect is choosing the best locking mechanism of your safe! You cannot be fully assured, especially if you do not carefully consider which safe lock type is best for your needs.
Common Kinds of Safe Locking Mechanisms
When choosing the best safe lock for your needs, make sure to consider the locking mechanism that the particular safe brand can provide for you. Each locking mechanism provides a particular purpose. And each of these also holds its own set of pros and cons.
To begin our discussion of the locking mechanisms, let us take for example Safes Australia’s Drug Safes DS900. This safe model comes with the best technology to keep your medical drugs safe. A great thing about this safe is choosing between four different locking mechanisms that you prefer.
Drug Safes DS900 comes with the following mechanisms:
Key Lock
A traditional safe locking mechanism is with the use of a standard lock-and-key mechanism. This is sometimes referred to as a key lock safe.
The key lock is a manual method of securing your belongings with a particular key. Aside from being inexpensive, this locking mechanism is for you if you have trouble remembering number combination passwords. It is also very convenient.
However, it may not be the most theft-proof locking mechanism. Most burglars can guess the common areas of the house that stores spare keys, and if they find your hiding spot, your possessions are in danger.
If you choose a key lock safe, keep keys hidden from prying eyes and consider placing one key in a bank’s safe deposit box in case other keys are misplaced.
Digital Lock
If you are not fond of keys, the digital locking mechanisms can be considered. To open a safe with a digital number keypad, simply press a few keys in the correct order (each safe you purchase will come with its own instructions). These electronic safes use alphanumeric strings to keep the contents safe, and they’re generally faster to open than combination safes. There are safes available that allow you to reconfigure the combination to your liking.
You may set a number combination on most safes and adjust it as needed, providing you flexibility over time. These are usually more expensive than dial-locked safes, and you’ll have to remember to replace the batteries every now and then (although you will be alerted by a beep when the batteries are running flat and batteries can be easily replaced via the keypad).
Dial Combination
Dial combination is a locking mechanism you have probably seen in most films! Unlike what you see in the movies, burglars trying to crack your dial combination code is not the easiest way to reach into your valuable possessions. There are millions of possible combinations with a dial-locked safe!
The problem with dial combinations, and even a digital lock, is the need to keep your memory sharp in remembering your codes. If possible, avoid writing down your combination so that the contents aren’t susceptible to burglars who come across the digits.
Card Swipe-Access
Keycards eliminate the necessity for users to put a metal or conventional key into a tumbler lock to get access. Instead, the keycard, or a chip in the card itself, has an integrated access credential, which the keycard reader reads each time you try to unlock it. Permission is given for access if the reader recognizes the unique code on your card.
The reader interacts with the door lock when it detects the access credential. The smart access control reader will be attached to your door’s lock and will send a signal to initiate its unlocking. The entire procedure takes less than a second with a decent system.
Summary
We have presented some of the most common types of locking mechanisms that you can choose from if you are looking into purchasing a safe for your needs. Having all these options can be overwhelming, and deciding on your purchase may be difficult!
If you feel lost or confused, adhere to your personal preferences. Ease of access, the need to memorize a combo, remembering where you kept your key or cards – these are some simple things you might want to consider when deciding.
And, if you still want further guidance, you can go ahead and contact us at Safes Australia. Here, our professionals and safe experts can help you choose what you need!
