The 10 Best Digital Safes
This wiki has been updated 32 times since it was first published in December of 2016. If you're looking for a secure place to store valuables and documents without having to fumble with keys every time you want to access them, then a digital safe is the perfect solution. Our selections come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including basic models that are accessed via a combination code and more advanced models with biometric scanners that are accessed via fingerprint. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. TigerKing Security BGX-D1-58JJD
2. Vevor Double Door
3. SentrySafe QAP2BEL
Editor's Notes
June 17, 2020:
During this round of updates, while the Safstar Digital Drop and Lock State LS Wall were removed due to availability issues, we also decided on eliminating the Stack-On PDS, noting numerous reports of users being able to pick its backup lock with a paperclip, which, to say the least, we thought might be problematic. Some of our new additions include the Vevor Double Door — a two-section offering with one open slot for cash deposits, the SentrySafe QAP2BEL — a small biometric gun safe with a gas strut that allows for single-hand opening, and the TigerKing Security BGX-D1-58JJD — which caught our eye with its secret compartment concealed underneath a false bottom.
A few things to think about for this category:
Capacity: Quite simply, these safes can only protect as much as can fit inside of them, so make sure that the option you’re considering has enough room to accommodate all of your valuables. While some models like the TigerKing Security BGX-D1-58JJD and Honeywell 5107 offer more than two cubic feet of storage space, others are much smaller. The Lovndi Security Box has a slight 1/2-cubic-foot capacity, and the Yuanshikj Electronic Deluxe – which we recommended for motel rooms or small children – is even tinier, with a 1/5-cubic-foot interior space.
Installation: In many cases – as with gun safes that keep dangerous weapons out of the reach of children, and depository safes that keep honest employees honest – simply having the safe in place should be enough to offer the security you need. However, when facing burglars who can be both cunning and relentless, bolting a safe down – or permanently installing it otherwise – can go a long way toward stopping the thieves in question from throwing your safe on a furniture dolly and wheeling it out.
Models like the Steelwater Gun Safes 530 have a pilot hole installed in their base for floor anchoring, and selections like the Vevor Double Door provide pilot holes for wall mounting. The Lovndi Security Box comes with a set of four expansion bolts to assist with installation, and the Protex Wall is designed for recessed installation, and is just narrow enough to fit between studs with 16-inch centers.
Organization: This consideration is especially important for users interested in large options with considerable storage space, who’d like the means to keep things neat and tidy. Models like the Protex Wall and Honeywell 5107 feature removable shelves, while others like the Steelwater Gun Safes 530 have built in drawers, and the TigerKing Security BGX-D1-58JJD has a small internal locker protected by a key lock — in addition to the secret compartment we’ve already mentioned. The First Alert 2092 has hooks to hang keys on the back of its door, as well as a slot to store documents.
4. Lovndi Security Box
5. First Alert 2092
6. Steelwater Gun Safes 530
7. Honeywell 5107
8. Protex Wall
9. Sentry Safe Security
10. Yuanshikj Electronic Deluxe
Securing Your Valuables
They also make for reliable ways to keep certain items out of the hands of other family members.
Here in America, we love our stuff. At least, we love having it. For the most part, the way we treat our material wealth is pretty abhorrent. We squander our natural resources, we throw out that which is easily recyclable, we upgrade our technological tools to newer models simply because they’re available — even if there’s nothing wrong with what we already own — and we acquire so many things that we scarcely have room in our hearts or minds to assign real value to anything.
There are certain things in our collections, however, that are especially precious to us. Some of these may be practical items like birth certificates or expensive jewelry, but in many cases the most important things that we own are meaningful to us in a sentimental sense. They connect us to our family members both alive and dead, or they remind us of moments in our lives when we were particularly happy.
Whichever you have more of in your life — the sentimental goods or the practical ones — you’re going to want to protect them. Among the litany of threats that these things face, from floods to fires, criminal activity shouldn’t go unaccounted for. If it’s expensive goods that you want to guard, the good criminal will have a nose for them and find wherever you decided to hide them, especially if that hiding place isn’t protected by some kind of locking mechanism. And when it comes to sentimental goods, criminals have no way of differentiating one seemingly meaningless item from another, and while that might prevent them from stealing such an item, it won’t prevent them from thoughtlessly destroying it while searching for something they would deem more valuable.
In order to protect these things that are so important to us, it would be wise to invest in some kind of safe. Throughout the past century, safes have proven to be reliable ways of securing our most important possessions against theft. They also make for reliable ways to keep certain items out of the hands of other family members. They’re probably the best place for you to keep any and all firearms that you want to have in the house, lest they fall into the hands of children on the premises.
A digital safe in particular is a wise investment, as it’s generally going to be more difficult to crack then a safe with a physical combination lock. Even a criminal of middling intelligence can spend a bit of time on YouTube and figure out how to crack a handful of standard combination safes with little more than a stethoscope and some patience. But a digital safe creates a far more complex problem, one that most criminals will willfully pass by in search of easier loot.
Choosing The Right Digital Safe
Once you know that you want a digital safe in your home, you still need to figure out which model is best for you. For the most part, this is going to come down to the amount of materials you need to secure, and the degrees of security you wish to place between them and a potential thief.
That way, you can grab a safe that will fit all of them with a little extra room should you come to acquire additional valuables.
Take stock of all your most important belongings, and try to figure out how much space they are going to occupy before you make your purchase. That way, you can grab a safe that will fit all of them with a little extra room should you come to acquire additional valuables. Larger safes are also usually heavier, which makes it less likely that a thief will try to steal the entire safe and open it up at another time and place. Some models even allow you to bolt them in place to prevent this if you were concerned that the model you have your eye on is too lightweight.
It’s also vital that you take a good look at the digital locking mechanism itself. Most utilize simple keypads with short numerical codes that disengage the lock. Some allow you to program more than one code, which can be useful if you want to be able to provide access to other people whose permissions you would’ve eventually like to resend without having to change your code as well. The use of multiple codes can also come in handy if you're the type of person to easily forget a password or combination, as having more than one code can increase the likelihood of you guessing your way into your own safe.
Other Ways To Stay Protected
If you’re serious about security, then a good digital safe is only one step in what must be a multi-layered plan to ensure the safety of both the people and the property in your home. Fortunately, there are plenty of additional things you can get your hands on that will increase your level of security without costing you a fortune.
If you place one of these near any likely point of entry, they should cause the average thief to think twice before breaking in.
Nowadays, security systems come in all shapes and sizes, with combinations of cameras and alarms systems that are relatively easy to install and maintain without the use of an established corporation. These DIY security systems provide you with everything you need to install and maintain both the hardware and software necessary to keep you secured.
If the idea of maintaining that level of vigilance over your household gives you too many Big Brother vibes, you can just as easily invest in a dummy security camera that will act as a deterrent to potential thieves. If you place one of these near any likely point of entry, they should cause the average thief to think twice before breaking in. In addition to a good dummy camera, a “beware of dog” sign is an excellent deterrent, whether your canine is a ferocious pitbull, a two-pound Chihuahua, or simply a cat that thinks it’s a dog.
Unfortunately, you won’t always be able to prevent the worst from happening. With a little bit of forethought, and a few smart investments, however, you should be able to increase the chances that your most valuable possessions remain in your possession, and that the people you love will feel safe and secure went under your roof.
After deciding that the pen was mightier than the pliers, Canadian electrical contractor William Rhoda abandoned his career and headed back to college, where he majored in marketing and advertising and won a scholarship along the way to earning a diploma in creative communications. His past career landed him a depth of knowledge in tools and hardware, while his current career schooled him in audio, video and camera equipment. During his leisure time, he’s learned lots about outdoor gear, and years of tiresome backyard maintenance have taught him all about pools and hot tubs. His recreational pursuits include rest, relaxation and revolutionary action, and his roommate’s a hairless cat.