PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this magnet

[kenny]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApJQ2wcYjBo

Another reason I'm glad that no very high-value items are kept in our home.

 

[missy]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

There is nothing that is 100% fool proof. I'm glad we live in a full security building but even that is not 100% guaranteed safe.

Anything that makes it harder for a thief to gain access is good even if not completely foolproof.


http://www.appraisers.org/all-about-appraisers-and-appraisals/consumer-library/article/2013/06/10/how-safe-is-your-safe-deposit-box-

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/bank-takes-extra-100k-found-woman-safety-deposit-box-article-1.1313384

 

[kenny]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

There is nothing that is 100% fool proof. I'm glad we live in a full security building but even that is not 100% guaranteed safe.

Anything that makes it harder for a thief to gain access is good even if not completely foolproof.

I agree completely.

... and since this video has been viewed over a half a million times (most certainly training lots of crooks), nobody should buy these safes.

If I had one I'd dump it, and buy a better safe.
Better yet, move I'd my high-valuables to a bank safe deposit box and stop falling for the false promises of new, cheapo, too-good-to-be-true mass-produced Chinese crap for sale cheap at the biggest retail outlets.



Lookie, the view count ...

 

[missy]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

I'm not familiar with that safe but my guess is any skilled burglar is pretty adept at opening home safes. So maybe it takes them a little longer to open a different type of safe but most home safes are not foolproof. Having said that I wear my bling every day and rotate what I wear so it depends on one's lifestyle if a bank vault would be a good option. For me it would not. However a safety deposit box is also not foolproof.

The best insurance one can have against robbery/burglary is insurance because there are no guarantees.

 

[kenny]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

I'm not familiar with that safe but my guess is any skilled burglar is pretty adept at opening home safes. So maybe it takes them a little longer to open a different type of safe but most home safes are not foolproof. Having said that I wear my bling every day and rotate what I wear so it depends on one's lifestyle if a bank vault would be a good option. For me it would not. However a safety deposit box is also not foolproof.

The best insurance one can have against robbery/burglary is insurance because there are no guarantees.

I'm referring to odds, not guarantees.

Never mind.

 

[missy]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

I'm not familiar with that safe but my guess is any skilled burglar is pretty adept at opening home safes. So maybe it takes them a little longer to open a different type of safe but most home safes are not foolproof. Having said that I wear my bling every day and rotate what I wear so it depends on one's lifestyle if a bank vault would be a good option. For me it would not. However a safety deposit box is also not foolproof.

The best insurance one can have against robbery/burglary is insurance because there are no guarantees.

Never mind.

Kenny, I'm glad you shared this because it is interesting and a good PSA. Just saying nothing is guaranteed in life except death and taxes. And a good insurance plan.

 

[kenny]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

Thanks ... as always, no guarantees of course.

Improving odds is all we can do; hence the PSA.

Oh, and paying taxes is not guaranteed ... only death is.

 

[House Cat]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

Hmmm... Looks like you can pick up a rare earth magnet for next to nothing. Less than $14 on some websites.

Great.

 

[KaeKae]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

This kind of thing (not the magnet in particular, but ways to break in or just take it) is why my husband doesn't want to spend money on a safe. But the safe deposit box is so inconvenient. I wind up leaving things in there for months at a time.

 

[Karl_K]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

Even some mid-range safes are no longer secure enough thanks to youtube safe crackers.
These days I am leaning more and more towards tl-15 safes.
See here for more info:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/safe-recommendations.210317/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/safe-recommendations.210317/[/URL]

 

[missy]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

Even some mid-range safes are no longer secure enough thanks to youtube safe crackers.
These days I am leaning more and more towards tl-15 safes.
See here for more info:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/safe-recommendations.210317/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/safe-recommendations.210317/[/URL]

Thanks Karl, your thread is worth reading and contains good information. Much appreciated!

 

[missy]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

This kind of thing (not the magnet in particular, but ways to break in or just take it) is why my husband doesn't want to spend money on a safe. But the safe deposit box is so inconvenient. I wind up leaving things in there for months at a time.

Also and you probably already have this but just in case a home security system is helpful for adding another layer of difficulty for a criminal to gain access to your possessions. If you have a good home safe and an alarm system it's another deterrent and as already mentioned anything that slows the criminal down is good.

 

[missy]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

Thanks ... as always, no guarantees of course.

Improving odds is all we can do; hence the PSA.

Oh, and paying taxes is not guaranteed ... only death is.

Haha I never mentioned *paying* taxes. Only wrote death and taxes which are most certainly (and unfortunately) guaranteed.

 

[kenny]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

Indeed.

 

[Karl_K]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

This kind of thing (not the magnet in particular, but ways to break in or just take it) is why my husband doesn't want to spend money on a safe. But the safe deposit box is so inconvenient. I wind up leaving things in there for months at a time.

Also and you probably already have this but just in case a home security system is helpful for adding another layer of difficulty for a criminal to gain access to your possessions. If you have a good home safe and an alarm system it's another deterrent and as already mentioned anything that slows the criminal down is good.

any safe including the one at the bank is there to slow the crooks down enough for the alarm system to get the cops or armed guards there before it is breached.
Any safe can be breached if given enough time and skill.
The low end safes are not even good enough for that.

 

[missy]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

This kind of thing (not the magnet in particular, but ways to break in or just take it) is why my husband doesn't want to spend money on a safe. But the safe deposit box is so inconvenient. I wind up leaving things in there for months at a time.

Also and you probably already have this but just in case a home security system is helpful for adding another layer of difficulty for a criminal to gain access to your possessions. If you have a good home safe and an alarm system it's another deterrent and as already mentioned anything that slows the criminal down is good.

any safe including the one at the bank is there to slow the crooks down enough for the alarm system to get the cops or armed guards there before it is breached.
Any safe can be breached if given enough time and skill.
The low end safes are not even good enough for that.

Agreed. The safe in the YouTube video Kenny posted is worse than just hiding your bling as that might slow the thief down more than the most certainly not safe safe posted in this thread.

Again thanks to Kenny for the warning about this safe. I wonder if anyone here has it. If so time to switch it for a better option like the one you shared Karl.

 

[Karl_K]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

Here is what is going on with the safe.
A solenoid which is a coil that when power is applied creates a magnet and moves the plunger out of the way of the handle rotating.


Before just bouncing it would overcome the plunger spring and unlock the safe.
Now the external magnet is used to move the plunger and unlock the safe.

It is a bad design, doing it the ideal way using a geared motor to move the locking bar would add about $100+ to the safes price.

Using a more sophisticated solenoid array would add $20 to $30.
Basically it uses a second or third solenoid to lock the first one in such a way it can't be opened by an external magnet.

 

[House Cat]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

Here is what is going on with the safe.
A solenoid which is a coil that when power is applied creates a magnet and moves the plunger out of the way of the handle rotating.


Before just bouncing it would overcome the plunger spring and unlock the safe.
Now the external magnet is used to move the plunger and unlock the safe.

It is a bad design, doing it the ideal way using a geared motor to move the locking bar would add about $100+ to the safes price.

Using a more sophisticated solenoid array would add $20 to $30.
Basically it uses a second or third solenoid to lock the first one in such a way it can't be opened by an external magnet.

I find it very upsetting that these safes are made so poorly. We were just shopping for a small safe and you could tell just by picking up these safes that they were garbage. I do wonder if there are people who think that small safes should be lightweight.

The biggest issue I see is people storing firearms in these cheapo safes. There should be a certain firearm rating on a safe, something like they have for the fire rating. Basically, if the safe is very lightweight and poorly made, it doesn't pass the independent firearm rating...something like that.

 

[Karl_K]

Re: PSA: The most popular safe is easily opened with this ma

The biggest issue I see is people storing firearms in these cheapo safes. There should be a certain firearm rating on a safe, something like they have for the fire rating. Basically, if the safe is very lightweight and poorly made, it doesn't pass the independent firearm rating...something like that.

I agree with that.
Many gun safes are ul listed RSC which is not really adequate these days but better than those with no rating.
The problem is a tl-15 safe big enough for a bunch of rifles would weigh too much to be brought into a house.
The floors would not hold it and the stairs would not handle it being taken down them.
I have helped design diy safes or safe rooms built in place that all done weighed several tons(cast in place concrete with a steel core and exterior) and would likely pass tl-30 but that is not realistic for the average person.