Diversion Safe » Safes for the Home

Do Easter Eggs Make Good Diversion Safes?

Terms — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 08:39:23 +0000

So I had a visitor whom I think was just trying to be clever ask me if I thought those plastic Easter Eggs that split into two sections would make good cheap diversion safes, and to that I must say no. Think for a moment what the first thing is you do when you see one of those, generally you pick it up and shake it, if there is any noise you’re probably going to open it up to see what is inside.

Also keep in mind that you’ll want your diversion safes to blend in to not seem out of place with the other objects around it or else it will draw interest to anyone who may see it.

Anyways everyone, Happy Easter.

DIY Hidden Compartments in Homes

Terms — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:03:30 +0000

I’m sure some of you have seen those wall outlet safes, they are one of the oldest type of diversion safe. They are basically what look to be a normal wall outlet that you’d plug in whatever device to. The difference is these outlets are not hooked up to your homes electricity and instead fold out to reveal a hidden compartment. The problem with most of these outlets safes is in the most popular models the plugs are upside down and don’t look like most other wall outlets you’d already have in your home.

With this video it teaches you how you can make your own wall outlet. With doing this project yourself you can match the exact type of outlet you already have, which is good since it will make your wall outlet stash spot harder to find.

Furniture With Secret Compartments

Terms — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:25:21 +0000

Here is another video for you guys. This piece of furniture is rather amazing, it has several drawers that pull out to reveal other hidden drawers while still looking normal from the outside. It appears to be a piece of antique furniture with hidden compartments. If anyone else has seen any other furniture with secret compartments feel free to leave a comment so I can check it out.

Secret Gun Safe Hiding Spot

Terms — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:03:37 +0000

I have not came across many diversion safes or hiding spots that I felt were designed for what someone who wanted to hide a gun would want to use. There doesn’t seem to be many manufactures of furniture that has compartments to hide a handgun at home but this guy seems to have it figured out. I would highly suggest that people use common sense with anything like this, since it is only a switch that unlocks the compartment anyone who knows the switch is there can access your gun. If you had a bit of woodworking ability this video might give you your own ideas on how to build a secret gun safe yourself. Remember that common sense everyone.

They are not cheap at $365 but if you like them here is the link to their site. CustomChess.com

There Is A Need For A Fireproof Diversion Safe

Terms — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:07:21 +0000

There is a rather untapped niche in the home security field. Most safes are designed in one of two ways, either to be fire resistant or resistant to tools. Fire resistant safes you’ll want to use to protect paper documents such as birth certificates and social security cards. Keep in mind that each safe is rated individually as to how long it could survive in a fire before the contents of the safe start to undergo extreme heat.

The other main way that safes are designed is to be resistant to attacks with tools, which is basically how hard they are for someone to open without the key or combination. Than of course diversion safes come along and offer another type of way to hide valueables, but I have yet to come across a fireproof diversion safe. I’d be interested in seeing what the first kinds might end up being.

A Bit About One of the Most Famous Secret Desks in History

Terms — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:56:31 +0000

One of the most well known secret desks of all time is the Resolute desk. The Resolute desk has been the desk of choice for many US presidents since Queen Victoria gave it to President Rutherford Hayes back in 1880. George Bush SR had the desk removed from the oval office during his time in office, but Bill Clinton had it moved back into Oval Office, since than George W. Bush and Barack Obama have used it.

Easily the most interesting thing about the desk to most people is the fact that there are hidden compartments in it. In the movie National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets the Resolute desk has a very important role in the plot when the desk contains in typical National Treasure fashion much needed information. It will likely be many more years until any other secret desks before more well known than the Resolute.

Different Types of Secret Safes

Terms — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:56:46 +0000

There are many different types of objects that are currently made for being secret safes, I figured I’d go over the pros and cons of five of the most common inexpensive types of secret safes.

Book Safes -

Book safes are one of the oldest types of secret safes, they have been around just about as long as books have. They are make by removing inner parts of the pages to leave a space for the objects to fit inside. This type of secret safe is good if you’re on a tight budget and have several books to be along side this one. The down sides of book safes for secret safes is that they can look a bit out of place if you do not have other books to go along side of them.

Soda Can Safes -

Soda can safes are one of my favorite types of secret safes. They are made now to such high quality that they even feel the same weight as the original products. The can safes look exactly like the normal products too. If you’re going to go for a can safe as your secret safe make sure that it is not too out of place. If you just put the can safe in a drawer someone would know something was up when they seen it.

Shaving Cream Safe -

Shaving cream safes are just a tweak from the normal soda can safes that I mentioned. The positives of the soda can safe are the same as the soda can safe except they are a bit larger in most cases, which space of course is a major bonus in secret safes. Another perk is shaving cream isn’t going too look too out of place in a random drawer in your bathroom or back cupboard.

Outlet Safes -

An outlet safe is far less common than the other types of secret safes listed above, this is a positive though in many cases as less robbers will look for them. They are basically a fake electrical outlet that you install into your wall and than the front of the outlet folds out to reveal the secret compartment for you to put your items. The downside of outlet safes is you need to install them physically in your wall, so if you no longer wanted ever use it as a secret safe again you’d have a hole in your wall if you removed it.

Clock Safes -

Clock safes are another fairly uncommon solution in the world of secret safes. They are rather effective in my opinion, how often is it someone gets curious and picks up a clock off the wall, not very often. Most have a place in the back of the clock to store whatever you’d like. The main thing I don’t like about them is you’re rather limited to how heavy of stuff you can put in there unless your clock in hanging on your wall with more than just a finishing nail or tack.

Personally I’d go with the shaving cream safe or soda can safe as my first pick for secret safes if I was in the market to purchase one right now. I’ve been asked where to buy secret safes several times now and you can get them from Amazon for rather cheap. Check out the links to the right.

What to Consider When Buying Safes for the Home

Terms — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:46:19 +0000

I’ve always stood firm on having that need and desire to protect my valuables. There are several things to consider when you are buying safes for the home however. The first thing you’re going to want to ask yourself is what are you looking to protect the items in the safe from. Many people will be a bit confused at that question, which is a bit scary. You need to realize that not every safe will protect it’s contents from everything. Certain safes are made for simply keeping the contents inside, while keeping people out, that’s probably the kind of safe you’re thinking of when you consider buying safes for the home. Although what if someone simply breaks into your home and physically takes the safe with them straight out the front door? Obviously that safe didn’t do you any good, probably helped the person robbing your house out a bit though with giving them a convent box to carry your valuables in that won’t spill out as they flee the scene.

To know what exactly you’re going to be looking for when buying safes for the home you’ll need to know what basic features are out there for safes. The main features that you should be looking at and questioning for the needs of your safe needs are these:

Does the safe bolt down to the floor?
Like in my previous example without having a safe that bolts down to the floor it is possible for the theif to just simply walk out of your house, safe in hands.

Does the safe protect against fire damage?
If you live in an area that is prone to wildfires you’ll want to look for safes that are marked with the code “UL 2-Hour” on it, meaning that the safe can survive an intense fire for 2 hours. If you are only worried about typical house fires than a safe rated “UL 1-Hour” is sufficient in most cases. Looking for these codes is very important if fire damage is of a concern to you, as fire resistant is not the same as this “UL X-Hour” rating system.

Does the safe protect against water damage?
If your home is liable to flood damage or perhaps you are looking for a safe for use on a boat of yours, you can also find safes for the home that are rated for how long they can survive completely submerged under water. Once again take note that safes for the home marked as water-resistant are not the same as water-proof.

How does the safe open?
You have three main options to choose from when picking how you’ll want to open your safe. The first is with the standard dial combination system, the downside of this is that your safe will likely come with a pre-set combination and to get it changed you’ll need to take it to a locksmith. The second system is with an electronic keypad where you generally enter 3-6 numbers that you pick yourself to open the safe. Both option one and two are equally secure as each other. The third option is a much more rare option but that is with a key lock, these are harder to find and less practical since you need long heavy-duty keys to reach through the thick safe doors, also your safe would only be as secure as your key was.

Hopefully this will have helped you some in questioning what you’ll need to consider when buying safes for the home. The general rule with safes is the same as with most insurance polices, the more you spend, the more protection you generally receive. I shall leave you to consider what it would be like to have a safe for the home like this one from a hotel in Texas.