Key safes
Twenty keys in steel, or a compact box for a few?
The ABUS is a key cabinet on a wall — twenty keys or fourteen cards, for a building rather than a household. The BURG-WÄCHTER is smaller, takes keys up to 7 cm (2.8 in) on an inside hook and states an auto-stop: the numbers click into place on the right code. Both open with a four-dial code, and both are key boxes, not safes. Here the BURG-WÄCHTER is the more expensive of the two.
| Compared on | KeyGarage 787 | Key Safe 10 SB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ≈ $38 | ≈ $46 |
| Capacity | 20 keys or 14 cards | Inside hook, keys up to 7 cm (2.8 in) |
| Dimensions | 84 × 120 × 44 mm (3.3 × 4.7 × 1.7 in) | Not stated |
| Body | Steel, zinc dial flap | Die-cast zinc |
| Weight | 689 g (24.3 oz) | Not stated |
| Code | 4 digits, settable | 4 digits, 10,000 combinations, settable |
| Auto-stop | Not stated | Numbers click in on the right code |
| Dial protection | Sliding cover | Not stated |
| Listed on amazon.com | Yes | Yes |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these products answer different questions.
Buy the KeyGarage 787 for a vacation rental, a shared house or a small business — anywhere more than a few keys have to live. In this hub only its white version holds as many, and here it is also the cheaper of the two.
Buy the BURG-WÄCHTER for a household leaving one or two short keys. Scramble the dials yourself after every closing: a code left standing is the easiest way into these boxes, and its auto-stop does not reset the dials.
Out of sight of the street, not beside the door it opens, and bolted through into solid masonry. A key safe next to the front door tells a passer-by exactly what it contains and which door it serves.
Regularly, and whenever somebody stops needing access — a cleaner, a rental guest, a former roommate. Both of these open with dials, not a keypad: set the code out of sight and scramble the dials after every closing.
Do not assume so. Entry with the right key leaves no sign of forced entry, and some policies exclude that case or ask for an approved key safe. Ask your insurer before you fit one.
Wall-mounted · holds 20 keys or 14 cards · steel housing, zinc dial flap · 689 g (24.3 oz) · sliding cover
With its white version, the largest key box in this hub: ABUS states room for twenty keys or fourteen plastic cards, in a steel housing with a zinc die-cast dial flap, a sliding protective cover and a removable rack. 689 grams.
Best for: A building with several keys and several people — a vacation rental, a small business, a shared house.
≈ $38
Wall-mounted · zinc die-cast · 4-digit code · internal hook · keys to 7 cm (2.8 in) · auto-stop
A wall-mounted key safe in zinc die-cast with an internal hook for keys up to 7 cm (2.8 in), a four-digit resettable code and an auto-stop feature, from a German safe manufacturer.
Best for: A permanent installation on masonry, where the maker's other business is actually safes.
≈ $46
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
