An unbolted safe is a strongbox with a handle for carrying it away
The most consequential fact about a home safe is that a safe which is not bolted down is portable, and a portable safe is opened at leisure somewhere else. Every worthwhile model has pre-drilled anchor holes in the base or the back; using them is what turns the purchase into protection. After that, look for a stated grade — UL 1037 for a residential security container, UL 687 for a TL grade, or the European EN 1143-1 degree: no safe on this page publishes a burglary grade, and the SentrySafe ratings are for fire and water, not for forced entry. We compare anchoring, lock type, emergency access, fire and water ratings where stated, and usable internal space.
Book-shaped diversion safe · 3-digit combination · fabric cover and spine · for a bookshelf
A diversion safe shaped like a book, with a fabric cover and spine and a three-digit combination lock. Amazon Basics states it is meant to sit between other books on a shelf.
Best for: Concealing something small in plain sight, in a house where nobody is looking hard.
0.23 cu ft · 9.06 × 6.69 × 6.69 in external and 8.98 × 6.46 × 6.61 in internal, both published · SPCC steel · pry-resistant door with hidden hinges · flat KEY lock only, no keypad · two pre-drilled holes with expansion bolts · FCC certified
The only safe in this group with no electronics at all — a flat key, hidden hinges, and internal dimensions published to a hundredth of an inch.
Best for: A safe that must still open in ten years, where a key beats a keypad and batteries are a liability
≈ $25
14 L · digital keypad · 2 override keys · concealed anti-pry hinges · adjustable shelf · 4 × AA
A 14-liter steel safe with a digital keypad, two emergency override keys kept separately, concealed hinges described as anti-pry, and a removable adjustable shelf. It runs on four AA cells.
Best for: The default household safe: big enough for documents, small enough to bolt into a wardrobe floor.
≈ $58
A5 documents · 3–8 digit code, silenceable · manual override · 1 mm (0.04 in) walls, 3 mm (0.12 in) door
A furniture safe for A5 documents with a freely programmable three-to-eight digit code, a silenceable keypad and a manual override. HMF publishes the steel thicknesses: 1 mm (0.04 in) walls and a 3 mm (0.12 in) door.
Best for: A hotel-style installation in a cupboard, where the published steel thickness lets you judge it honestly.
35 × 25 × 25 cm (13.8 × 9.8 × 9.8 in) · 3 double steel bolts · 130 dB tamper alarm · external battery box
KESSER states three double steel bolts, a 130 dB alarm that fires on tampering or after three wrong codes, and an external battery box so a flat internal cell does not lock you out.
Best for: Someone who wants the safe to make a noise rather than sit silently while it is worked on.
≈ $170
1.8 cu ft · 13.8 × 13 × 19.7 in external · steel · electronic keypad · no internal dimensions, no wall thickness, no security grade
The second largest safe in this group, published with its external size and nothing about what is inside it.
Best for: A household that wants volume and will measure the inside itself before buying
≈ $105
3.4 cu ft, the largest in this group · programmable keypad and key lock · steel · no dimensions of any kind, no wall thickness, no grade, no anchoring
The largest safe on this shelf by volume and the only one that publishes no dimension at all.
Best for: Someone who needs bulk storage and will confirm every dimension with the seller first
≈ $99
0.23 cu ft · 9.06 × 6.69 × 6.69 in external · SPCC steel · two 18 mm (0.71 in) live locking bolts, the only bolt diameter published on this shelf · keypad with override key · pry-resistant door with hidden hinges · five emergency keys supplied
The only safe on this shelf that publishes the diameter of its locking bolts — eighteen millimeters — and the only one that ships five keys.
Best for: A household that wants a bolt figure rather than the word reinforced
≈ $30
0.17 cu ft, the smallest here · double steel wall with fire-resistant insulation · key lock with two keys · reinforced hinge · foam-padded floor · scratch-resistant powder coat · no fire rating duration, no dimensions, no anchoring
The only small safe on this shelf built as a double wall with insulation between — and the only fire claim here without a duration.
Best for: Papers and a phone in a house where fire is the worry and the box will be carried to a drawer
≈ $31
0.6 cu ft · 13.8 × 9.8 × 9.8 in · solid steel with two reinforced locking bolts · keypad and key, both · ALARM after three wrong codes, the only alarm on this shelf · removable shelf · 2 keys, 4 AA cells, felt pad and 2 expansion screws supplied
The only safe on this shelf with an alarm — three wrong codes and it sounds — and the only one that lists every item in the box.
Best for: A home office where the safe is opened often and a wrong-code alarm is worth having
≈ $55
A child's electronic coin bank, sold as a mini money safe · password keypad · no capacity, no dimensions, no material, no anchoring, no grade
A children's coin bank on a shelf of safes — and the listing says so in its own title.
Best for: A child learning to save, and nothing that an adult would call a valuable
≈ $30
0.25 cu ft · 6.3 × 15.3 × 12.1 in · key lock · carrying handle · fire-resistant chest · portable by design, which this shelf's introduction warns about
A fire chest with a handle on it — the one safe on this shelf that is meant to be carried, which is also this shelf's introduction's central warning.
Best for: Documents that must survive a fire and be grabbed on the way out, in a house where theft is not the threat
≈ $35
0.23 cu ft in the title and 0.2 in the bullets · 9.05 × 6.69 × 6.69 in external and 6.29 × 8.9 × 5.12 in internal, both published · dual steel locking bolts · digital keypad with two emergency keys · magnetic auto-lock · pre-drilled holes with mounting bolts supplied
One of only three safes on this shelf that publish an internal size as well as an external one — and it cannot agree with itself about the capacity.
Best for: A drawer or a wardrobe shelf, where the internal size can be checked against what has to go in it
≈ $30
6.6 L · 3–8 digit code · 2 override keys · 23 × 17 × 17 cm (9.1 × 6.7 × 6.7 in) · wall mountable
A small electronic safe with a three-to-eight digit code and two override keys, dimensioned by SINZUX at 23 × 17 × 17 cm (9.1 × 6.7 × 6.7 in) and designed to be mounted to a wall.
Best for: A cupboard or a wardrobe where a small safe can be bolted to a solid wall.
200 × 310 × 200 mm (7.87 × 12.2 × 7.87 in) · self-programmable electronic lock · single-wall body · basic valuables protection
BURG-WÄCHTER describes the Favor S3 E as basic valuables protection: a single-wall body with a self-programmable electronic lock, in a furniture safe of 200 × 310 × 200 mm (7.87 × 12.2 × 7.87 in).
Best for: A household that wants a safe from a safe manufacturer rather than from a general brand.
≈ $140
1.2 cu ft · digital keypad · UL 2-hour fire rating, the longest published here · title names a different reference, STW123GTC · no internal dimensions, no wall thickness, no burglary grade
The longest fire rating on this shelf at two hours — on a listing whose title names a reference that is not its own.
Best for: Papers that must survive a house fire, where two hours is the requirement and burglary is the second question
≈ $259
14.3 × 15.5 × 13.5 in · UL Classified for 30 minutes of fire, ETL Verified for water exposure — the only safe here with two named certifying bodies · key lock with two keys · takes hanging file folders · portable by design
The only product on this shelf with two named certifying bodies behind its claims — UL for fire and ETL for water.
Best for: A household archive — deeds, certificates, policies — that has to survive both a fire and the water that puts it out
≈ $68
The interior volume decides what actually fits, once the walls are deducted. A safe that is too tight is bypassed by putting nothing in it.
A safe light enough to lift goes under an arm and gets opened elsewhere at leisure. The stated fixing holes, and the bolts supplied, decide real protection far more than the steel thickness. The YUANSHIKJ is pre-drilled for wall or floor mounting with the bolts included; the Bonsaii, Locksworth and CDC also list their fixings, and most SentrySafe and Honeywell boxes publish none.
An electronic lock with no override key becomes a sealed block of steel the day the electronics fail. A stated emergency opening is the first thing to check.
Absolutely: an unfixed safe is carried off to be opened elsewhere, with no time pressure. It is the single most decisive measure.
Out of sight, on a solid support, somewhere noisy work would be noticed. Discretion is part of the protection.
Electronic safes have an emergency release by key or external power. That key is kept outside the safe, which seems obvious and gets forgotten.
Not automatically: fire resistance is a distinct characteristic, certified separately. A burglary safe does not protect against flames.
Independent certifications state a measured resistance. Scales specific to one manufacturer cannot be compared between brands.
It is the interior volume, markedly smaller than the external footprint. Thick walls explain the gap.
Policies often set storage conditions for valuables. Reading them before a claim is the right time.
Yes, whatever its weight: a hundred-kilo safe is moved by two people on a sack truck. Bolting it down multiplies the difficulty far more than the mass does.
An unanchored safe is carried off to be opened elsewhere with no time pressure: anchoring counts more than the lock. Fire resistance is a certification distinct from burglary resistance — and the emergency key does not go inside the safe.
A characteristic has to come from four devices in five to hold a column. Below that, we would be lining up empty cells.
| Model | Price | Lock |
|---|---|---|
| bonsaii SF004 security safe box, 0.23 cu ft | $25 | A flat key lock only — no keypad, no battery and no code. It is the only purely mechanical safe in this group, and the listing adds a note to store the keys away from the safe |
| CDC DIGI 1710-1 digital electronic money safe, 0.23 cu ft | $30 | A keypad with a covered override key, stated. The listing gives a four-step setup: remove the override key cover, open with the key, fit the batteries, set the password |
| MAESTON 17E electronic coin bank safe for children | $30 | An electronic password keypad — stated |
| Yuanshikj YSKJ-SAFE-17K-SFB small steel safe, 0.23 cu ft | $30 | A digital keypad, programmable, with two emergency keys supplied. A magnetic lock is stated to re-lock automatically |
| Honeywell 6104 small fire-resistant lock box, 0.17 cu ft | $31 | A dual locking system with a secure key lock, with two entry keys supplied |
| SentrySafe 1160BLK fireproof chest with carrying handle, 0.25 cu ft | $35 | A key lock — stated. No code, no keypad and no battery |
| Locksworth ET521 safe, 0.6 cu ft | $55 | Two methods: enter the password and turn the knob, or insert the key and turn the knob. Four AA batteries power the keypad and are supplied |
| Amazon Basics 25EI | $58 | Electronic keypad with 3 status lights |
| SentrySafe HD4100 fireproof and waterproof file box, 14.3 × 15.5 × 13.5 in | $68 | A key lock with two keys, stated to keep the lid closed during fire events. That last clause matters: a lid that springs open in a fire is a fire box that has failed |
| AONBNOCT EJ 3.4 cu ft digital security safe | $99 | A programmable keypad with a key lock as well — two methods, stated |
| Amazon Basics 50SAM steel home security safe, 1.8 cu ft | $105 | An electronic keypad — stated, with no code length, no wrong-entry lockout and no override method described |
| BURG-WÄCHTER Favor S3 E | $140 | Self-programmable electronic |
| KESSER Electronic Safe 35 × 25 × 25 | $170 | — |
| SentrySafe SFW123GDC 2-hour fireproof safe, 1.2 cu ft | $259 | A digital keypad — stated. The maker also sells the same body with a dial combination |
| Amazon Basics SW-802C-K (book safe) | — | 3-digit combination |
| HMF 4612112 | — | Electronic, 3 to 8 digits, freely programmable, tones silenceable |
| SINZUX 1710 | — | Electronic, 3 to 8 digit code, over 10,000 combinations |
$25 – $30
4 models
bonsaii SF004 security safe box, 0.23 cu ft, CDC DIGI 1710-1 digital electronic money safe, 0.23 cu ft, MAESTON 17E electronic coin bank safe for children
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for home security products and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: October 8, 2026.
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
