Gardall Jewelry Safe?

[Porschen]

Does anyone happen to have one of these safes?

I like the smaller size which is easier for me to secure and hide. My large safe’s location isn’t as convenient for my watches and my wife’s jewelry, so I’m interested in this, but would love feedback if anyone has one.

http://gardallsafestore.com/gardall-...B#lock_type=11

[Gab27]

Are you looking at this more for burglary, more for fire, or both?

It's not a terrible choice for a limited amount of valuables, IMHO, but the specs also don't show a safe that uses a ton of steel, either. It is a 5/16th inch door, which is quite a bit more than many gun safes have, but that really doesn't say much as it still isn't a ton of steel in the grand scheme of things, either. It also doesn't specify what it has on the sidewalls, which is something that is very important to know. FWIW, IMHO, I think you're paying a whole lot for the pretty interior at the expense of burglary and fire protection with this model. (That isn't to say that there is anything wrong with that, but if you're looking for a small safe with very good burglary protection for things like Rolex watches and diamond rings, I think there are better options, FWIW.)

Is the AmSec BF1512 an option? At a few hundred bucks more, this has substantially more steel and better fire protection, with 1/2 inch of steel on the door and 1/4 inch of steel on the body + excellent fire performance. This is a solid mid-security point, bridging the gap between lower-security safes that often measure their plates in gauge and full-blown high-security safes that can have an inch or more of steel plating (or a composite equivalent), and it is still small and light enough to easily place in a bedroom closet.

[dddrees]

For a safe that really doesn't list it's security specifications other than just door and to say nothing with regard to its security rating and only fire rating.

That gets a BIG NO from me.

[Porschen]

Originally Posted by Gab27

Are you looking at this more for burglary, more for fire, or both?

It's not a terrible choice for a limited amount of valuables, IMHO, but the specs also don't show a safe that uses a ton of steel, either. It is a 5/16th inch door, which is quite a bit more than many gun safes have, but that really doesn't say much as it still isn't a ton of steel in the grand scheme of things, either. It also doesn't specify what it has on the sidewalls, which is something that is very important to know. FWIW, IMHO, I think you're paying a whole lot for the pretty interior at the expense of burglary and fire protection with this model. (That isn't to say that there is anything wrong with that, but if you're looking for a small safe with very good burglary protection for things like Rolex watches and diamond rings, I think there are better options, FWIW.)

Is the AmSec BF1512 an option? At a few hundred bucks more, this has substantially more steel and better fire protection, with 1/2 inch of steel on the door and 1/4 inch of steel on the body + excellent fire performance. This is a solid mid-security point, bridging the gap between lower-security safes that often measure their plates in gauge and full-blown high-security safes that can have an inch or more of steel plating (or a composite equivalent), and it is still small and light enough to easily place in a bedroom closet.

Thanks for the input - I clearly don’t know much about safe specs, so I appreciate your perspective. I like that AmSec safe for sure - I see it weighs more than double the Gardall, wow. Seems like it is worth the extra dough. Thanks again

[Porschen]

Originally Posted by dddrees

For a safe that really doesn't list it's security specifications other than just door and to say nothing with regard to its security rating and only fire rating.

That gets a BIG NO from me.

Good point for sure. I’m going to look at AmSec.

[pickettt]

I don't talk specifically about what I do or don't have, but for a few hundred dollars more, you can certainly get a solid safe.

[Gab27]

Originally Posted by Porschen

Thanks for the input - I clearly don’t know much about safe specs, so I appreciate your perspective. I like that AmSec safe for sure - I see it weighs more than double the Gardall, wow. Seems like it is worth the extra dough. Thanks again

Sure thing!

The weight of the Gardall is what popped out to me given it is both a burglary and fire safe and, especially as the sidewall plate thickness is not specified, my guess is that it is pretty thin.

I think the BF is definitely worth the extra cash as you're getting something that will give you substantially more security (and better fire protection as well). It's a very good safe overall when factoring in the security and fire protection, fit and finish, portability, overall quality, and price. And for higher dollar collections where one may have a larger high-security safe in a garage or basement, it's a great bedroom companion that provides good protection for a reasonable amount of valuables.

[Gab27]

Originally Posted by dddrees

For a safe that really doesn't list it's security specifications other than just door and to say nothing with regard to its security rating and only fire rating.

That gets a BIG NO from me.

I agree 100%!