Better

If you have been thinking about installing an in-home safe, Don Trimmer offers the following advice: “The longer you wait, the more expensive the safe is going to cost and the less use you’ll get from it because the safe is going to last forever. And the longer you wait, the more chances you’re taking of losing something much more valuable than the cost of the safe itself.”

Trimmer knows. He has been installing a variety of safes in Southern Nevada for 20 years through his company The Safe Keeper.

“I tell people that everything in their house that is of value should be in a safe except for the computer, stereo and television,” he said. “Those items are replaceable, covered by insurance, and, if any of those items are three or four years old, they’re already obsolete. Everything else, like coins, watches, jewelry, family photos, camera, passports and personal documents should be in a safe.”

Trimmer said his research shows most home burglaries are random and last 3-6 minutes. They are not done by professional thieves, but by those looking for drugs, cash, jewelry or whatever they can grab and run with out the door. Even if they discover a safe, most burglars do not have the tools or the time to dismantle it so they move on.

“Any form of resistance, meaning a safe, is sufficient to stop a burglar,” Trimmer said. “They may attack a safe, but it’s rare. And I’m telling you that a home safe puts you way ahead of the game when it comes to protecting your valuables and making you feel secure.”

Mark Silver, chief executive officer of the California-based HiTech Safe, said he reviewed a recent survey that revealed that American homeowners consider safety and security as their number one priority. And while security can mean different things to different people, one definition of security, according to Silver, is an in-house safe, or more specifically, one of his HiTech safes.

Silver, said traditional wall safes are like medicine cabinets with a lock on it. He took a different approach to in-home safes after buying a new home.

“I’m in the security business and my wife wanted a new kind of wall safe,” he said. “We looked all over but didn’t find anything we liked. So I decided to make one myself.”

What Silver made was a picture frame with an exclusive hinge mechanism that covers the safe and allows the owner to open and close it without removing the picture from the wall, setting it on the ground, and then properly hanging the picture back on the wall over the safe.

“We made a strong and elegant safe that customers like because it provides security and peace of mind, and it also looks good,” Silver said. “Once the hinge and frame are installed, and you can do it yourself in less than 45 minutes, the safe becomes totally concealed and customers can place any picture they want in the 16-by-22-inch frame, even a mirror. I’m proud to say the safe was tested by the California Department of Justice and we were given extremely high marks. That’s because it is one-quarter-inch steel with a digital safe lock designed to resist hammers, screwdrivers, hacksaws and crowbars. It would take someone at least three hours to break it open, if that.”

Trimmer believes floor safes are the most secure against burglary and fire, but admits they are expensive to install and can’t be removed and taken to a new home.

“Floor safes are good for those who have a lot of really expensive jewelry, but if you just want to secure several cameras, a hand gun and some cash, an upright or wall safe works just fine and is less expensive,” Trimmer said.

Trimmer’s safes cost from less than $1,000 to about $4,000. Silver’s HiTech safe, large enough to hold 40 sets of earrings, 10 watches and 20 necklaces, starts at $799.

Silver said wall safes are becoming more popular in Las Vegas due to the burgeoning development of high-rise condominiums that cannot have floor safes. He said it’s a trend that is also occurring in New York City and Toronto.