Home Security News

Hitch Safe Truck Security Gadget

It never fails: you drive into a parking lot and a sign warns you not to leave your valuables in the car. Well, maybe you're going swimming or jogging or something where you don't want to tote your purse/wallet/etc. with you. What then?

Perhaps the solution is the Hitch Safe.

This tiny safe slides into any standard 2" hitch receiver, so your car/truck/SUV/van may already be ready for the gadget.  It's secured via two bolt retaining bars inside the Hitch Safe.  The hitch receiver already acts as a solid steel vault, and the safe offers a way to lock it up with a secure combination entry.

While the little automobile safe isn't exactly going to be roomy, it offers space enough for spare car keys, cash, driver's license, and credit cards, so it may be all you need. 

You can purchase the HitchSafe Key Vault for $70 at Amazon or look for it at your local auto shop.

Honeywell Water- and Fireproof Safe Protects from Fire, Flood, and Burglars

A safe is a good purchase for the home or office, since it allows you to protect cash, important documents, and other valuables.  Most respectable safes are rated to withstand your typical house fire as well as tampering from would-be thieves, but not all of them can be toted as waterproof as well.

The Honeywell 2087 .94-Cubic-Foot Safe protects against theft, flood, and fire, all of which a homeowner may have to contend with over the course of living in one place.

For security, the safe has concealed hinges to make it pry-resistant, a 4-number combination dial security lock, and four solid steel locking bolts.  For fire reistance, the safe has a UL 1-hour fire rating, which means it will withstand an external temperature of 1700 degrees F while keeping the stuff inside at no more than 350 degrees.  According to the product description, "the safe has been tested by an independent testing lab and verified to protect electronic media including memory sticks, CDs, DVDs and external hard drives" as well as the usual "documents, electronics, and other valuables."

Where the Honeywell safe is unique from many other offerings in the home safe arena is in its waterproof feature.   "The composite construction with water tight seal prevents water damage to the contents caused by flooding or by water used in fighting a fire. This waterproof safe will float making it easy to find during a flood, and it will remain dry inside even if fully submerged."

At less than $150, the safe is relatively affordable.  If you're interested, you can pick one up at Amazon:

 

Honeywell 2087 .94-Cubic-Foot Fire Waterproof Safe with Combination Lock

Affordable Wall Safe Fits Between the Studs for Easy Installation

If you want to secure your valuables, a safe is a smart investment, and a floor safe or wall safe is much wiser than a freestanding unit (which, no matter how heavy, can simply be lifted and walked away with if there's enough manpower involved).  Safes that are sunken into the floor are extremely effective for deterring thieves, but they're also expensive and time-consuming to install (if you're not ready to rip out a section of your floor to do it, they may not be a great option).

Wall safes, on the other hand, still offer a good deal of security, but they aren't as expensive and they are usually less complex to install.

For example, this compact "Stack - On" Between Studs Wall Safe slides right between the studs, so all you have to do is knock out a bit of drywall in order to place it.  Mount it to the studs, and it won't be easy for a thief to remove.  At less than $100, it's quite affordable, and the reviews at Amazon say it's a decent safe for the money. 

The nice thing about a wall safe is it's easy to turn into a hidden safe (a between-the-studs model, in particular, won't have anything sticking out to alert passers by).  If you want to be ultra secretive, you could even put the drywall back over it, but let's assume you may want to access your valuables some day... For the truly hidden effect, just try putting the safe somewhere that isn't obvious (burglars know to look in the master bedroom and behind paintings!).  In the basement behind the water heater might be less obvious.