Safe-keeping in, well, a safe!

Comeuppance

Comeuppance

Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
4,765
As you guys probably know, I buy and sell and trade a LOT. Like, a lot a lot. I take more sales pictures than beauty shots, but that's how I recoup the funds to get other things that catch my eye. With patience, I've managed to slowly move my knife budget higher and higher (with the occasional necessary complete selldown due to hard times)

Well, hard times have hit, and while I'm figuring out what needs to go and what can stay, I came to realize that I absolutely could not afford to lose my knives in any fashion. Especially right now, a lost knife would be a relatively considerable loss as I'm working part-time.

I need a way to secure my knives.

I am unlikely to be able to afford what I need right now, but I can start comparison shopping now for when I have more money available to me. Now that I'm in a (rent) house and not a third-story apartment, my options have widened considerably.

I'm thinking I need a safe, but something moderately sized (small bedroom; a tall gun safe would absolutely dominate the room - something the size of 75% of a mini fridge would be the maximum size) and still fairly difficult to move. Also, with my assortment of carbon steel blades and living in the humidor that is Oklahoma, I'll need some method of keeping them cool and dry in whatever secured storage method is best.

I'm thinking a biometric safe and some kind of moisture inhibitor. I'm very unfamiliar with all related aspects, however, and would greatly appreciate some advice.
 
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Get a tall gun safe and lay it flat like a footlocker, lift it off the floor with some 1" wood blocks or more if flood is a risk. You can even drape a rug over it it and it looks like a piece of furniture to anyone you don't want in the loop.

Start saving silica gel packs from anything you get and drop them in. Some places like pharmacies will even give away their excess to keep them out of landfill.
 
Honestly, a quality footlocker or something of the sort would be fine if it has capacity to be locked. You can get silica gel containers that are reusable (just toss em in the oven when they get soaked up) for relatively cheap. Theyre made in USA and I dont know anywhere to buy other than Lee Valley but maybe on the big river?
 
Sorry. Wrong place. Moving to Gadgets and Gear.
 
We're talking knives here, not guns. So, unless you have hundreds of blades, with a tight budget it seems like a big heavy safe might be overkill, and concealment would be a better theft deterrent for you than brute force. False bottom of a dresser drawer? Chest concealed under some sheets and washcloths in the linen closet?
 
GaiusJulius said:
We're talking knives here, not guns. So, unless you have hundreds of blades, with a tight budget it seems like a big heavy safe might be overkill, and concealment would be a better theft deterrent for you than brute force. False bottom of a dresser drawer? Chest concealed under some sheets and washcloths in the linen closet?
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Hmmm. I don't know if I could manage a hidey-hole somewhere. TBH, I was also thinking about something to store important documents which would have similar care requirements (low humidity, for one) so a safe still seems worthwhile. I don't have many tools available to me, so pretty much all of my options involve purchasing or easily rigging some variety of secure container. I suppose, though, that being inconspicuous is arguably just as good as being "secure"...
 
Renter's insurance and good record keeping on the value of all knives you own will likely protect you better than a safe. Just my take.
 
You could look into the Monster vault T1261 it's fits right under bed. You could also look at tacticalwalls as well for hiding right in plan sight. Either option would be easy enough to move if you decide to move. I would also second the renters insurance with good documentation and pics of all valuables. No matter what storage option you choose at least renters insurance will have your back if something were to happen.
 
Check craigslist for safes. You don't need a gunsafe, so you might be able to find a much smaller one that is fire or water proof.

Also, good idea about the insurance. Take pictures, videos and keep lists, including with serial numbers if they have them. BUT make sure to talk to your agent about it if they really are valuable. Most regular homeowners (and I assume renters) insurance covers valuables automatically up to a certain amount, say $2,000. But if you have a collection, you probably have to buy a special rider if they are particularly valuable. For example, my guns are covered automatically under my homeowners up to 2 or 3 thousand and since I just own a few old (not antique) rifles and shotguns and a couple of handguns they are covered. But if I had anything of any value, even a couple of tricked out ARs, I'd need a special rider. Also make sure you get a policy with Replacement value coverage, not just actual cash value (ACV). I don't know if that matters with collectible stuff, because maybe its actual cash value holds. But for stuff like televisions, etc., its like a used car. As soon as you take that big screen home its not worth what you paid for it anymore.
 
I usually go with a multi pronged approach to security.

First limit who knows about the items, this limits your collection from being targeted.

Second get insurance as others have mentioned, take pictures and get riders up to the actual replacement value. Many people worry about theft, but a tornado, fire, flood, or other catastrophe could remove a collection just as easily. Insurance covers those losses as well.

Any lock/safe can eventually be overcome, so you can get crazy expensive real fast chasing absolute security that doesn't really exist anyway. It's worth making an effort, but to build a bank vault to protect spare change is not the goal. I like to try to think about percentages, and limit it to 10% max. IE $2000 dollar collection, think about $200 dollar max for protection. That will easily pay for a simple insurance policy and a securely locking foot locker type box that can be disguised as blanket storage etc. A $10,000 collection would receive a much nicer setup with a thousand dollar budget.

Finally take care of the product. Best way is regular handling and inspection. Wipe down to remove oils from your skin, a light coating of oil if appropriate, and return to storage. (Especially if you collect older models that include celluloid) dehumidifiers are relatively cheap but need to be checked regularly.

Grizz
 
This is all very good advice and has given me quite a bit to consider. Thank you all very much.
 
When my uncle lived in Japan he had his cameras in a dehumidifier cabinet. Amazon sells them as do other places, I'm sure. They have locking doors but the ones, I've seen are glass. They might make them with solid doors.

Chad
 
Comeuppance said:
This is all very good advice and has given me quite a bit to consider. Thank you all very much.
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I had an awesome gun collection in a cheap safe and my house caught on fire and lost the whole collection. The safe did not burn down. The guns were still there. The patina Was lost. A lot of them you could see the heat damange. If I had a safe with a better fire rating it would have saved my collection. Just something to think about.
 
Hi, I had seen some nice 15" laptop safes one of them has the top opening. One can click here, to see the model and feature of the safes. They are providing Emergency openings by electronic override and manual key, Audit trail, Fully motorized with two locking bolts, User-friendly Keypad with Automatic keypad locking system when the incorrect combinations are tried out, Solid steel locking bolts and additional hinges for silky soft operation and many more.
 
There are many "fire proof safes" out there to suit your size and security needs. I used quotes because I'll estimate 95% of them are neither fireproof nor safes. You must base your protection purchase on what your perceived threats are. I have spent 10% of the value of my firearm collection on protection and I'm satisfied with that level.
 
My thoughts are buy what one can afford, always thinking about the risks at hand. If one has a highly valued collection of arms or a single piece that is valuable monetarily or sentimentally valuable to oneself, the purchase should be sufficient to meet the need.
 
Most safes are set up to be bolted to the floor and/or the wall. Access to the bolts is through the open safe. So you don't need an extra heavy safe to preclude removal.
 
tiguy7 said:
Most safes are set up to be bolted to the floor and/or the wall. Access to the bolts is through the open safe. So you don't need an extra heavy safe to preclude removal.
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I was about to write the same thing. Stack-On make what they call security cabinets. Nothing fancy, but they are less than $200. If they are bolted to the wall in a closet, it would be difficult to pry open because there wouldn't be a lot of room to work. If you want some fire protection, you would have to double the price. Safes can cost from around $30 to $$$$.

Mostly, they just keep honest people honest.

I don't know how many knives you have. You might check Walmart or COSTCO if there is one near you. Also, the big office supply stores usually carry safes.
 
Prioritize. theft, fire, available money. You will probably get more bang for your buck with a taller gun safe for fire protection. under bed slide out safe from amsec for just burglary. I use the kind of dehumid units that you just plug into the wall when they need refreshed. they are not costly and work well.
 
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