We now live in an age where home security is big concern. With over 250,000 reported burglaries in England and Wales in 2022, keeping our homes and belongs safe is something that we all need to consider. Home security is more than securing the windows and doors with better locks or adding security lighting and alarms to keep people out. It also means securing your valuables, such as cash as jewellery and other important items, whilst inside the house. Our homes are packed with valuable items, monetary and sentimental, so keeping them safe and secure is a must and a great way to secure those small items is with a home safe. Depending on what you want to secure and how to do it will depend on the safe you need to purchase, but if you just want something basic for small items then a small mechanical steel safe is perfect for the job.
The Mechanical A5 Steel Safe is a robust, solidly constructed, compact, strong and secure safe that is perfect for the home or home office. It is a basic safe that is secure and needs a key to open. It has no cash rating or insurance rating so isn’t for storing a large amount of cash or jewellery but is perfect for home needs to store small amounts of cash and valuables.
Contents:
- Mechanical A5 Steel Safe
- 3x Keys (Argos say 2 keys but mine came with a spare)
- Internal Floor Mat
- Rawlbolts
- Instruction Book
This grey coloured mechanical safe is constructed of steel and has a mechanical key lock. It has external measurements of H20xW31xD20cm with an internal size of H19.6xW30.6xD14cm, suitable for A5-sized documents. Its concealed hinges, double locking steel bolts, 4mm thick door and 2mm thick steel walls make it strong and sturdy. For additional security, it can be floor or wall mounted and comes with the fixing bolts required. It has an 8.4 litre capacity and weights 6.5kg.
This secure steel box comes supplied with rawlbolts that allow you to fix it to the wall or floor for added security (it then can’t be picked up and carried off). It is relatively simple to do if you want to secure it.
The floor on the inside of the safe is lined with a soft fabric mat to stop the contents getting scratched or scuffed.
With its 8.4 litre capacity it has plenty of internal space to store small items: paperwork, passports, cash, jewellery, etc. and it is very solidly constructed. It comes supplies with 3 keys (don’t store spare keys in the safe as they cannot be replaced and are all unique to that safe).
Overall, I think that this is a very good solid and secure basic safe to protect valuables. It has plenty of room inside and is easy to open with the key. It is a basic value safe so is not fireproof or waterproof, does not have an audible alarm and has no cash/insurance rating but does keep everything nice and secure. It is easy to secure to the wall or the floor and even comes with the fixings to do so.
For basic home or home office needs I think that this is a perfect value for money safe that is secure. But before you purchase any safe, you do need to consider your budget, size and protection level
- Size of Safe – make a list of what you want to store in it and where you are going to put it, that should make it easier to decide what size safe you need.
- Cash Rating – safes come with various cash ratings, or none at all. You need to decide what you are storing and for what reason. If storing cash and jewellery your insurance company may require you install a safe with a cash rating of a certain level. Check your insurance policy, but these safes generally need to be professional installed.
- Entry Method – do you want a key lock or digital code entry? If you can’t remember pin codes then you might need one with a key lock, if you are always losing keys a pin entry one might suit you better. Or better still, get one with both.
- Fireproof or Not – not all safes are fireproof. Again it depends on what you are storing and for what reason, you need to make a decision on whether you go for a value safe or a better fireproof one (they generally offer 30 to 60 minutes of fire protection).
For standard home use, I think that this is excellent for the needs of most people. It is secure and strong and can’t be opened without the key. For added security it can also be easily secured to the wall or floor. For a basic value safe it performs very well. And the low price makes it a great investment for your home security measures.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £40
Available to buy from Argos here.