Hey there :)
Today we're gonna talk about safes for a bit. I meet a couple of these around, and I just want to say, "DONT". They are cheap, easily available, and not worth the price you pay for it.
So, come on in, and have fun :)
Here's one of the "safes", I sometimes see lurking around in private homes, and let me start by saying, I want to cry every time, especially when the home owner's like "Ohh, I bought a safe for my valuables, money, jewelry and so on, isn't it cool ?.."
I really don't want to be an asshole and disappoint people, but, I cant and wont lie to them, so usually I have to tell the that, no, I'm not impressed, and it has nothing to do with a safe, it's nothing more than a fancy lunchbox. And let me tell you why that is...
Let me start by presenting you with the Rockford S-25E. It's sold by different building supply stores where I live, for a and is prices around 50 US Dollars for this model, to 200 US Dollars for the large models. The sides are 2mm steel, and the door is 4 mm. There's an electronic keypad, a handle to throw the bolts. So, what about if the locks run out of battery ?. Let's look at the next picture.
Here we see there's a manual override lock, so you can get access if the batteries die. And that's the problem. That lock is either a wafer style lock, or a Tubular lock, that's the first problem. The next problem is that this safe can be opened if you slam it hard enough on top, the security latch holding the bolts will open, and let you in. I should say that not all of these safes can be opened that way, but some can, so it's worth a try.
Next, you can poke out the green led, and reach the security mechanism on the other side, and using a bent rod, reach the security latch that holds the bolt mechanism.
And, if you're feeling destructive, simply rip out the security lock, stick a finger in, and turn off the security mechanism holding the bolts.
Now, let's turn out attention to the locking mechanism for a bit.
The same vendor who sells the safe, also sells this kit. It's a replacement lock, complete with a set of keys. These safes are sometimes keyed-a-like, so every key fits every safe. These kit's costs around 10 US Dollars, so buy one and keep it in you keychain :)
Okish, all fun aside, let's turn to picking for a bit.
This is a tubular lock pick. This type of pick can be bough for around 100 USD for a good quality pick, this is a Southord pick. They come in two sizes, either seven, eight pins or ten pins, and can be bought seperately, or as a pair. For the Rockford, you'll need a 7 pin pick. If you look in the lock, and simply count the brass pins, you'll know how many pins there are, and what type of pick you'll need.
The problem with this is that, it takes NO skills to pick tubular locks using something like this. What you do is simply align the picks, using a flat surface and make sure they are aligned flush with the face of the pick, gently press it into the lock, and rock it back and forth, until you have impressioned the lock. Then you tighten down the knob, holding the pick pins in place, and turn the pick, and open the lock. Everybody can learn how to do this in minutes, so as you might have guessed, this type of locks, is no security at all.
For the more advanced picker, you'll need something like this. This is a tubular lock tensioning tool, this one is from Sparrows. With this you tension the lock in hand, and use a pick to feel around the pins and pick them one by one, until the lock opens. Or' simply use a bobbypin, it's good enough.
So, I hope you learned something, and hopefuly that is that these types of safes simply aren't good enough, they provide NO security at all. It's thirty minutes on Youtube, and you have gone through all the attack strategies for these safes, so everyone can do it, and the tools are no problem to buy, it's ten minutes on Google to find a supplier, so it's not hard at all.
So, go to a professional safe dealer, and be ready to throw some money after a good safe. You can get a small good professional safe here in Denmark for around 1000 USD, or 5000 Danish Kroner, and it's worth the investment if you really value your stuff. But, do remember that if people really want to get in, they will. It just depends on what they are prepared to do, how much noise they can make, and how long they want to spend on it. So, get a good alarm system, some good locks, and you should be okay, at least against the average criminal.
Much Happy Safe Picking