Sentry Safes Give Some Peace and Protection in Today's Tough Economic Times

Many people are purchasing Sentry Safes during these tough economic times to protect their cash and other valuables. But, some obvious questions arise. Do these safes actually do the job they are meant to? Usually this means, do they protect from fire? What sort of ratings are used on safes? Why should I use a safe at all? In this article I will point to some national trends and attempt to briefly address some of these questions.

In a recent real world test, a CBS TV station in Phoenix, in conjunction with the Phoenix Fire Department, put two safes through a severe test of endurance. They put one of the Sentry safes and a Honeywell safe under high heat for 10 minutes. This replicates the average home fire. Before they started the fire, they loaded common items into the safes that are typically stored in them. The included a flash drive, some CD's and DVD's, some cash and other important paper documents, and a bit of jewelry. After the fire was put out, they opened up the Honeywell safe and discovered that the contents were completely charred and ruined. However, when they opened the Sentry safe they found the contents entirely intact and unharmed by the heat of the flames. Wow!

In a statement from Sentry Safes, they said that their safe was one that was rated "fire safe". In a statement from Honeywell, they said that their safe was only rated as "fire retardant". This may seem unfair to Honeywell, but the point to take away is that when you are shopping for a safe you have to pay close attention to the labeling so that you know how the safe is actually rated. In all fairness to Honeywell, they also make "fire safe" safes, the one in the test was designed more for security.

As mentioned earlier, people are purchasing safes more now than ever. Doug Brush, the owner of Sentry safes, reported recently that they have seen a 30% increase in sales, and spikes some months up to 50%. He attributes this increase to people's concern with failing banks and a falling stock market. People want to keep some of their cash and other valuables in their direct control. And this certainly beats storing cash in an old mattress or in the cookie jar. There are many quality safes to choose from and Sentry safes is proud to be among the best in the industry.

In another report done by CNN, it was reported that consumer satisfaction with Sentry safes was among the highest in the industry. In fact, they also said that more and more people are keeping their valuables in safes, especially in parts of the country where failing financial institutions are more common. The types of things people are storing indicate, according to the CNN report, just how deep their economic fears run. They tend to store cash and gold.

Safes like those from Sentry are not just for jewelers and the wealthy anymore. More and more commercial quality safes are being purchased by average homeowners. It is also interesting to note that there has been a marked increase in the sale of home security systems as well. So, if you want to protect some valuables at home, or at the office, jumping on the band wagon may not be such a bad idea. Be sure to watch the way safes are rated and labeled. Get one that is "fire safe" and your things will likely be able to survive the worst.