Comparison TECHNOMAX TE/3 vs SAFEtronics STR 20LG

The volume of the interior space of the safe. Usually this parameter is indicated taking into account the safe-in-safe and other additional internal compartments. The amount of content that can be placed inside directly depends on the volume; on the other hand, it affects the external dimensions and weight of the storage.

The country where the safe is made as an entire product. For example, if a factory in Bulgaria takes a “box” welded in China and puts a German lock in it, then Bulgaria is indicated as the country of origin.

It is worth noting that the quality of the safe does not much depend on this parameter — generally it is worth looking rather not at the country of origin, but at the brand and price category of the product.

Now there are such safe-manufacturing countries on the market: Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, China, USA, Slovakia, France, South Korea.

A parameter that characterizes the degree of resistance of the safe to burglary - that is, direct damage to the door or wall in order to gain access to the contents.

Safes manufactured in different countries have different certifications for burglary resistance. So, in accordance with the Ukrainian standard DSTU EN 1143-1:2019, there are 13 classes of burglary resistance of safes. The same number of gradations are available in the ECB-S marking, which is assigned to safes by the European Security Systems Association (ESSA). The classification covers not only resistance to damage, but also the tear resistance of an anchored safe, and bracing is required to classify safes weighing less than a one ton (see below). Pull-off resistance is simply determined by the force required to remove it from the mount; this force is indicated in newtons, 10 N corresponds approximately to a force of 1 kg. To assess the resistance to damage there are so-called resistance units (Ru) - breaking time multiplied by the coefficient of resistance of the tool used. For each type of tool, the coefficients are different - for example, from 1 to 5 for a chisel, 5 for an electric drill, etc. For example, if a control sample of a safe of a certain model was cracked by a drill in 4 minutes, then its resistance to cracking is 20 Ru. Note that the check is carried out in two versions - for full and partial access to the contents of the safe; when assigning a class, both results are taken into accou...nt, they are often written as "partial/full resistance", for example 120/180.

Now there are safes on the market with the following burglary resistance classes: H0 class, Class 0, Class I, Class II< /a>, Class III. Safes with a higher burglar resistance class (Class IV, V class, Class VI, Class VII, Class VIII) are much less common.

Detailed data for each class can be found directly in the regulatory documentation. For example, here are the first three classes:

— H0 class (“below zero”). Minimum burglary resistance class to be certified. Requires a resistance of at least 15 Ru for both access options, and a pull force of at least 50 kN.
- 0 class. Safes with a resistance of at least 30/30 Ru and a pull force of 50 kN or more.
- I class. Models with a resistance of at least 50/30 Ru and a breakout force of 50 kN. The minimum class for safes classified in our catalog as burglar-resistant (see "Product Type").
There are also more burglary-resistant models on the market - up to class VIII.

The burglary resistance class is confirmed by a certificate issued by state bodies for technical regulation and standardization. The validity period of the certificate is limited, and usually it is much less than the time during which this or that model is produced. Therefore, safes are regularly re-certified. For a number of reasons, new results may differ from previous results and correspond to a different resistance class than that recorded in the outdated certificate. Therefore, over time, the class of the same model may change even if the quality of the safes themselves remains unchanged.

The number and types of locks provided in the design of the safe for locking the main compartment.

— Key. Locks that can be opened/closed in the classical way with a key. The key is convenient in use that you do not have to remember the digital combination. In addition, such a lock is extremely easy to use, and also makes it easier to manage access to the safe: if necessary, the key can be given to another person, and taking it away can deprive him of access without having to reconfigure the lock. On the other hand, the key can be lost or stolen, with corresponding unpleasant consequences; and the danger of opening with a master key should not be ruled out (although in most cases it is rather difficult).

— Mechanical combination. A mechanical combination lock that can be opened with a numerical code. The code is usually entered by turning a special drum. This type compares favourably with the key one due, in fact, to the absence of a key — to open it, it is enough to know a combination of numbers. On the other hand, the combination requires reliable memory, and the code fixed “just in case” on paper or other media can be not only lost or stolen, but also read without the knowledge of the owner. In addition, the procedure for working with the lock itself is quite complicated and can cause difficulties if you are not used to it. It is also worth considering that some models of such locks...do not provide the code changing; this point should be clarified when buying.

— Electronic. A lock controlled by electronic circuits and opened with a numerical cipher. Such locks are similar to the mechanical devices described above — but instead of a wheel, they are equipped with conventional numeric keypads, which greatly simplifies the operation. Also, the use of electronics instead of mechanics provides a number of other advantages: the cipher can be easily changed, its length can be longer, the built-in display allows you to control the correctness of the input, etc. Of the significant cons of such locks, it is worth mentioning perhaps the need for power supply, but for a number of reasons this moment does not play a decisive role.

Note that some safes are equipped with locks of different types — usually key and electronic. This makes storage more versatile. Also, individual compartments may differ by type of locks (see "Number of compartments").

— Biometric (fingerprint). A kind of electronic locks, that use the user's fingerprint instead of a key. This option is extremely convenient due to the fact that the user does not need to carry a key with him (at the risk of losing it or being forced to intruder) or remember a numerical combination — he can open the lock by simply placing his finger on the sensor, while the opening of safe will not take a place with the fingerprints of an intruder. Most biometric locks are capable of storing multiple fingerprints in memory, which allows access to multiple people at once and provides additional security in case of failure.

This paragraph indicates the manufacturer of the safe lock.

The size of safe regarding its external dimensions. These figures will allow you to estimate how much space the safe takes up and whether it will fit into the intended installation location. Of course, greater capacity implies larger dimensions.

Dimensions of the interior space of the safe. Note that in our catalog this parameter is indicated without a safe-in-safe, ammo compartment (see below) or other additional compartment provided inside.

This parameter directly determines the internal volume (see below). In addition, with the internal dimensions are known, you can determine whether this or that object will fit inside; this is especially important if you plan to use the safe for large items (for example, large-format documents that cannot be folded) — after all, in different models, the dimensions on three sides can vary significantly even with the same capacity.

The wall thickness of the door is meant the thickness of a separate metal sheet used in its construction. The use of this parameter is due to the fact that some safes may have voids in metal doors filled with air or a special filler (this is especially true for fireproof models, see "Product Type"). And since the most durable material of the safe door is usually metal, it is the wall thickness that largely determines the overall burglary resistance of the product.

Do not confuse this parameter with the total thickness of the door (see above). For clarity, we can take this example: if a safe door consists of a filler layer of 10 mm with sheets of metal of 5 mm on both sides, then the total thickness of the door will be 20 mm, while the wall thickness is only 5 mm.

The thickness of the metal sheet used to make the sides and back of the safe body. Do not confuse this parameter with the total body thickness (see above), these values may not match. For example, if the safe has a filler layer between two sheets of metal (which is typical for fireproof models, see “Product Type”), then the total thickness will correspond to the total thickness of all materials, and the wall thickness will correspond to the dimensions of one of the metal sheets. Since that metal plays the main role in burglary protection (fillers have a different purpose), the reliability of the safe largely depends on the thickness of the walls.