Hi
So I wanted to buy a new fireproof safe for my collection. I‘d appreciate any heads up for brands producing affordable fireproof safes.
Would be great if you could maybe share a link to the exact safe you are using 
Currently I have a fireproof box from Sentry Safes but looking for alternatives.
Thanks in advance
What size max are you thinking?
Sentry makes very nice small ones. Since I have the space I actually nest a couple smaller Sentry’s (1 and 2) inside a large Liberty.
The total fire rating is actually exponentially increased when putting a safe inside a safe. I use that for any cash and paper documents (ss cards, passports, marriage license etc.) as well as 4 figure valuables.
E.G. Two 30 minute rated safes are well over 60 minutes of protection though many would believe you just add them like that it isn’t correct. Think of it this way. If a safe is fire rated at 1400 F for 30 minutes that means that it will maintain paper safe temperatures (<350 F) inside the safe for 30 minutes in a 1400 F fire. Now after 30 minutes in a fire your large safe only has an internal temp of 350 F. Your small safe is rated for 30 minutes at 1400 F. Your large safe will likely never reach an internal temp of 1400 F and even if it did after hours your small safe can handle it for a further 30 minutes. You are likely looking at something more like 3+ hours fire safe time when nesting 30/30.
Note that I use the word “safe” when all these are really just fire lock boxes. A real b rate safe that has any reasonable burglar protection starts in the $5k+ range cost. These above are in the sub $100 range for Sentry and $500-$5,000 range for Liberty. They actually legally classify as “residential security containers”.
It all really depends on what your needs are. I really recommend anyone with a $5,000+ collection to at least get a small sentry linked for the top dollar cards. Anyone with $100,000+ should really look into real safes b rated or higher and/or off site insured storage.
Black Friday there are loads of deals coming up for anyone looking to add a firesafe/gunsafe.
The best deal I found and may be buying myself is a 24 gun safe from Tractor Supply Company for $300 this black Friday. Can’t go wrong for 30 minutes of fire protection at the cost of a single PSA 10 card or PSA 9 1st edition base. That baby would hold thousands of PSA slabs.
I can’t imagine there exists a better price per unit volume than that safe at about $17 per cubic foot sale price. Even at the retail $500 not a bad deal.
Not sure how much cubic feet but looking for a rather small one (for around 20 graded cards lol )
Thanks everyone, some helpful comments so far
I would opt for sentry #2 then. Works great for a small amount of cards. Will easily hold 20 and you can find them at wal-mart/lowes/home depot/target loads of different box stores for as cheap as $20 on the right day. Target actually ships it free for under $20 total which is surprising given the weight. As does amazon prime actually.
I’ve never seen another brand with anywhere near the stellar reviews for a fireproof box at that price point. Sentry pretty much owns that market.
Make sure to get one that bolts to the floor, no sense in having a safe if burglars can walk off with it.
That is all where the intent comes in. If you just want a fire safe box that will be infinitely better than a shoe box or a tote in the event of a fire then the $20 sentry is perfectly fine. As long as you understand in the event of a burglary it is just a convenience box.
If you need actual burglar protection even bolting a $100 or $1,000 “safe” to the floor isn’t going to stop anything. A crow bar maybe a hammer and 10 minutes any reasonably practiced burglar can be inside anything under $5,000 probably even if it is bolted to the floor. Watch some youtube videos on whatever you think may be safe and you realize how they aren’t at all. One equivalent to the $300 one I linked above was easily cracked in 40 seconds by two guys with crowbars. Since liberty made the video they showed how they couldn’t get into their own in 5 minutes but they weren’t really going at it that well and that was probably a $1,000 safe.
I have a Sentry Safe that fits around 50 PSA cards and 20 sealed boosters, plus miscellaneous important papers. I’ll look up what the full name is when I get home. A burglar could carry it off but I mainly got it for fire protection.
I looked at a ton of reviews, and a fair number of them actually recommended against the SentrySafe ones. Thesweethome/thewirecutter review was referenced a bunch.
With your collection Poke-Geri, I would recommend :
haha then I need a big house to fit the safe in
I have a Sentry Box now but it feels like they don‘t offer as good a protection as a bigger ‚real‘safe
Solution: Make the safe your house, making your house 100% fireproof and no need of a safe.
I get what you’re saying about the sentry safe though, I had the same issue when looking at bigger bulkier safes. The problem I constantly face when looking at more expensive (500$ or less) safes are the fact that they are still easily crackable, extremely heavy and I personally feel like it would attract attention in the event of a burglary. Honestly unless I am not home, in the event of a really bad fire a bigger safe won’t exactly last that long and gottaketchumall’s russian nesting doll safe idea seems like the best bet. In the event of a burglary, I don’t think the burglars will know the true value of your cards unless they are placed in some big, locked safe. Honestly if they are lying around I am pretty sure they will most likely go after your electronics or jewelry.
That’s my paranoid 2 cents though! 