At ACME Locksmith we sell safes, repair and work on all kinds of safes. One frequent question we get is, “I don’t have the combination to my safe, what do I do?”
The safe combination may have been lost, may be locked inside the safe (it happens more often than you’d think) or the owner may have recently discovered that there is a safe in the home they just purchased and they want to use it (this is common with in-floor safes). Read more
If you’re in the market to buy a safe what should you look for? Is the cheapest safe the best safe? Big-box stores like Costco carry large safes for under $700. But what do you get for that money?
Check out this quick video clip that shows what you get when you buy a discount safe. Is this what you want protecting your money and collections? I took this video at my local Costco.
There are 5 major things to consider Read more
Jump to:
Traditional Mechanical Safe Dials
Electronic Safe Locks
Dual Safe Locks with Dial and Electronic Opening
When we sell a safe online (check out our safes for sale) of the choices given to customers is what type of lock they want on the safe. Interestingly, I was born in 1967 and home computers starting making their debut while I was in high school. People older than prefer electronic locks while people younger Read more
Unfortunately, this home was recently lost to the Carr Fire in Redding, Ca. Upon returning the owners discovered complete devastation. The house had burned HOT and was still smoldering several days later.
But then…there was this safe…still standing… Read more
There has always been a big hole in product offerings in the safe industry–small yet secure safes. So customers with small spaces have always had to choose between size or security. It’s just plain hard to build security into a small safe and keep the price point down. Anytime someone walked into our shop and said, “I want a small safe, but it has to be fire rated and burglary rated,” I knew I was in for trouble. We didn’t have any, no one did. But there is a big demand for a small yet secure safe, especially for jewelry.
Now, we have an solution we can be proud of. The first affordable, small home safe we carry that has a 3/8 inch solid steel plate in the door, inner locking bolts, anti-punch bolt work, and more. Though small, this safe is burglary rated and is built as tough as the larger safes. The security features are incredible! Read more
This great safe by Hollon has just been updated to provide even more fire protection! Amazing value for the price point with light kit, power, and door organizer. From 16 to 45 “comfort fit” long gun capacity. At this price point, it is the easy winner of similar brands like the Champion and Liberty safes. Read more
Dial locks vs electronic locks? The debate lives on. One is entirely mechanical; the other much easier to use. But there are myths associated with both. I find I am a great test for which lock a customer will prefer. Computers hit my high school when I was in 12th grade. People older than me, like the mechanical dial. They don’t particularly trust the electronic lock. People younger than me though grew up with electronic technology and generally prefer the ease of use of the electronic lock.
If you’re ready for an electronic lock. Check out our article on Electronic Safe Lock Features available on on our blog page. Or Shop our Electronic Locks if you’re ready to buy.
Myth: Mechanical locks don’t fail.
Reality: They do. Without regular maintenance the combinations of those locks tend to drift with time and at some point, the owner can no longer get in. For example, if one of your numbers is “45” and you notice you have to dial “45 1/2” instead of “45” it’s time to get your safe dial serviced before it’s too late.
Myth: If my batteries die, I’m locked out of an electronic safe.
Reality: Most new safes have the batteries placed in the face plate on the outside of the safe. Those that don’t either have temporary ways to get power to the keypad or a key override.
Myth: Electronic locks fail too often, and I’ll be in for costly repairs later.
Reality: We see both types of safe locks fail. The main advantage for an electronic lock is that if the electronics on the keypad do fail, most can simply be swapped out by the owner of the safe. You don’t even need a locksmith in this case. If a dial fails, you are definitely hiring a locksmith to drill and repair the safe.
Myth: An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) will wipe out me electronic lock.
Reality: You can now get EMP-rated electronic locks that can withstand EMPs.
And what about finger print scan technology you might ask? We don’t like them and we don’t recommend them in most cases. We see them often result in false negatives (a registered user not being able to get into the safe) or false positives (a non-register user getting into the safe). You see biometric locks a lot in the cheaper brands of safes. If you’re paying $300 for the entire safe how good do you think the finger-scan technology can be? The only exception we have seen to this are locks from a German company Burg Wachter that uses them in their high-end jewelry rated safes. They are the only fingerprint safe locks we sell.
With today’s technology, ACME Locksmith’s recommendation is to go for the ease of use of an electronic safe lock. And if you’re tired of all that left-right-left stuff with your current dial safe, we can assist you in replacing that dial with an electronic lock so you can get into your safe quickly. We prefer electronic locks for two reasons:
Ready for an electronic lock? Check out the features available on digital safe locks on our blog page Types of Safe Locks.
Scottsdale Award Program Honors the Achievement
Scottsdale, March 2016 — ACME Locksmith has been selected for the 2015 Best Businesses of Scottsdale Award in the Keys & Locksmiths category by the Best Businesses of Scottsdale Award Program.
Each year, the Best Businesses of Scottsdale Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Scottsdale area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2015 Best Businesses of Scottsdale Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Best Businesses of Scottsdale Award Program and data provided by third parties.
“Our newest lock shop in Scottsdale is quickly becoming Scottsdale’s go to place for keys, safes and locksmith services,” said Robert Vallelunga, Owner of ACME Locksmith. “We couldn’t be more proud of the Scottsdale team.”
About ACME Locksmith
ACME Locksmith has been serving Phoenix since 1997 and in 2014 merged with Scottsdale Lock & Key. Scottsdale Lock & Key had been operating a lock shop in Scottsdale since the 1970s. This is their first award and recognition for exceptional success for locksmith service.
Do you think that safe you bought at a big box store is protecting your valuables? It’s not and even manufacturer of the safe will tell you it’s not. Read more
At ACME Locksmith, we sell quality safes. That’s why we were shocked to see the quality of this safe at one of those big box stores. To be sold cheap, they have to be made cheap. When you want an american made or quality import safe, visit us at http://shop.acmelocksmith.com.
