Almost every potential safe buyer is always in one perpetual dilemma while buying a safe- should he go for the good old traditional safes or settle with the modern digital ones? Traditional safes have been around for ages and have duly stood the test of time. On the other hand, the digital safes have earned our faith with their state-of-the-art security features. So, which one would be “the one” for your home or office?
Well, before getting into any further discussion, let’s have a quick overview on the both the types of safes.
Traditional safes
Traditional safes are basically mechanical safes. Most of them host the convenient lock-and-key process where you would just need a key to unlock the safe. However, modern variations of mechanical safes come with dial lock system. This is a system of combination lock featuring combination dial attached to spindle. There is no regular lock-and-key system here. One has to come up with the right combination (pre-determined) to open the safe.
Digital safes
These are electronic safes which work on number combination. But, instead of a combination dial as mentioned above, you will find an easily legible keypad here. The user here would have to press on the right sequence of numbers to open the safe and access his valuables. The sequence will be pre-set by the user. Although both mechanical safes and digital safes today work on combination system yet the latter is always easier to operate. The traditional dial lock system involves a more time-consuming process. Also, the numbers on dial locks are always tiny and harder to read.
Besides, with traditional mechanical safes, you are just limited to 4-10 number combinations. But, with a digital safe, there could be as many as 1 million combinations.
Now that we have got an overview of the both the safes, let’s check the possibilities and shortcomings of both the safes.
Which one offers more security?
When it comes to the scope of greater security, a digital safe wins over a traditional one hands down. How? Well, for starters, digital safes carry the possibility of nearly 1 million combinations. It only means, a thief will be spoilt for choices while guessing the right combination to break into a digital safe. According to experts, it will take decades of attempts even for a professional thief to guess the right combination of a digital lock. Besides, users here can change the pass code anytime they wish to. So, a digital safe lock may not necessarily respond to its first combination after, say, 10 years. And that makes the job even more difficult for a thief.
On the other hand, it’s comparatively easier for a smart thief to guess the right number combination of a traditional mechanical safe. In this case, you only have just a few combinations to guess. So, it makes the job more manageable for a thief. In regards to traditional safes that can be opened with keys, well, keys can be easily stolen or copied.
Then, digital safes are generally made of sturdier materials compared to traditional safes. You will often find them with motorised shooting features, reinforced hinges, bolts and other advanced features for added security.
Besides, mention must be made of the alarm and auto-freeze features of digital safes. These safes are designed to trigger a sharp alarm if there are repeated failed attempts to open the lock. This way, users get alerted about the presence of an unauthorized person near their safes. Not only that, the advanced digital safes can auto-freeze the lock keypad after a set number of failed attempts.
You don’t have such advanced facilities with a traditional safe.
Which one is easier to operate?
Well, a digital safe scores over a traditional one in ease of operability as well.
First, numbers of dial lock are very minute and hence takes time to read. If the user wears prescription glasses he can’t read the numbers without them. This way, a traditional safe is not exactly a breeze to read. Again, with a dial lock system, the number combination is set by the factory. The user can’t change it as per his own will and he will always need a locksmith to reset the pass combination.
But, you don’t have such hassles with a digital safe. You can set and reset the lock combination of a digital lock whenever you want to. Put simply, you do not need a locksmith to set or customise the number combination of your digital safe.
Which one is easier to maintain?
Now, this is one point where a traditional mechanical safe gains an upper hand over a digital safe. As digital safes are battery-operated, you would have to replace the battery after a certain point of time. In other words, if you don’t replace the battery after a stipulated time, the safe will stop functioning unless you get a new battery.
On the other hand, traditional mechanical safes do not run on battery. There is no question of getting locked out here due to expired batteries. It makes traditional safes more convenient to maintain.
The good and bad of both the safes
Before you weigh your options with both the types of safes, let’s have a quick summary on the pros as well as the cons of both traditional safes and digital safes.
Digital safes
The Pros
• Assures easier and faster access to your valuables inside the safe in comparison to traditional options
• Despite convenient access for users, a digital safe poses extreme difficulty to get in for an unauthorized user
• Excellent manipulation resistance as there could be millions of probable lock combinations here
• Theoretically, it may take around 25+ years for an unauthorized user to open a digital safe
• Digital locks are armed with non-volatile memory which enables them to retain pass code or configuration even when you replace or take out their battery
• Lock keypad is usually backlit which assures easy read of the numbers even at dark
• Will trigger an alarm on repeated entry of wrong pass codes
• Blocks unauthorized entry after a particular number of failed attempts
• Users can change pass code easily whenever they wish to
• Removal of keypad doesn’t allow access to valuables inside the safe
• Lock can be serviced by users only
The Cons
• Batteries should be changed at regular intervals, say every six months to one year
• If the batteries expire inside, user will face temporary lockout
• More expensive than traditional or mechanical safes
Traditional/Mechanical safes
The Pros
• As they don’t carry any electrical part, you don’t need power source or battery to operate these safes
• Mechanical safes generally have a longer lifespan
• More economical option compared to advanced digital safes
The cons
• Slow operation
• Doesn’t allow easy access to valuables in times of emergencies
• Professional thieves can crack the safe combination in less than 30 minutes
• You will need professional maintenance in case the tumbler of the mechanical lock gets misaligned
• As the safe lock code is always set by the lock factory, it’s usually difficult to remember
• Users can’t change the code themselves and have to seek the help of a locksmith here
So, which one should you go for?
Finally, we have come to the basic point where we had started off in the first place. So, which one would you go for – a traditional safe or a digital one?
Before drawing the conclusion, let’s bring forth the main purpose of using a safe: the safest storage of your valuables. Based on the discussions above, a digital safe proves to be a way safer option compared to a traditional one. Moreover, it also gains an upper edge in terms of ease of operability. Yes, there is no denying of the fact that digital safes demand more maintenance. But, then, today you also get advanced digital safes with low battery alert to make the job easier for you.
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