A common question that confronts security minded individuals is what level of protection they should look for in a burglary safe. In general there are two major choices – the less expensive, less secure Underwriter Laboratories (UL) residential security container (RSC) designation and the substantially more expensive, more secure UL TL-15 label.
The UL RSC tag certifies that a safe has resisted forcible entry through the door for at least 5 minutes by an experienced UL safecracker using common hand tools. The UL RSC certification is a very broad designation, meaning there are excellent, highly secure RSC safes and mediocre RSC safes, but there are no bad, shoddy RSC safes. The RSC label is usually found on burglary safe products intended for residential or home use.
Although the RSC test only lasts five minutes, this time only includes “tools on the safe”. The testing clock stops immediately once the UL technician pauses his attack for any reason. The safecracker conducting the test can also freely consult with his very experienced UL colleagues on the best way to attack the safe. In addition, the safe manufacturer must provide detailed schematics of the safe’s design well in advance of the test, so any design flaws are easily spotted and exploited. Very few firms’ safe designs pass the grueling UL RSC test on the first attempt.
In contrast, the Underwriter Laboratories TL-15 rating signifies that a safe has withstood door entry for at least 15 minutes by a team of two highly trained UL employees using brutally efficient hand and power tools. As demanding as the UL RSC testing procedure is, the TL-15 test is far more punishing. Although TL-15 safes are primarily intended for commercial applications, they are often purchased by individuals looking for the highest security possible. There are even higher TL-rated safes available, including the TL-30, TL-15×6 and the TL-30×6.
So here is our dilemma. Does it make sense to stick with a high quality RSC burglary safe, or should you open your wallet and spend more money on a higher security TL-15 burglary safe? In order to properly answer this question, we will first have to examine the different hand tool safe cracking methods that criminals commonly use to break into burglary safes.
The first hand tool safe cracking strategy a burglar typically employs is trying to remove the entire, intact safe from the residence. Then he can take his time opening it back at his lair. Surprisingly, weight is not a significant deterrent to this endeavor. Even high security safes well in excess of 1,000 pounds have been stolen in this manner. Thieves have no compunctions about damaging or destroying your home and have been known to push safes down stairs or throw them out windows.
The only way to prevent a burglar carrying off your safe is to make sure it is properly installed. This means the unit must be bolted down to either a solid concrete floor or to the floor joists under a carpeted or hardwood floor. Anything less is putting your valuables into a conveniently-sized metal box for a criminal to carry off.
If a burglar fails to remove a properly secured safe, the dreaded pry attack is usually next on the hand tool safe cracking list. This involves shoving a screwdriver, crowbar, wedge or pry bar between the door and the frame of a safe and then applying leverage to try to force the door open. Pry attacks succeed when the frame and door flex enough to pop the locking bolts free. Alternatively, a pry attack can also collapse the boltwork support in a safe’s door, causing it to open.
Some safe manufacturers, particularly gun safe makers, try to counter pry attacks by adding 3-way or even 4-way active boltwork. This means that bolts extend from every side of the safe door to engage the frame, making prying more difficult in theory. However, excessive numbers of bolts are just a way to compensate for a poor safe design. A well engineered safe does not need more than 2 to 5 bolts to successfully resist even the most aggressive pry attacks.
Sledgehammers are often used in conjunction with wedges or crowbars to make pry attacks more effective. It also isn’t uncommon for burglars with a sledgehammer to simply beat on a safe hoping it will fail. Although this might seem like a very crude way to open a safe, it can be surprisingly effective, especially on cheap, low-end safes. Low-quality safes often have spot welds instead of more expensive, more secure continuous welds. As a result, a cheap safe can literally come apart at the seams during a sledgehammer attack.
Another hand tool safe cracking method that deserves mention is the peel attack. This can be used in combination with either hand tools or power tools. In both instances, an initial tool is used to break a weld seam or cut a slit in the side of the safe. Then the steel, if thin enough, is “peeled” back, revealing the interior of the safe.
Peel attacks can be very effective against cheap safes using thin steel, but become much less effective once a safe has steel walls that are about 1/8″ thick (11 gauge) or thicker. Low quality, imported gun safes are particularly vulnerable to peel attacks, while high-security composite safes are generally immune to this type of attack.
One reason pry and sledgehammer attacks are so common is that these tools are multi-taskers. A burglar can easily use them to illicitly gain entry through locked doors and windows or even use them as weapons against an enraged dog or homeowner in a pinch. So when a burglar is finally inside a residence and finds a juicy-looking burglary safe, these are the tools he has at his side. Even if a burglar doubts he’ll be able to open a safe he finds, most will still be compelled to give it a try in many instances.
Hand tool safe cracking can be shockingly effective against cheaply made safes. The $500 gun safes that are found in the aisles of big box stores all over the country are especially vulnerable. To meet the low price points, these safes are almost all imported from China. Often the same Chinese factory churns out nearly identical safes and simply slaps different company logos on them for export purposes. In addition, these cheap safes skimp on protection, often only having a 12 gauge steel (0.1046 inches thick) skin or thinner. Buyer beware – these cheap safes are often easily compromised by burglars.
Read part II of this article: Understanding Power Tool Safe Cracking
