I just read the great thread in this forum in which, among others, sturdy safes with 7 gauge steel and additional fire lining were compared to AMSEC BF 6030 and similar models. The AMSEC seems to have 11 gauge outer skin, almost 2 inches of "drylight" fire insulation, and then a 16 gauge inner skin (some thought the inner skin may a little thicker, such as 14 gauge). Opinions seemed to be that the two safes (Sturdy, AMSEC BF) provide equivalent burglary protection. I am down to comparing these two safes and have a question.
When it comes to cheaper safes with say 12 gauge steel, people seem quick to dismiss them as very easy to get into with a sledge hammer, or a pry bar or even a big screwdriver and hammer. A Sturdy safe with 7 gauge steel backed by fire lining is said to be much superior given the thicker steel, which makes sense to me. So how come the AMSEC with an outer layer of 11 gauge and drylight insulation is thought to provide equivalent protection to the sturdy with 7 gauge steel and fire lining? Won't the 11 gauge steel on the AMSEC, even backed by the drylight insulation, be about as easy to get into as a safe with 12 gauge steel and some drywall or other insulation backing? Will a sledge hammer or pry bar really be deterred by that drylight behind the relatively thin steel? More to the point in comparing Sturdy and AMSEC BF, I guess I am having a hard time understanding how the thin layers of sheet metal and drylight on AMSEC together provide equivalent burglary protection to the Sturdy 7 gauge steel with firelining. It seems like the Sturdy safes should provide a lot more burglary protection, given the 7 gauge vs. 11 gauge skins, both backed by fire lining.
Thanks a lot for considering this question.
When it comes to cheaper safes with say 12 gauge steel, people seem quick to dismiss them as very easy to get into with a sledge hammer, or a pry bar or even a big screwdriver and hammer. A Sturdy safe with 7 gauge steel backed by fire lining is said to be much superior given the thicker steel, which makes sense to me. So how come the AMSEC with an outer layer of 11 gauge and drylight insulation is thought to provide equivalent protection to the sturdy with 7 gauge steel and fire lining? Won't the 11 gauge steel on the AMSEC, even backed by the drylight insulation, be about as easy to get into as a safe with 12 gauge steel and some drywall or other insulation backing? Will a sledge hammer or pry bar really be deterred by that drylight behind the relatively thin steel? More to the point in comparing Sturdy and AMSEC BF, I guess I am having a hard time understanding how the thin layers of sheet metal and drylight on AMSEC together provide equivalent burglary protection to the Sturdy 7 gauge steel with firelining. It seems like the Sturdy safes should provide a lot more burglary protection, given the 7 gauge vs. 11 gauge skins, both backed by fire lining.
Thanks a lot for considering this question.