Frequently asked questions concerning key safes

As with all products the market matures over time so that a range of products become available at various price points. Since the first outdoor Key safe with combination code was introduced to the market by General Electric (GE), subsequently marketed under the Supra and Kidde brands, in the united states, many years have now passed and the keysafe witgh combination code has evolved to cover many more sectors of the market.

The first model of outdoor key safe with code marketed by GE / Supra / Kidde was the S5. This outdoor key safe featured a user changable, 10 digit push button combination which can be changed when the owner requires. This secure key safe is still popular today and is made of a solid metal construction with a removable door. This outdoor key safe was protected from the elements by a full size neoprene cover that not only protected the keysafe from the elements but also acted as a disquise for the key box as, when the cover is in place, it resembles nothing more than an electrical junction box. The Supra / Kidde S5 key safe has changed very little to this day.

In addition to the S5l wall mounted, push button combination key safe first introduced by GE / Supra / kidde, there are now many, many more options on the market. As a mature product, budget key safes, middle range keysafes and top of the range key safes are all available. There are also other variations of the product so that push button and wheel combination systems are available, as well as wall mounted, padlock style, magenetic keysafes and secure keysafes for cars.
Although some manufacturers offer various key safes across the whole range, in general specific manufacturers tend to concentrate on one part of the market.

• Budget Key safes :
  We stock a range of buget keysafes from manufacturers such as Masterlock. These safes tend to not have seperate covers, they tend to have have wheel combinations and they tend to be lighter than more expensive key safes. Whilst weight is not a determining factor in the quality of an outdoor key safe, it is noticeable that in general, weight increases dramatically with price.
• Mid-range Key safes :
  Mid range key safes tend to have full covers and can have either wheel or push button combinations. Manufacturers in this category include Masterlock, Yale and Burton.
• Top of the Range keysafes :
  The secure keysafes in this range have full covers and tend to be the heaviest and most secure. Supra / Kidde dominate this category with their C500 key safe with is approved and recommended by the police in the UK and is considered to be the best key safe being very secure and easy to use.

Secure outdoor key safes now exist in a number of formats to suite every need.

The first key safe, The Kidde s5, made it possible to store keys where they are need by attaching the wall mounted key safe to the wall of a house. Other situations, however, required different solutions, perhaps because it was not possible to to attach it to the solid wall of a house. It was therefore a logical progression to develop models that would be suitable for other environments. If for example you have a building where you do not have the ability to attach a keysafe to the wall, then perhaps a padlock style keysafe could offer the solution. When people wanted to store their car keys with their vehicle but were unhappy to leave the keys on top of a tyre as had been the standard for many years, then a car key safe model was developed.

It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention, and as the necessity to store keys securely in a variety of different setting became apparent, key safes were developed to resolve any issues.

The original wall mounted key safe, the Kidde s5, continues to be a very popular model. Outdoor Key safes are designed to be fixed to a solid, flat surface, usually the wall of a house, by using 4 screws are this version of the outdoor key safe remains by far the largest sector of the market. These secure key safes are very well adapted to familly use and many homes now have one to hold a spare key which is especially useful for school age children . Keysafes in this category may use the original push button combinations favoured by GE/Supra/Kidde or a 4 wheel combination favoured by Masterlock.

When deciding between a push button combination or a 4 wheel combination which is better ?

The push button combinations have a significant advantage in security terms over the wheel based combination. A push button combination allows any of the keys (there are usually 10 or 12 keys using digits 0 through 9 and A or B) giving a large number of possible combinations. One of the reasons for the large number of possibilities is that with these type of safes the code can be anything from no digits (no code set) to all 12 digits set. With a 4 wheel combination we know the code is always 4 digits so there are 9,999 combination. This is a significant number of possible combinations but much, much less than the possible variations of the push button codes.

The outdoor key safe with push button codes do have a disadvantage over the wheel combination in that almost all of these safes have doors which completely detach. This allows the user to easily manage all of the 10 or 12 digits that can make up the code, but does mean that when using the code you have to enter the code to open the door, then enter it again when you wish to replace the door. In this respect wheel combination safes are easier to use as the code is input once to open then scrambled again only after the door is closed.

The only exception to this is the police approved Supra C500 pro key safe which is a push button combination that has a hinged door. This does not require the code to be reinput in order to close the door.

The other main variation between the various outdoor wall mounted safes is the cover. The original GE/Supra/Kidde s5 had a detachable neoprene cover that conceals the entire unit. This makes the S5 very weather proof and also hides the safe from any casual observer. Most push button safes have full size covers.

The wheel combination safes tend to have a small door that covers only the combination wheels. This means that they can have problems with ice forming on the safe in very low temperatures and also means that these safes are not as discrete as those with a full neoprene cover.

The padlock key safes were originally developed for use by estate agents where they were to be temporarily attached to a railing, door handle or such like. The concept was that the padlock would be attached securely to a bar or equivalent (or even a cable looped around something solid) in the same way as a padlock. To set and release the 'u' of the padlock fixing, the safe must be opened using the combination, then the connecting bar can be opened.

There are a number of different models in this category. As with the wall mounted keysafes, there are push button and wheel combination versions but only one safe, the Supra Portable which is based on the Supra S5, has a full cover. The safes can also be used as a large padlock if needed.

A new inovation in the secure key safe market, is the key safe for the car. Our BELS17A Key safe Auto is a 4 wheel combination keysafe adapted for use with a car or vehicles. The car key safe has all of the characteristics of a wall mounted safe, but instead of being fixed to a wall, the fixing holes at the rear of the safe are used to attach a metal car window adapter. The bottom of the rear of the safe has a foam pad to stop the metal key safe coming into contact with the car window.

To attach the car key safe, simply lower the window, hook the car key safe over the window and then raise the window again until it it closed. The car key safe is now secuerly attached to the car and can not be removed without breaking the car window, an act which would set off any car alarm.

As with all secure key safes the code is set by the owner and can be changed quickly and simply as required when the safe is opened. The car key safe has a large compartment suitable for most car keys. For contactless car keys, it may be necessary to store the keys within an RFID pouch before putting them in the car key safe.

Another innovation in the market, the magnetic keysafe, the Access Point Magnetic. Developed by GE / Supra / Kidde the magnetic key safe is designed to be descretely attached to a metal surface (such as at the back of a metal mail box) and can contain a single key. This safe is useful when you are not able to attach a wall mounted keysafe because fixings can not be made. The safe has a wheel combination and is made of hard plastic to reduce the weight. It has two strong magnets allowing it to be securly fixed to any metal surface.

For those installations where there is not a metal surface to which the magentic keysafe can be directly attached, the magnetic key safe comes complete with a metal plate (the same dimension as the safe itself) with adhesive fixings which can be securely fixed to a flat surface. This in turn can then be used as the fixing plate for the magnetic key safe itself.

The magnetic key safe is relatively small and is designed to be removed from its location in order for the safe to be opened and the key removed. Once the key has been used, it should be returned to the safe and the magnetic key safe replaced once more in its hiding place.

The original outdoor key safe was developed to provide a secure solution to storing house keys. Before the outside key safe, the only option to locally store a spare key was to hide them under the door mat or flower pot. Some people entrusted keys to a neighbour, and many hid keys in the garden sometimes using a key safe that looks like a stone. With all of these options there is obviously a risk that the keys will be discovered and the house opened by oportunistic theifs. Many people still hide keys under pots or mats, or in a key safe that looks like a stone, but more and more people now want a more secure solution and the outdoor key sage with combination code is becoming the norm for home owners.

For many years people hid car keys either on top of one of the wheels (undernearth the wheel arch) or underneath the vehicle, behind one of the wheels. Again this led to a number of these car keys being discovered by opportunistic theives with predictable results. Either the contents of the car were stolen or the car itself was removed. With all the modern security built in to vehicles, the key is still the main protection for any vehicle. If this is not secure, then quite simply the vehicle is not secure.

Especially with modern electronic keys which can cost hundreds of pounds to replace, car owners are loath to take their keys with them on long walks etc if they are not needed, and many people who enjoy water based activities do not want to take their expensive electronic car keys anywhere near water. The car key safe auto has been developed to keep your car keys sucure with your vehicle. The price of the car key safe is a fraction of the cost of replacing a lost or damaged car key and it gives you the piece of mind that your vehicle is secure and that your car keys are safe from accidental water damage.

The car key safe auto is designed to be mounted and removed very quickly so it does not need to be a permanent attachment to any vehicle. It is very simple to install when needed and very easy to remove after use by simply lowering and raising the windows (which can only be done from the inside of the car, usually when the car has started). When the car key safe auto is not in use, simply store it under the seat until it is needed again.