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» » ALMOST ONE THIRD OF BRITS ARE
opting to store valuables at home rather
than in banks or in a safety deposit box ;
indicating that safes are a growing market
opportunity for locksmiths. While there
is temptation to engage in a race to the
bottom - particularly if safes are a new or
experimental line for a business - this race
will lead to nothing more than glorified cash
boxes that fail to meet customers’ needs.
Conversely, independently-certified safes
provide locksmiths with an opportunity
to upsell to a model that is not only fit for
purpose, but also offers higher profits.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that most
burglars will take safes off site if they can,
where they have more time, tools and
privacy to break it open. Customers need
reminding that for insurance ratings to be
valid in the event of a claim, the safe must
be properly installed in accordance with
the manufacturer’s instructions, ideally by
a professional.
PRICE AND PERFORMANCE: A
COMBINATION FOR SUCCESS
Burg-Wächter, Europe’s largest
manufacturer of safes, has seen safe sales
rise across the UK. This is in part thanks to
the success of its Safe Centre Partnership
programme, which is exclusively available
to independent locksmiths and safe
dealers. The popular Combi-Line range of
safes forms a key part of the programme
and has recently won a prestigious ‘Stiftung
Warentest’ award – Germany’s equivalent
of Which?
Independently-certified to ECB.S S2
(EN14450), Combi-Line safes are AiS
approved for up to £4,000 cash or £40,000
valuables. Combi-Line safes also offer
genuine fire protection, certified to LFS 30
P (EN15659) for 30 minutes. Large 25mm
locking bolts and a strong top bolt provide
additional security whilst an internal shelf
enables better space utilisation. To help
achieve the highest levels of reliability and
resistance all safe locks are VdS tested,
including the only VdS approved finger
scanner.
Buoyed by the success of its award-
winning CL20 model, Burg-Wächter
will shortly be introducing a new larger
CL60 model to the UK. Designed to
accommodate two rows
of A4 document folders
or large bulky items,
the new CL60 will help
broaden the appeal of
the Combi-Line range to
both small business and
domestic customers alike,
providing locksmiths with
a valuable upselling opportunity.
A HOT TOPIC
Customers should be made aware that
that a safe with a high security rating
doesn’t necessarily offer a high fire
rating. Fire ratings are usually expressed
in terms of how long the interior of the
safe maintains a temperature below the
threshold at which paper combusts. A
higher fire rating is needed for safes
designed to store digital/magnetic media
and film as these are more sensitive to
heat. When storing cash and documents,
the strict European fire test of LFS 60P (EN
15659) is the one to recommend; providing
a more thorough test than competitors.
One of Burg-Wachter’s hottest
selling safes is its Diplomat models.
Independently-certified to ECB.S Grade
1 (EN 1143-1), Diplomat safes are AiS
approved rated for £10,000 cash (£100,000
valuables). The extensively-armoured
triple-walled body provides high
resistance to attacks, whilst the four-
walled door features large round locking
bolts on all sides. The lock casing benefits
from additional armouring to prevent
drilling attacks and a non-resettable dual
emergency bolt system.
Diplomat safes are rated at LFS 60P
for 60 minutes of fire protection thanks
to fire insulating materials in both the
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door and walls, while the door features a
special intumescent seal that swells in the
event of a fire, preventing heat and smoke
ingress.
BEING DIPLOMATIC ABOUT
WEIGHT REDUCTION
Ever at the forefront of product
innovation, Burg-Wachter has recently
redesigned its Diplomat range. Whilst the
new Diplomat safes may look identical
to their predecessors, all of the changes
are under the skin, with old insulation
material replaced with a cutting edge
lightweight alternative.
The new Diplomat safes offer the same
level of fire protection as before, but all
models are now in the region of 20%
lighter. Any locksmith will appreciate
that lighter safes make for better logistics,
whether it’s reducing shipping costs and/
or making it easier to unload, move into
position and install.
For the customer, a lighter safe helps them
get around any floor loading limitations;
allowing them to install the safe in a more
convenient location, or to upgrade to a
bigger model that provides a larger internal
capacity. The MTD 35 F60 offers a 36%
increase in internal volume over the MTD
34 F60 model, but at a slimmed down 104kg
it actually weighs 8kg less than the previous
version of the smaller MTD 34 F60.