Monthly Archives: April 2016

Use Discretion When Buying a Gun Safe

There is a gun store in our state that also sells gun safes.  When they sell a safe they put a “sold” sign on it which includes the buyer’s name, address and phone number.  But the safe along with the customer’s information remains on display until it is picked up or delivered.  Dozens of people every day could potentially write down the safe model and customer information with the intent to break into it after it is installed.  But consider this:  A thief might decide that since the buyer obviously has things in the house that need to be in a safe, it might be better to visit his house now, before the safe is delivered!

I related this to a customer who had visited that gun store.  He observed the same thing and said he would never buy a gun safe there because of the store’s complete lack of discretion.  But he stated “It’s even worse than that. I asked to see the interior of a sold safe, and the store employee wrote the combination for me on a paper so I could open it to look.  I could have gone to that guy’s house when he was away, opened the safe using the combination, and cleaned it out, without needing to take any tools.”

Be careful when investing in home security.  Protect yourself by being discrete, and buy from a place that also practices discretion.  Stores like the one above are one of the reasons I always say “Buy your guns from a gun store, but buy you gun safe from a safe store.”      

Rare Antique Safe by Carl Ade

Pictured is an extremely rare Carl Ade antique safe which is for sale in our store.  This may be the only one in the U.S. as I have never seen or heard of another one.  You can find posters and prints of old Carl Ade advertisements, but not actual safes.  A German member of the Safe and Vault Technician’s Association has seen several in Europe.  He said it was built in Stuttgart Germany between 1888 and 1892.  This particular safe was brought to Michigan in the 1970’s by a German manufacturer when they built a factory here.

Carl Odde Safe 008Carl Odde Safe 002Carl Odde Safe 001Carl Odde Safe 006

 

The safe is 36” tall by 28” wide and is built into a beautiful wooden cabinet which is 67” tall.  It Carl Odde Safe 004features true German quality including the most air-tight door I have ever seen.  The key is a rectangular brass tube ½” x 3/16” x 2 ¼”, with openings on the end and one side to expose precision tumblers inside.  Security is enhanced by unique hook-type bolts, which I have not seen anywhere else.

Carl Odde Safe 022Carl Odde Safe 013

If anyone has ever seen another Carl Ade safe please call to let me know.  We are always looking to buy high quality antique safes and vault doors.