Locking Options - Choosing Between Key Or Electronic locks

Once you've made the choice to purchase a safe for your home or business you are met with the big question: do you choose a key or electronic lock for the safe? Below we’re going to take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of both types of locks and in doing so it should help you make the choice between a key or electronic lock.

Key Locks

Advantages

1. A key lock will be long lasting and with minimal maintenance (the occasional spray of lock lubricant) will last the lifetime of the safe.
2. You can get extra keys cut so you have a spare in case you accidentally lose one.
3. You don’t need to worry about replacing batteries that might go flat on an electronic lock

Disadvantages

1. If you lose your key, even if you have a spare, it means there is always a risk someone could access your safe.
2. For businesses where several members of staff need to access the safe a key isn’t really suitable. An electronic lock with an audit trail would be better as companies can track who has accessed the safe and when. These have proved successful in reducing internal fraud at businesses.
3. Older safes with long keys can be hard to turn which make them unsuitable if you suffer from arthritis.

Electronic Locks

Advantages

1. You can programme unique memorable codes into an electronic lock that only you will know, meaning thieves won’t be able to guess them.
2. Access codes can be changed regularly which is a great feature for businesses when a member of staff leaves. You can then reset the code to your safe and issue the new one to members of staff.

Disadvantages

1. The main issue people come across when using electronic locks is the batteries running out. Even if you don’t access the safe regularly you should still be changing the batteries every year. (We highly recommend using brand name batteries as supermarket own-brand batteries don’t last very long in comparison).
2. Electronic locks are generally more expensive than keys locks so it will add to the overall price of your safe.

As you can see from the above points, both types of locking mechanisms have some great benefits with a few drawbacks. Here at eSafes we’d definitely recommend that a company opts for an electronic lock as they are better suited to multiple user access.

On the majority of safes you are given the choice between key or electronic locks but on several ranges you will also have the choice of a combination or fingerprint scanning lock. Despite the additional cost, safes with biometric/finger print locks have proved to really popular with our customers. This is because there are no keys to lose or combinations to forget – all you need is your finger or thumb! The Burton Biosec range are amongst our best-selling fingerprint scanning safes.

If you are storing high value cash or valuables then it is vital you choose a fingerprint scanning lock with an audit trail. The main reasons are that you can track who has opened the safe and when, and you don’t need to worry about someone finding out the combination who shouldn’t have it, as only users allowed access to the safe will have their fingerprint scanned.

If you have any questions about locking options for your home or office safe please don’t hesitate to contact us and our team of experts will be happy to help.