How We Score Products – The Best Safe Score
Last updated October 18, 2026
Every product we recommend gets a Best Safe Score out of 5. It answers one question: how well does this keep what you store secure, protected and reachable, for the way you will actually use it? It's our own editorial rating, built from manufacturer specifications, user manuals, independent certification listings, owner reports and the research listed in each guide. It is not a lab test or a customer rating, and we never copy star ratings from stores.
The five criteria
We rate each product from 1 to 10 on five criteria, weighted by how much they matter to someone protecting firearms, documents or valuables:
| Criterion | Weight | What a 10 looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Security (lock and build) | 30% | A proven lock with a sensible backup entry, thick steel for its class, solid bolt work and hinges with no easy pry points, plus an independent burglary rating or state listing where one applies. |
| Fire protection | 20% | An independently certified fire rating (UL or Intertek/ETL) with a duration and temperature that fit what you store, plus water protection where the maker has it verified. |
| Access (speed and ease) | 20% | Opens fast and reliably under stress and in the dark, with a lock that owners report works first time, and a backup that does not depend on a single battery. |
| Capacity | 15% | Holds what the buyer needs to store with room to spare, with usable shelves or racks, in a footprint that fits where it has to go. |
| Value | 15% | A fair price for the protection it gives, with nothing important (bolt-down hardware, a backup key) left to buy separately. |
The formula
Score = (Security × 30% + Fire protection × 20% + Access × 20% + Capacity × 15% + Value × 15%) ÷ 2, rounded to one decimal.
Some criteria don't apply to every product. A car console safe, a portable lock box or a safe dehumidifier isn't meant to survive a house fire, so when a product makes no fire claim and fire protection isn't its job, we leave that criterion out and rescale the other weights so they still add up to 100%. A product that is sold as fire-resistant is always scored on it.
How we pick each number
- Security (lock and build): 10 thick steel for its class, solid bolts and hinges, a reliable lock with a safe backup, and an independent burglary rating or state listing · 8 solid steel and a dependable lock · 6 thin steel or an easy pry point, fine against casual access · 4 or lower keeps honest people out and little more.
- Fire protection: 10 independently certified for an hour or more at a rating that fits what is stored · 8 independently certified for 30 minutes · 6 a maker's own fire claim with published test details · 4 or lower a fire claim with no rating details.
- Access (speed and ease): 10 opens in seconds by feel or in the dark, with owners reporting reliable entry · 8 quick with a minor quirk · 6 slow or fussy (a dial or a picky fingerprint reader) · 4 or lower frequent lockouts reported.
- Capacity: 10 roomy for its category with flexible interior layout · 8 fits the typical load with a little spare room · 6 tight · 4 or lower smaller than its category suggests (judged against its category, so a handgun safe is scored as a handgun safe).
- Value: 10 hard to beat for the protection and nothing essential to add · 8 good value · 6 premium price, or key hardware you will need to buy separately.
What each score band means
- 4.5 to 5.0: outstanding for its job. Buy it with confidence if it fits what you store and where it has to go.
- 4.0 to 4.4: very good, with one clear trade-off (a shorter fire rating, a slower lock, or a tighter interior).
- 3.5 to 3.9: good for a specific use, such as keeping a handgun away from kids or papers in a closet, but limited outside it.
- Below 3.5: we rarely recommend it, and only when it is the one option for an unusual need.
What the score is not
It isn't a lab test, a burglary or fire certification, or a customer review average, and it doesn't change with price swings or sales. When a product is revised or replaced, we re-check it and update the score. Read more about our research process, the Best Safe buying checklist and our editorial policy.