The best small safes you can buy for your home or office

Why you'll love it: The affordable, compact SentrySafe Fire Resistant Chest will bring much needed peace of mind, as it's fire-resistant, durable, and small enough to tuck out of sight or even bring with you during travels.

A dedicated burglar is going to eventually break open the SentrySafe Fire Resistant Chest, OK? It's not a Fort Knox level security device. And in fact, a criminal with half a brain is just going to carry the thing away and crack it open later. So if you need a super secure, 100% fail-safe device to protect priceless diamonds or ancient artifacts or something, look elsewhere.

If you need a place to keep some cash, passports, a few pieces of jewelry, and some irreplaceable mementos, this affordable lock box is a great choice. Which is why my wife and I keep one of these very safes tucked away in ... um ... a place that will go unmentioned in a publicly available article.

The SentrySafe Fire Resistant Chest is, of course, fire resistant. It can protect its contents from blazes reaching temperatures as high as 1550º Fahrenheit for more than a half hour, and this fire resistance is the primary reason we use one, in fact. But while not amazingly strong, the key operated lock is certainly tough enough to deter a quick breaking attempt by a thief, and it will absolutely defeat the attempts of curious kids.

As the safe is small enough to be readily portable — it even has a handle — it can come along with you, serving to protect valuables in a car, in a hotel, or wherever else you want to keep things secure and safe from fire.

With 200-plus reviews on Amazon, the SentrySafe Fire Resistant Chest has a 4.2-star overall rating. One shopper reported the tragic loss of a home that "burnt to the ground" yet "all [his] legal documents inside [the safe] survived." And that's what I call a product performing as described.

Pros: Fire resistant, compact and easy to conceal or transport, easy to use key lock

Cons: Easily carried off by thieves

Buy the SentrySafe Fire Resistant Chest on Amazon for $32.28

Why you'll love it: No thief is ever going to carry away your Paragon Lock and Safe 7700 Flat Electronic Wall Safe, and if you cover it with a painting or mirror, they won't even know it's there.

A good safe keeps valuables protected because it's difficult to break open. A great safe keeps things, well, safe because it's not only hard to open, but hard to even locate in the first place. With a bit of effort (or the assistance of a handyman), the Paragon Lock and Safe 7700 Flat Electronic Wall Safe can be installed your home or business, and it will lie nearly flush with the wall once in place.

It can be covered with a framed picture or piece of artwork, a mirror, a sign, or anything else, really, and therefore avoid detection by anyone with ill intentions. Even once located, the unit still provides more protection than most compact safes simply because it can't be carried away unless the burglar has the time and tools to cut away a large section of the wall. Which probably won't be the case.

The Paragon Lock and Safe 7700 Flat Electronic Wall Safe features a key pad that can be programmed with codes as short as three numbers or as long as eight, and the keys are lighted for easy use in the dark. The safe requires four AA batteries to operate, and a low battery light tells you when it's time for new ones. It can also be opened with a key.

With more than 200 reviews posted at present, the Paragon Lock and Safe 7700 Flat Electronic Wall Safe has a shining 4.5-star rating. An owner named Dave calls it "perfect for hidden storage of papers, jewelry," and more, and noted that its size makes it perfect for installing "between studs" in the wall.

A video review from GreatStuff called it a great way "to secure your valuables in a concealed location."

Pros: Concealable, cannot be removed from premises, features three shelves

Cons: Installation required, not fire resistant

Buy the Paragon Lock and Safe 7700 Flat Electronic Wall Safe on Amazon for $89.36 (originally $98.49)

Why you'll love it: The Steelwater Gun Safes 2-Hour Fireproof Safe can withstand temperatures over 1800º F for an astounding two hours.

Yes, the Steelwater Gun Safes 2-Hour Fireproof Safe is quite expensive. But when it keeps your valuables safe during a fire that rages on for more than two hours, it will have paid for itself many times over. And when a burglar is unable to open the solid steel door or to carry of the 115-pound safe, same story. This is a great example of getting what you pay for, which in this case is great quality.

In order to be considered fire-resistant, a safe has to be able to protect its contents against extreme heat for at least a half hour. The Steelwater Gun Safes 2-Hour Fireproof Safe beats that four times over, offering amazing fire resistance.

Just make sure to fill the anchor hole on the bottom with a fire-resistant caulking if you're not using it to bolt the safe down. Inside you'll find an adjustable and removable shelf and a slide out top drawer, making organization of your protected possessions easy.

Opening the safe requires coordinated use of the combination lock and a key, so it's not a great choice for super fast access as you may want for a firearm, but that locking system adds even more security against theft. The combination is pre-set and can't be changed, however, so be careful with whom you share it.

With about 17 reviews posted by owners, the Steelwater Gun Safes 2-Hour Fireproof Safe enjoys a fine 4.4-star rating. One reviewer calls it "practically indestructible" and "excellent for high value critical documents, cash, handguns, etc." Another did call the key and combination locking system difficult to use and "not user friendly," though, so prepare to spend some time practicing that before you lock away your goods.

Pros: Amazing fire resistance, too heavy to be carried away, spacious interior

Cons: Combination cannot be changed, very expensive

Buy the Steelwater Gun Safes AMSWD-530 2-Hour Fireproof Safe on Amazon for $399

Why you'll love it: The JSSMST Book Safe with Lock hides in plain sight, tucked away among the other books on the shelf without drawing any attention.

Once a thief figures out that the JSSMST Book Safe with Lock is indeed a safe, the jig is up. It's easy to carry this dictionary-sized lockbox away, and its lock will be easily pried open by anyone with a bit of determination. But here's the thing: The safe looks like a dictionary, so the chances of a burglar locating it as he or she races through your home are quite low.

The combination lock is, however, likely enough to ward off a nosy roommate or a kid looking to find something you'd rather remain unfound, like keys or cash or those photos of you from college.

The JSSMST Book Safe with Lock comes in three different colors, so you can choose a "book" that will best blend in on the shelf. The interior of the safe is large enough for cash, passports, small electronics, and jewelry or watches. Plus, the lockbox's price tag is small enough for any budget.

With more than 300 reviews posted on Amazon, the JSSMST Book Safe with Lock has a solid 4.3-star overall rating. One customer loves how "the outside [of the safe] is so believable" and "would totally pass for a real book." Another called it "great for hiding small things in plain sight."

A number of reviewers did report quality issues, though, with damaged or worn-looking units arriving in the mail, so stand by for the potential need to request a replacement.

Pros: Covert design hides in plain sight, good price, comes in several colors

Cons: Weak lock, some units arrive damaged

Buy the JSSMST Book Safe with Lock on Amazon for $15

Why you'll love it: The Stanley Biometric Personal Home Safe pops open in an instant when it recognizes the fingerprint of the digit laid down on its scanner, giving you immediate access to cash, documents, or a firearm.

There are three different ways to open the Stanley Biometric Personal Home Safe: with a key, with a PIN up to eight numbers long, or with a finger. Actually, make that 32 fingers, because that's how many fingerprints this impressive little safe can be programmed to remember. And just as notable as the various ways to get the thing open is of course the great difficulty anyone not authorized to do so will have while trying to force it.

The Stanley Biometric Personal Home Safe features walls made of steel two millimeters thick and a steel door that's five millimeters in depth and secured by a motorized dual deadbolt lock system that uses locking bars that are 20 millimeters in diameter. In other words, that's a lot of steel, and there's little chance of a crook breaking this thing open in situ. If you use the included mounting hardware, there's little chance the crook will run off with your safe, either.

With more than 100 reviews posted, the Stanley Biometric Personal Home Safe has a 4.1-star rating among Amazon shoppers. Most call it sturdy and reliable, with a reviewer named Mike saying he loved the "high quality" construction and the "quick access" provided by the fingerprint pad. And an owner named Tyler said it was the "best handgun safe [he had] found for under $100."

A writer from JenReviews called the safe "easy to use and heavy duty" and praised the efficacy of its "gas piston door."

Pros: Multiple modes of entry, rugged locking mechanism, stores 32 fingerprints

Cons: Programming print scanner often frustrating

Buy the 0.3 cubic foot Stanley Biometric Personal Home Safe on Amazon for $99.99