EEVblog 1494 - FIVE Ways to Open a CHEAP SAFE!

[@GannDolph]

New & improved instructions: 1) Place safe on desk; fill with nuts, bolts and hotel bibles; lock safe. 2) Place valuables in desk drawer.

[@GeneralPurposeVehicl]

I would fill the decoy with stink bombs to mark the thief.

[@grzegorzdomagala9929]

Add a bottle of green, luminescent liquid with radioactivity logo. Smear a bit of the liquid on the bottle...

[@nubletten]

This is how you loose a good quality desk drawer.

[@Nobe_Oddy]

HAHAHA!!! And get someone with Covid to sneeze all over the insides.... maybe wipe someones monkeypox juices on the handles.... herpes would work too LOL

[@davidg4288]

I knew a family that put their fine silverware (not the cheap plated stuff) in the kitchen drawers and put the stainless flatware neatly in the fancy case in the dining room. Sure enough during their vacation burglars came in and stole the stainless, leaving the silver.

[@Moraren]

I have a similar one. Whacking the top with your fist while twisting the knob at the right moment works the same as the drop method. Once you get the hang of it, its faster and easier than punching in the code. Actually the batteries died years ago so this is now the main method of opening

[@EEVblog]

Doesn't work on this one unfortunately.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

@@EEVblog I found when testing safes in China that most would open if the weren't attached to something but once firmly bolted then it was rare that a thump would open one. As the saying goes you can get any quality you want to pay the money to get.

[@nobodynoone2500]

This one has the solenoid upside-down, you'd wanna hit the bottom.

[@uccoskun]

@@nobodynoone2500 you need to turn it upside down to use gravity in your favor.

[@alch3myau]

@@ianmontgomery7534 Cool story bro. Smells of BS.

[@Graham_Wideman]

15:40 "This here is an entry level safe." Seems like you should move up to at least a prevent-entry level safe!

[@taurolyon]

🤣You deserve this:👍

[@MakerofThingss]

Ooooh! My time for a fun story! I recently bought a locked safe for $15 at an estate sale! The guy running the sale said "I don't care if its full of gold and jewlery, I don't want to move the thing!" We'll, a few helping hands and 5 hours of learning how to crack a safe and it was full of someones old coin collection and bars of silver from the 70s!

[@EEVblog]

Wow. How many ounces did you get?

[@MakerofThingss]

@@EEVblog 55oz of silver bars and about $1000 worth of silver dollars! I also now have hundreds of other coins I have to find the value for and sell. But what a payoff!

[@Throckmorton.Scribblemonger]

#truestory

[@bjorno2080]

@@MakerofThingss And the band played believe it if you like. Weirdo.

[@JohnLoibl]

As true as your orbiting mars on a pony​@@Throckmorton.Scribblemonger

[@MrV1NC3N7V3G4]

The 6th way is to insert a rod through the mounting holes on the back and press the code reset button. I've actually done this. This is why it's so important to anchor these cheap safes.

[@EEVblog]

Not in this case, it has a cap covering the button.

[@MrV1NC3N7V3G4]

@@EEVblog Wow. They did something right.

[@ales_xy]

I'm using one of these cheap "lockboxes" for storing my firearm, but... I knew about their weaknesses, so I made some modifications to the mechanism and door and bolted the lockbox to the concrete wall. Then, I live in the flat on the 8th floor and the only way inside is good quality safety door, so this is the main line of defense against the outsiders. And there are only adults in out home, so this lockbox is only against visitor's nosy kids or something random like that. It is definitely better than keeping the gun in the bedside cabinet drawer. Also, if you have one or two firearms, there are no specific requirement for a certified safe in our law. But I agree with you about the quality of these things, at least in the as-sold state, without modifications. Of course, I wouldn't even consider one of these lockboxes, if the conditions is different (living in house or on lower floor, kids in house,...) In that case, I would buy a proper, certified safe, even though it is not required by the law.

[@michaelsommers2356]

Feynman found that many safes at Los Alamos were still set to the default combination of 50-25-50.

[@lolilollolilol7773]

You have also the safes at Mar-a-Lago, you know, the ones that contain the nuclear codes. You just pick up the cardboard boxes stored in Melania's bedroom and go away.

[@MisterkeTube]

I have a very similar one. I never intended it to keep out burglars, but just wanted it to hold some of the important paperwork that you collect over the years and need to keep just in case someone asks for them (diploma's, deeds from the notary, insurance papers...) and want to protect a bit extra against fire. As far as I was concerned, the lock was not really required as long as the door can be kept close.

[@fuzzy1dk]

but then you should get one that is fire rated, not a square beercan

[@TheDefpom]

I found a while ago a cheap safe I picked up can be unlocked simply by turning it upside down !

[@monad_tcp]

Those are basically lock boxes, they're not safes. Lol, as secure as a desk drawer

[@ProdigalPorcupine]

Not much use in Australia, then! ;-)

[@jimmylarge1148]

@@ProdigalPorcupinebahahahahha!!! U ever thought abt how retarded it is that we believed them when they said we live on a space ball?! 😂😂

[@KingNexusMOCs]

Not true, stop spreading lies

[@TheDefpom]

@@KingNexusMOCs if I still had it I would do a video proving it, the mechanism was weighted, if you turned it over either clockwise or anticlockwise (I don’t remember which) it caused it to unlock from the mechanism moving.

[@Magicspirit11]

Take off LaGard keypad 1 sec. Drill 1/8th inch hole into lockbody through spindle hole 10 sec. Inject 500 cc contact fluid into lockbody with a syringe 10. sec, Attach 9V battery (2 in line are better) 5 sec. Turn spindle into opening position with a hex key. OPENS all LaGard's, some S&Gs, Wittkopp Swingbolt 1000, M-Lock Roto/Swing/Straight. All Technosicurezza and the KABA SL 525 ATM Locks-

[@petes_ventures]

Thanks for the tear down. These are typical hotel room safes (in Bali etc). I remember hearing that you could wack the top with a bottle or can of coke to get the same result.

[@Graham_Langley]

That's far worse internally than the one I had to get open for a local charity shop a few years back after all keys had been lost including the spare. Drilled out the lock then took the replacement safe apart to see how to trip the unlock mechanism and made up a bent-wire tool to do it. The new one was slightly different so I couldn't just swap the door and the fixing holes were different. Then while clearing up guess what? I found someone had put the spare key for the old safe in the box of the new one...

[@Brian-L]

Dave raking the lock open twice to show us that it was not a fluke.

[@EEVblog]

Wasn't intentional. Stupid Dave locked himself out by removing the battery pack and closing the door.

[@treelineresearch3387]

I love the giant locking pins held closed by a plastic bushing on a tiny solenoid shaft. It's like a big plastic wing on a base model Civic.

[@groggynod]

Dingle arm is the correct engineering terminology for this encabulation.

[@gcewing]

And "wobble rod" for the bit that moves when you thump the safe.

[@bart416]

Is it reciprocal though?

[@PhillipRhodes]

But where does the lunar wane shaft connect? And how do you eliminate side fumbling??

[@mattmoreira210]

There's not enough drawn reciprocation in the dingle-arm, so sinusoidal repleneration was not effectively prevented.

[@mattmoreira210]

@@PhillipRhodes six hydrocoptic marzelvanes fitted to the ambifacient lunar waneshaft prevent side fumbling.

[@SeanBZA]

I made a stronger safe in appy school, using scrap steel from the welding shop. Cut pieces of 6mm steel plate, and welded them together to make the cabinet, and similar steel for the door. Put on a cheapish Ezlett wafer lock, but it is hard to copy the keys, simply because they are so sloppy, and thus tend to need hand finishing to get the copy to work. Used it for years as a basic money, document and key safe. A lot better than the junk electronic ones, which you can open with nothing more than a few paper clips, or even just a big screwdriver. Incidentally the solid steel safe is not resistant to a plasma cutter, you need to have layered protection for that, and there to make matters worse for the one breaking in they put tool steel rods in the cement fill they use between the layers, to shatter diamond bits as well. You need to mount them 3 sides to the wall and floor to make them more resistant, as thieves come these days with big crowbars, and the fixings supplied with the safes are laughable. I mounted using M10 rawlbolts for the 3 sides, and that was going to make it hard to break it out, going into concrete on 2 sides and solid brick the third. Incidentally that CMI is the only one of the 2 you have that actually is rated to store firearms, the dumpster one is not even rated for anything, not fire resistant, or even rated for anything more that $100 in contents.

[@EEVblog]

Yes, as I mentioned you need a TDR safe to be resistant to plasma cutters (that's the T for torch in TDR) and drilling attacks (the D in TDR)

[@casperhito]

You could have carved a lock out of soap and saved time.

[@helene.f.campbell]

Thanks, Dave. We had one of these safes that wouldn't open. I tried dropping it on the top while turning the handle but it didn't work. After explaining how the solenoid worked, I realised I was turning the handle too hard and jamming it in the locked position. I turned the handle gently and two drops later, it popped open.

[@knarf802]

"Hi, its the lock picking eevblog, with your host, dave!" great stuff 👍

[@gabotron94]

The difference is here you want to see a Fluke

[@SystemX1983]

This is the LockPickingBlogger, and what I have for you today is a cheap Sandleford Safe from my local hardware store... little click on 1 ... not sure what's holding us up here... aaaaand we're open. Ok folks, thats all I have for you today... 😆😂

[@mercedescarlin7125]

What item did you use to pick the actual lock as you can’t see it in video. Thanks

[@davidwright6902]

Absolutely brilliant mate, I’ve had this safe for a year locked it without putting batteries in and never been able to open it since, watched your brilliant, funny and entertaining video and open in seconds, thanks mate

[@BuyitFixit]

LOL I was going to say you'll be taking over from the Lock Picking Lawyer, but you beat me to it!

[@ruben_balea]

I have one of a similar price and size, but mine is much heavier, especially on the right side, it has a glass in the door and a keypad with a few buttons but most times I just press the same button several times so that it warms up the milk for my breakfast. Maybe someone else has already mentioned this model because I haven't read the other comments since it's 4:45 am and I want to go to bed ;-)

[@LatitudeSky]

EEVLOG, where "click out of one..." is the sound of the whole safe being slammed to the floor upside down. What an awesome Aussie way to do it. Bravo!

[@patrickwigmore3462]

What surprised me when I took apart a cheap safe was that they put the brains of the electronic lock on the *outside* of the door, protected only by a flimsy plastic housing. So, the wires going to the solenoid, reset button and battery were *already* threaded through to the front; you would just have to smash the plastic off to access them. But, actually, exterior electronics make sense from a manufacturing cost point of view when the safe already has multiple other more easily exploitable weaknesses.

[@LycanWitch]

considering it's just a plastic piece holding back the locking slide mechanism, i'd imagine if you got good leverage on the turning knob you can just force it open by breaking/deforming the nylon piece. You should try that! I'd imagine just grabbing on to the knob (or pulling off the knob fascia to expose the actual turning mechanism) with some vicegrips or a decent pair of pliers you can just force the safe open as the plastic bit gets forced into the center gap of the metal slide or breaks (I also wouldn't be surprised if the metal slide bends instead as it looks like cheap metal).

[@mrnmrn1]

I thought the same.

[@EEVblog]

Yes, but the whole idea was to show ways to do it without physical force. There are probbaly half a dozen ways to smash/pry into this thing.

[@ionstorm66]

@@EEVblog my pefered way to get in to non-theft rated safes is circular saw with a carbide tooth steel cutting blade. In the US people get tricked into buying giant fire safe. They are just mild steel with drywall/plaster inside for fire protection. People think they are secure because they are thick and heavy, but it takes about 5 minutes to cut the top a safe you could fit a person in. At home I have TL-30 rated safe I bought from a chain store that closed. Paid about 10 cents a pound for it lol. Replaced the time lock with a electronic keypad from the manufacturer, cost twice what I paid for the safe!

[@SomeMorganSomewhere]

The knob looks like its attached to the rest of the mechanism by a couple of cotter pins, you might shear those off before you manage to deform the nylon stopper.

[@chrispomphrett4283]

Tried it. The knob, maybe by design?, is weak and breaks off when forced. Shaft on mine was plastic so impossible to grab and force turn it too. Perhaps mine was a higher spec....haha

[@elbiggus]

Method 6: get a wrench on the handle and turn; with enough leverage the metal plate will deform or dislodge the nylon jobber.

[@skaruts]

For those interested in acquiring safes, though, do keep this in mind before you waste your money on crap: it doesn't matter how sophisticated the lock is, any safe that hides naively behind a painting or is in some way easy to find or bump into, is crap, as it can always be easily opened with the _gun-to-the-head_ master key. Bulky safes with locks are only safely closed when no one's around (e.g., in a business building, during the night, when no one's there). For personal use, though, the only safes worth having are those that no one even dreams they exist. They don't even need a lock, they just need to be inconspicuous and very hard to find or bump into. A great example of that is a fake electrical plug. Potential thieves never dream that one (or more) of your 20 or 30 plugs contains a stash of jewels or money or whatever. Regular objects can also be turned into safes. But keep in mind you should choose objects that aren't worth stealing. Don't insert hidden containers into your €500 speakers or your beautiful ornate chest, or else potential thieves might take your safes with them. Also keep in mind, thieves might throw things on the ground and find a safe on a fragile object.

[@PlaceholderforBjorn]

Thanks for this video! Was going to buy one of these safes, and was looking to buy a cheap hardware store one. Now I won't.

[@tin2001]

There was one of these installed in a built in wardrobe at a property I bought to rent out... Bolted to the wall so we couldn't drop it or access anything from the back. Batteries were flat. Picked it in about 2 minutes.... And it was the first real lock I ever picked about 2 weeks after getting my lock picks. We left it locked open with no batteries installed, and basic instructions to use it. As far as we know, zero tenants have used it since I opened it. Probably for the best.

[@pp3v42_g3h]

Thinking about it, this type of safe will be the perfect box for my 1.8kVA isolation transformer.

[@BassheadMusicConnoisseur]

How can you fit a 1.8kVA in there?

[@pp3v42_g3h]

@@BassheadMusicConnoisseur Probably sideways with extension nuts on the threaded rods. But I have an old movie projector power supply box for this use.

[@billferguson8049]

Yes, this safe has serious issues. But your blanket statement that "if you can carry it, it's not a safe." is a bit specious. Small safes are designed to be installed with appropriate anchor bolts to prevent the burglar from easily removing it.

[@EEVblog]

Err, yeah, I mentioned that. It's a metaphor implying that heavier saves have more metal and are usually better designed. Small quality compact home ones can be carried and are usually under 50kg, like I showed in this video, I was able to pick it up and put on the bench.

[@Handlebar-MustDash]

Banging hard on the top with a rubber mallet causes most cheap safes to open. TeaBagging also works depending on knacker size and weight.

[@EEVblog]

Not this one. I tried it.

[@Breakfast_of_Champions]

This is the safe type that provides nominal safety for simple hotel/motel rooms, needed to reach a middling stars rating. It works against opportunistic housekeepers and that's good enough.

[@brently1973]

When I was a manager at a movie theatre we had a few safes and the smallest was a chubb. It held the cash tills for box office and concessions etc. I was easily a ton. The door was an inch and half sold steel. It was crazy strong. I sat on the floor on an office carpet. One day they wanted to be stacked on another even bigger safe. They had to get a special forklift machine to move it. Crazy

[@PeterMilanovski]

That same safe, in Europe, you wouldn't have to turn it upside down because they are already upside down compared to Australia!

[@davegsm82]

There's another attack vector that I used on my own safe when I found it locked and thrown in a dumpster. It's slightly better quality than that one you have there, many more security features so you can't get in around the keypad etc. A coathanger pushed through one of the mounting holes or AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE DOOR, press the reset switch and enter a new code. Really simple.

[@kutkitket3570]

I opened one by drilling small hole to the side and using straigth stick to press reset button.

[@florianf4257]

Would it be possible to upcycle this Safe to a thermal chamber or something similar? Ad some insulation to the walls, remove the little nylon lock thing (so you can always open the door by turning the knob) and add some heating/cooling inside?

[@robertgoldsteen604]

I have similar, changed code, somehow it reverted to factory setting. I do have mine inside another large safe. I will change the lock having seen your vid. Thanks for all your work, I love your debunking of solar roads and footpaths

[@Z-Ack]

Ive seen some put the led that says access granted, in parallel with the whole solenoid power so you just have to break the led and short to ground itll power the solenoid and open the door.. this way is also a good way not to set off some tamper alarms..

[@dragonboyjazz]

the safe only needs to be locked and "fixed in placed" and it is insurable so it might be the safest safe in the world but it was never designed to be, its just harder to get into than a padlocked wooden box for example. most people dont use the default code.. i think you will find it has a reset and that may have been used which would reset it to factory default settings... its like a modem, you wouldnt throw it out with your personal internet account/email still in it, you press the button with a pin, it likely even suggests this action in the manual

[@LB-fx1kn]

The unfortunate irony is that these safes are in all likelihood worse than no safe. When going through a house/business, the presence of a safe is a big neon sign pointing to the valuables, and if that safe is easy to get into, you may as well save your 99 dollarydoos and put a map to your valuables in the hallway. Would be better off just including the valuables in all the other crap, at least then ir requires a lengthy search or taking the whole lot with them.

[@EEVblog]

I knew a guy that used to leave a few hundred bucks on the table with a note saying somethign like "Here, take the easy win and leave all my other stuff alone."

[@jj74qformerlyjailbreak3]

Also if you drill a hole an inch over from the key you can access the plunger. Mine didn’t have keys one 4mm hole is all I needed. After that. All above mentions methods still work as well.

[@TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

I find that within the 25 seconds they have before the alarm goes off, it's a bit hard to find the safe, open the door, and get out! That's if they come via the front door. any other entry will trigger the alarm instantly. I would remove the Key link, and with luck they would spend the 20s trying to crack the key lock 🙂 And of course the 190dB sounder that's about 1m above the safe also gives them something else to distract them. Got to keep your weekly Gov pension check some where.

[@TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

@@Okurka. i'm in the UK we use full fat dB's 🙂

[@JeepinBoon]

I have a few from a hotel renovation, they're not totally useless. Remove the lock and bolt/weld the cabinets to your farm truck or welding table for cheap toolboxes. Or weld them together for a cabinet. They are higher quality than Stack-On boxes.

[@patrickstarnes2355]

Listen to this guy 😂 he's sounds like he's a sports commentator the longest horse race ever 😂

[@CatsMeowPaw]

I go metal detecting at rivers and beaches and once found a large Sandleford safe from Bunnings on the riverbed. It was peeled open like a sardine can (2mm thick steel...) and the contents stolen. There were jewelry bags inside so the thieves got something valuable. The thieves had plenty of time to open the safe, as they just picked it up and carried it away from the home/business as it wasn't bolted down! No damage to any of the mounting holes. Don't buy a save from Bunnings. Never buy a safe that has a 'bypass' key. They're almost all easily pickable. Bolt your safe to concrete. Buy something that will resist an angle grinder for at least a few minutes (anything under 6mm is a joke, 12+ recommended).

[@ppdan]

I guess the previous owner replaced the batteries and didn't know it would reset the code to factory. So they dumped the "broken" safe.

[@ACombineSoldier]

I'd like to think this is the very first part of a series where Dave eventually cracks into bank vaults.

[@aliveandwellinisrael2507]

Honestly, i loved the power line attack videos. It would be interesting to see him try it with other safes.

[@WaynesWorld999]

I look forward to the upside down drop bump open

[@DONK8008]

I remember that CMI safe when you locked yourself out and had to plug the keypad cable back in from the outside.

[@tlhIngan]

The locking mechanism of the safe is pretty standard - you see the bolt sticking out of the rectangular body? That is actually a standard safe lock locking mechanism used in basically every quality safe - this is intentional so you can buy ANY safe, and replace the locking mechanism with your desired mechanism and it will fit in there - it's all standard! Your basic safe will have a spinning combination lock - it is settable (you will see a mark off to the side that represents the number in "set" mode) and breaking into one requires a light touch and probably 2-3 hours of an experienced safecracker time to do it - in a quiet environment because it's actually solving a puzzle and requires concentration. An automated safe cracker left to brute force it will take literally days if it has to try all the combinations - it can be sped up if you know a number or two. Note these comination locks typically are 4 digits long. And once you've keyed the last digit in, you have to spin the dial which if correct will engage the bolt and unlock it. Sparrows has a kit featuring a standard dial combination lock with the intent on showing you how to break into it - there are plenty of videos of people trying it and commenting it's a lot harder than it looks for someone without experience - to the point they also include the default combination if you give up. (Though the kit is easily opened in other ways because you're leaning how to manipulate the lock more than the kit being a real safe) So even if your perfect safe comes with a dial combination lock and you wanted a high security one, it's easily replaced. Probably something the supplier of your higher security lock can do in about 5 minutes on your safe.

[@Darphi01]

I went to a popular hardware store and they recommended one like this. I kept allot of cash in it and when I moved address found that all I had to do to open it without the combo was to simply tip it onto it's right side. The latch just slid open.

[@MrNside]

Even most heavier safes these days use thin steel for the walls. It's usually just gypsum board sandwiched between pieces of thin sheet metal.

[@AndyGraceMedia]

As Dave says, the smaller ones are terrible. They're really only for storing a few documents to prevent from staff accessing them. If you can pick up a safe, it's not a safe.

[@pnjunction5689]

Cool video! I didn't expect it to be THAT easy to get into one of these. What's your experience with hotel room safes? Usually they exude similar vibes to me 🙂

[@EEVblog]

Just as bad, if not worse, as they have default supervisor and other override modes. There are some decent ones though if set up correctly.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

@@EEVblog I had a laptop in a safe in a hotel in China and the code I programmed in would not open it. I got the lady who supervised the room that had the safes in it (which i think is a good idea) and she couldn't get it to open. She did not know the hotel override code so i took a punt, as I had done some tests on the same brand of safe and thought i remembered the master code. I was right and got it to open. Th lady then got the manager to come and we had a talk so i ended up setting up a new override code for them and instructions on how to change it. I was impressed with their set up as having multiple safes in one secure room was much better than having a safe in a room where a thief could take their time opening one. They also had high tensile bolts fixing the safes to the thick metal shelves (12mm !) and a spot weld on the end. They had tried really hard.

[@nameredacted1242]

@@ianmontgomery7534 Except for the part of having the codes...

[@nobodynoone2500]

I can open most with a coat hangar. I make it a sport to open them in every hotel and have only come across one I could not open, but time was limited so i likely missed something.

[@notworking5692]

@@EEVblog Sir if you want to see "good inovation" and truly "cheap/free" energy, you have to check out the "hydraulic accumulator" that they published couple of weeks ago. It changes completly the rules of the game forever! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4XFen2kerSqbrs

[@clintfisher]

Yes, I inspect all the best safes. :D Thanks Dave for all you do!!

[@johng.1703]

there are multiple types of safes, security safes being just one of them, you also have fire safes and access control safes. this safe is more along the lines of access control, this is more along the lines of a petty cash tin, no real security but does stop passive entry into it.

[@ecaparts]

Your better off leaving a stack of money on top of a desk. That safe is only good enough to keep the honest people out! Great video Dave. If EE doesn't work out, maybe safecracking is in your future... lol

[@EEVblog]

I won't give up my day job.

[@peterking8586]

I think you might be misunderstanding the purpose of a safe. A safe is designed to protect documents, but there are 2 threats; 1. Theft! of property (I assume this is what you’re talking about) 2. Fire, which is why I have a safe. I have valuable documents, that I keep a copy in my FIRE SAFE, and another copy with the bank. Honestly I’d write the combination on the safe, that way the fire department can recover them for me. When it comes to valuables I’d much rather trust them to a insured facility.

[@roysammons2445]

I'm constantly telling people not to buy cheap safes and this video is the exact reason why 😉👍

[@Charles-uo1mq]

OMFG I just got into my FIL's toy safe after a year or so of him telling me he'd lost the key. Cheers fella ! 👏👏👏

[@rustyosgood5667]

While looking through any one of the 4 holes on the bottom, shine a flashlight through a second hole while driving one of Grandma's knitting needles to the reset button....BAM!

[@williamgreen5575]

I've got into one of these by pushing the reset button from outside, through one of the mounting holes. Really easy.

[@williamgreen5575]

@@Okurka. it was! It was bolted to the wall and a metal shelf. I just removed the shelf from the underside to reveal the bottom mounting holes

[@TRS-Tech]

I actually use one of these cheap safes by my door for parcels but i have modified mine with a seperate solonoid bolt wired to a relay i can trigger. You can make these more secure by bolting these down, adding a better spring on the solonoid and filling the keyway with epoxy. Just dont forget the code or get flat batteries 😂 Never store anything valuable in one of these ! I see them more as a delay box 😁

[@cameronrich2536]

Dude is shook about this build quality. If he only knew all are flawed if you just gotta know it's exploits

[@Subgunman]

Hey, have fun with these safes. Place a booby trap inside and cheaply mount it in a easy to find location. The thief takes off with it and opens it elsewhere where a tear gas canister goes off leaving the crook crying. An olde friend once told me about a trap they had setup in Vietnam where they were trying to find the mole in the office. They brought in a trapped safe and were actually able to convince the locals who worked in the office that they stored attack plans in the safe at night. As one can guess, the one office worker who was guilty never showed up for work the next day. They were found a few days later in the outskirts of the village with three other Viet cong. Soilders. That claymore made shot order of finding the mole.

[@wallywrench9844]

Best to talk to a locksmith that does alot of safe openings to get the proper safe for your needs. You could even have him make it harder to get it open by installing hard plate, hardend ball barrings in drill points. They can modify, change or add to re-locker system.

[@johncundiss9098]

Love the video. I laughed through the whole thing. You smacked the top and you could hear it was just sheet metal. I laughed again when the label was peeled back and the holes were there. I got old ham radios and test equipment with thicker metal in it. The big magnet seemed to hold the door better than the latch. It looks like that nylon cap could actually be worn down. If you pry enough force on the lock lever it would just slip over that nylon. Dave is right. If you can carry it, it is not a safe.

[@mikeysaint4368]

That kind of safe is fine for where I work, where we dispense meds with no recreational or "street" value to our residents. As for valuables, you're quite right: they're pretty much useless.

[@IanScottJohnston]

Years ago when i moved into my house i decided to rip out the fitted bedroom furniture. When i hauled the wardrobe away from the wall i noticed a small door on the wall.......holy moly!, i scrambled round the house looking for keys.....and found it! Eagerly opening the door it revealed NOTHING inside....dang! It was an old "MOT" safe from the car industry that had been re-purposed.

[@elleh.790]

Great video! Thanks! Reminds me that almost half of the safes I see in hotels are like this. Oh no

[@adamcarver9057]

Found out at work that ATM's have a special set screw that has a loaded spring with a steel shaft. When the relocker fires it will shoot that between the slide bolt and a welded section that can't be shimmed it would have to be cut off to get open.

[@nobodynoone2500]

You could have just stuck a pushpin or needle through the wires. a nice thin pin hole is nearly invisible afterward. The screw holes, if not utilized, are great for fishing coathangars through to open, or just fish out the actual paper contents of the box!

[@EEVblog]

I mentioned piecing the wires. And you can't push a coathanging through the holes because there is a cover box.

[@nobodynoone2500]

p.s. The cmi is nice, but unscrewing the knob on front gives you a quick and easy undetecable hole into the contents and possibly the mech.

[@EEVblog]

@@nobodynoone2500 Nope. Not possible. Metal protection cover, and the release mechanism is inside the sealed lock enclosure anyway.

[@catmadscot]

They make useful decoys if located where it can't be seen from outside, but where an intruder would easily find it; they either just take it or waste time trying to open it while the police respond to the alarm.

[@l0k048]

i'd keep one of those as a decoy, and plant an ied that trips when the door is opened. i would reccomend checking your laws about the legality of potentially killing burglars first

[@GRBtutorials]

Not a lawyer, but I’m pretty sure IEDs are illegal in most countries regardless of what they’re used for, and it’d cause collateral damage... you could probably install a fake one, though.

[@R3TR0R4V3]

Bwahaha! it's like an Aussie lock picking lawyer... I love it. 😂Please do more of these!

[@turkco1005]

Take the numbers sticker out pull the blue.red cable and touch with 9 Walt battery. It reset the safe

[@AlecBuxton-w5r]

The whole point of the cheap safes is although they aren't suitable for keeping Valuable items in they are good enough to keep documents in that you want kept in a safe place and if used in that way it is pointless for anyone to force entry into anyway as it just contains paperwork

[@TheTwister3000]

I've got a six for you, that's how I did it. Just put a coathanger through the bolt holes on the back so you can hit the reset switch

[@jdice6868]

What safe do you recommend to keep items safe from someone living on my property? For example, I don't want to keep a key on the property because if he manages to find it, and he will look, He'll use it while I'm sleeping. I need to use a safe with a quality mechanism so that he can't go online and watch a video to learn how to break in as he has done before.

[@KeritechElectronics]

"This is the Lockpicking Electronic Engineer and what I have for you today..." Flimsy sheet metal and plastic parts in a lock? C'mon, for crying out loud! Yes, the thing belongs in a trashcan - completely unlike a high end scope. Try again to see if that one was not a Fluke.

[@bluelightningnz]

I'd love to see this safe dropped from the top of the dam :D

[@marcokoch64]

you can also grab a rubber mallet and hit it! and then simultaneously turn the lock! if that doesn't work, have someone hold it and do it again! guaranteed to open.

[@EEVblog]

No, it doesn't wrok on this particular safe, as I mentioned.

[@-Jethro-]

I really want “dingle arm” to be the actual name for that part.

[@AlecBuxton-w5r]

The entry level safes aren't safes they are just lock boxes which don't have any security rating whatsoever but are still useful for storing non valuable items a proper safe has a security rating and is a lot harder to get into as well as being way more expensive because a proper safe would start from around 500 pound and up

[@kevincozens6837]

Use one of those cheap as safes as a decoy. Put a remote camera inside it to capture an image of anyone who decides to break in to it.

[@radman999]

These are fine just for storing your passports and documents. It is more of a filing cabinet with a lock. Just use a safety deposit box for anything more.

[@SeanBZA]

Not recommended to use a safety deposit box, as your money can be stolen "legally" by the government, there is a case on now about the US government doing this for a safety deposit company, where they went in for the express reason to take all the money, irrespective of the owner. Civil Asset Forfeiture.....

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

Which is better on a real torch resistant safe- an electronic lock or a combination lock?

[@EEVblog]

A good quality electronic lock trumps a tumbler or key lock. You can defeat tumblers and keys with skills and picking tools. Electronic locks require obscure sidechannel hacking tools, if they are even available.

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

@@EEVblog But a good quality combination lock has a known approximate timeframe for a robot to brute force it whereas an electronic lock someone might come up with a $5 tool that unlocks that lock in a second which can be widely distributed to people with no specialized skills? I agree key locks are worthless because they can be picked. The lock/safe industry seems to value security by obscurity so I’m worried a vulnerability will be found in a good electronic lock and they wait years to tell their customers.

[@SeanBZA]

@@martinlutherkingjr.5582 There are quite a few Abloy lock mechanisms that are very difficult to pick, so use those instead. At least those are actually good, and the number of people who can pick them are small, so pretty much your security is the physical safe. After all the premise is to provide delay, so the thief goes elsewhere, a targeted attack you want delay. Electronic lock you can never know if there is a long combination master override that is hidden in the firmware. The best safe is both hidden well, built into concrete and brick, and has a heavy door with a good lock on it. Place the Bunnings safe elsewhere with a little bait in it.

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

@@SeanBZA Is there no decent open source electronic safe lock where you can compile the code yourself?

[@nandep2149]

13:43 "What is a good quality safe?" It seems, the brands mentioned are sold in Australia (some might be sold internationally). Anyway, search for high quality, torch and drill resistant; also, a safe with a relocking mechanism. And if a thief is able to remove the combination plate/box, they should still NOT be able to open the safe. There should be other guards. You get what you pay for! BOLT down a safe to concrete.

[@jfwfreo]

This looks exactly like the kind of "safe" you might find at a big chain like Bunnings or Officeworks... Heck, I bet one or both stores will sell this exact safe (or the current version of it if its an older model) Your comment about not buying cheap safes should be extended to "don't buy a safe from a big chain at all, even an expensive one" (if you want a safe, go to a locksmith/safe shop, you will not only not get sold junk but you will also likely get good advice on exactly what safe best fits your needs)

[@electronics.unmessed]

Great video! Thanks for sharing. Nobody can feel safe with that cheap stuff.

[@Questchaun]

What a fantastic lock picking lawyer episode. 🤣 Thanks for the upload Dave!

[@MVVblog]

Wow very safe!

[@tonynoisiel7784]

Safe in my hotel room jamed after entering the code, something was blocking the unlock system, i called front desk and they sent repair man hoping he will bring a key to open it, but it was a keyless safe so he just use screwdriver through holes in the back of the safe, with pin point agility he was able to unscrew front mechanism to open the door, i just couldnt believe how safe this safe was.. Was in Colombia

[@CTimmerman]

1:09 - You're in but you could've used the holes as the safe hasn't been secured to the floor and wall, which also explains why it's so easy to carry before installation.

[@EEVblog]

No, because it has a back cover plate, and cap over the reset button.

[@electronicsNmore]

The old saying, "You get what you pay for". :-)

[@WattSekunde]

I like the two comically big round locking bolts on the cheap one in opposite to the simple one at the real safe.

[@fubaralakbar6800]

If I bought one of these, the first thing I would do is break the key off in the lock, so that wouldn't be vulnerable. Then I would weld a plate over that hole behind the keypad. I have a First Alert security box kind of like this, I've never seriously tested whether it's any good or not, because I don't want to damage it. I hope it's not this bad : (

[@fubaralakbar6800]

@@Okurka. Not if you break it off while in the locked position ; )

[@trssho91]

In all fairness, I think these are made for their target customer. I have one similar to this, but its zip tied to a metal shelf in my office and its not there to prevent theft... is there to keep dangerous or important things out of the hands of my young child. Lets me honest - if you spend $20-30 USD, you shouldnt expect much more security than a locking file cabinet gives you. :)

[@raychat2816]

That safe is perfect, would make the best honeypot ever

[@gregorymckenna6609]

So many people and businesses buy these safes thinking they are theft resistant safes. What you are actually doing is telling thieves this is where your valuables are and that it is easy to either break in or steal the safe. Many of the electronic safes can be opened with a strong magnet. Others can easily be cut open within less than one minute. If you need a safe for security make sure it is rated for theft and the exact rating. No matter what all safes should be bolted down to a solid structure such as a concrete floor or steel wall. Do yourself a favour, go to a licensed locksmith to buy a real safe

[@6581punk]

Someone I worked with left her desk drawer unit key at home and so couldn't get her laptop out. People tried lock picking but I just pressed the drawer down and pulled on it to bypass the lock mechanism, which is just a slot and a bar.

[@Alexander_l322]

Problem is with any safe is the person breaking in will get into the cheap safe on their own but if you can afford a proper safe then you’ll be tied up and maybe beaten until you open the safe for them. Best place for your real valuables are in safety deposit boxes or something.