You never know when you are going to need a safe. I never thought I would ever buy a safe, but then my mother had surgery and needed painkillers for a while. In my town-and I'm sure my town is not alone in this-certain prescription painkillers have a high street value. Folks interested in that sort of thing seem to find out who has these drugs at home, and march right in and steal them. When someone told me about that, well, that's when I knew I needed a safe. But first I had to learn about safes.

If you need a safe, you need a high quality safe. There is absolutely no point in buying a second rate safe. Best quality doesn't have to mean highest price; you can definitely find good values on reliable safes, especially on the Internet.

There are different types of safes for different purposes. Hotel and personal safes are designed for convenience and security. Depending on where they are used, either hotel guests or homeowners can program the code. It is easy to bolt a hotel or personal safe to a wall, the floor, or a cabinet.

Next to a bank vault, a home wall safe is the most secure way to store valuables and important documents. Walls safes can be installed during building construction or retrofitted by drilling into the walls between the studs. Think carefully about where you put your safe; it's best to put it in a place where people cannot see it, like inside a closet or cabinet. Wall safes generally give the option of a combination or electronic lock.

Fire and burglary safes do just what the name implies; they protect valuables against theft and fires. Quality fire and burglary safes have velvet-lined interiors to protect jewelry and collectibles. They typically have laser cut steel doors, spring-loaded re-lockers, chrome-plated heavy-duty steel locking bolts, and anti-drill lock plates. Many offer the choice between electronic and dial combinations. Some also come with biometric, or fingerprint, security, which provides protection without the worry of you losing (or someone stealing) the combination. They are a good choice for people who have difficulty remembering combinations. Most fire safes provide either 30 or 60 minutes of fire protection at 1850 degrees.

Gun and pistol safes must meet strict government guidelines for security and safety in order to protect children and other people from accessing the firearms. You'll want to make sure that wherever you put your gun safe is secure also, with good door and window locks.

A drop box is a low- to medium-security type of safe. Made from heavy gauge steel with sturdy tubular locks, they are intended for daily cash and check deposits in small- to medium-size businesses. A depository drop box is the next step up in terms of security because it is made from heavy-duty materials and can be secured to a concrete floor. A quality depository drop box has a steel plate door, electronic lock, and wrong-try penalty lockout.

You'll rest better knowing you have the right safe for the job.