After testing 23 different safes for college dorms and consulting seven experts who have years of experience in dealing with safes, we found that ECR4Kids Lock and Roll is the best college dorm safe. It has a great safety feature and can roll right under your bed. And if you are a fan ofpremium looking safes, Stealth College Dorm Safe V5.0 is the runner up on our list. If you want to learn more about the college dorm safes, go through our buyer’s guide. It will help you find the right kind of safe for all your needs.
Top Pick
Top 7 College Dorm Safe
1. ECR4Kids Lock and Roll – Best For Travel
Dorm rooms do not always have huge space, and it is shared between two or three people, so a compact and easy to hide safe is a must. The ECR4Kids is so practical and designed only for college kids or people living in small spaces. As the name suggests, you lock your stuff in it and roll it under your bed. No one will ever notice it’s even there.
The dimension of the safe is 26.5″ L x 16.3″ W x 5.8″ H. Overall the built quality is good. Even though it is made of plastic, the body is thick. It is hard to break even if you use a hammer. For safety, the safe comes with a 70-inch steel cable with a carabiner, so that you can secure the safe against the foot of the bed.
- Compact and fits under any bed that has space.
- Highly portable because of the wheels.
- Steel cable to secure the safe against the bed.
- The material used is strong and durable.
- Inexpensive compared to other safes.
- Digital lock could have been much better.
Bottom Line
Looking at its size and capability, we believe it is the best laptop safe with cable. Not just laptops, you can hide any valuable devices like tablets, smartphones, etc.
2. Stealth V5.0 – Sturdy Construction
If you want a safe that is much like conventional safe but still doesn’t hog much space, then we would suggest the Stealth. Like any other modern safe, instead of the key, it uses the electronic lock. The biggest plus of having this safe is it is made of steel. Steel is the best material for any safe.
The size of the safe is similar to a computer cabinet. Hence you can fit it into your dresser or under your computer desk. It also has an AC strip, that allows you to charge all your devices. For extra safety, the package includes high strength cable. You can secure the safe to nearest sturdy structures.
- Housing is made of steel.
- Interior is well padded.
- Three racks for better organization.
- Electronic keypad.
- High strength cable for extra security.
- For items like laptops, they must be stored in vertical position.
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a college dorm safe, that has all the features of traditional safes. The Stealth College Dorm Safe V5.0 as got it all.
3. Go Vault – Best For Budget Conscious Users
Not everyone needs an expensive safe. Your needs may be basic, just to keep your belongings safe and it must be portable. The Go Vault College Dorm Safe is just right for you. It is really small and has dimensions of 7″ L x 5.5″W x 2.25″D. You can easily travel with safe in your shoulder bag or backpack. Looking at its features, it is well suited for travelers.
We also observed how it fits when you are traveling. It fits well in a carry bag or suitcase. Even when you are staying in hotels, you can store it in a dresser or hang on the coat stand. You can even hide it in a drawer. The good thing is it uses a combination lock, so you won’t have to worry about the keys.
- Very small and easy to carry around.
- Fits into any bag.
- Suitable for small items.
- A chain to secure against any furniture.
- Inexpensive.
- Combination lock
- A metal housing would have been more secure.
Bottom Line
If you are a traveler and or need safe for your college trips, the Go-Vault is practically best safe for you.
4. AmazonBasics Security – Best for Cabinet
AmazonBasics Security Safe is one of the best security safe for anyone. However, the size of the safe makes it more suitable for college students. The dimensions of it are 16.93 x 14.57 x 10.63 inches. It can easily fit in a closet, under the bed or the desk. If you want, it can be mounted on the wall, shelf, and floor. It uses re-programmable digital access.
Built quality is of the highest standard. It uses solid pry-resistant steel. It can withstand any kind of impact and is corrosion-free. Interior of the safe uses a soft layer to keep your belongings safe from any impact and scratch-free. The best feature of the safe is the lock. The 2-bolt lock can be opened with a unique password. The password can be changed anytime you want. The electronic lock uses four AA batteries.
- Sturdy And Durable Design.
- Programmable electronic lock.
- Can be mounted on wall, shelf or floor.
- 2-bolt lock.
- Soft padding in the interior.
- Expensive.
- Can not be moved easily.
Bottom line
The AmazonBasics Security Safe is best if you are looking for a more safe option. It might be expensive compared to others, but you will have the best features in terms of safety.
5. Vaultz Locking Storage Box – Best Under $50
Vaultz is another safe which is similar to ECR4Kids Lock and Roll, but the only thing missing is the wheels. However, it uses steel as the material which is much better than ECR4Kids’ plastic body. It can store all kinds of items especially laptops of any size fits perfectly. Also, it comes with a net, if you want to organize such documents. Overall it feels like a suitcase.
Overall the built quality is good. The exterior is made of steel which adds to its sturdiness and durability. The inner surface is lined with a soft material which provides cushioning for your belongings. We stored delicate items and jewelry and moved around to see if the items are affected. As we assumed, there was not even a scratch on any of the items.
- Sturdy and durable safe.
- Uses dual combination locks.
- Interior is lined with soft material.
- A net to organize documents.
- Inexpensive compared to other similar products.
- No wheels underneath.
- Feels like a suitcase.
Bottom Line
Under sua ch low price range, it a is great college dorm safe to have. It is durable and sturdy. You can hide it wherever you want and secure with the security cable so none of your roommates can move it.
6. Helix Personal Locking Vault – Best For Keeping Money
Most of the portable safes are not that strong enough like the premium security safes. But the Helix Personal Locking Safe impressed us with its strong heavy-duty construction steel. The heavy-duty construction steel is probably the strongest material used in security safes. Add to that the compactness of the unit and you have the strongest portable security safe.
It uses a traditional key lock. With the per unit, you get only two keys. So you will have to be extra careful with the keys. It would have been much better if the safe had at least a combination lock.
- Heavy-duty construction steel is used in its design.
- Compact.
- Easy to carry around.
- High strength tethering is including in the package.
- Storage capacity is too low.
- Key lock system.
Bottom Line
If you are more worried about storing money or jewelry, smoothing like Helix Personal Locking Safe is a really useful option. It is probably the best safe if you consider factors like portability and strength.
7. SENTRY P008E Compact – Best With Electronic Lock
There are not many college dorm safes that have a quality or hi-tech security features. Out of our selection SENTRY, P008E Compact Electronic Safe was the only one that is compact enough to be suitable for college dorms but also came with a highly secure electronic lock. Such locks are best suitable for storing very expensive items lock jewelry, expensive watches, smartphones, tablets, money, credit cards, etc.
The size of the safe is 1.9 x 9.8 x 7.1 inches. It compact enough to be carried around in luggage. However, when you carry it in your shoulder bag or handbag, it feels heavy. Especially, if the safe is full, it won’t be easy to carry around in the shoulder bag.
- Time delay after three attempts of unauthorized access.
- It is made of heavy-duty steel.
- Interior is lined with soft material.
- Two override keys for the electronic lock.
- Too heavy to be carried around in a shoulder bag.
- Expensive compared to other
Bottom Line
You more concerned about someone opening the safe, you may want a safe with a highly secure lock system. The SENTRY P008E Compact Electronic Safe is one of the best locking systems among all the college dorm safes.
Buyer’s Guide – What To Consider?
When you are looking for a safe for your college dorm or hostel or your hotel room, there are some key requirements. Beyond the key requirements, your preference also matters. For instance, you want a safe that can store your laptop, in such case the safe must be big enough to accommodate your laptop as well as it must have some kind of padding or rack to keep the laptop secure. Similarly, there many other things that could affect your purchase. So to help you choose the right safe, we have compiled a few points about the safe.
1. Size
Even before you look for dorms online, you must know what things you want to keep in a safe. More specifically, you want to know the size of those things. The dorm safes are available in different sizes. So if you want to keep important documents, laptops, tablets, etc., you want something bigger that can fit this item. The ECR4Kids Lock and Roll and Stealth College Dorm Safe V5.0 are one of the best safes with cable. It can store all sizes of laptops.
If you want safes that can keep your rings, necklace, earring, money or credit cards safe, then you require smaller with much better locks. The Go Vault safe and SENTRY P008E Compact Electronic Safe are the best for valuable items.
2. Built Quality
Safety of any safe is determined by the material used in its design. You will find two types of material used for safes, plastic, and steel. Out of the two steel is the most secure. But even steel has variants. You do not want it to be normal steel. The heavy-duty construction steel is a high-quality variant that offers extra strength and durability. But it also has a disadvantage. As it is a high strength metal, the weight of the unit is much more than any plastic safe.
If you want a more portable option that you might have to compromise on the strength of the case. But if you are not looking for portability then Stealth College Dorm Safe V5.0 uses the heavy-duty still. However, portability is more important than strength; you must consider buying something like ECR4Kids Lock and Roll
3. Lock System
In addition to material, lock ensures the security of your belonging in a safe. On our list, we have safes with all kinds of locking system—key, combination and electronic locking system. Out of all the electronic locking systems is the most secure option as it comes with many security features than a traditional key lock or combination lock. On our list, we found Stealth College Dorm Safe V5.0 has the most secure lock system.
4. Storage
Storage is not all about space, but how the item is stored makes a difference. If you are planning to use safely to store your laptop, safe must have a proper rack or soft layers so that the laptop is not harmed in any way. Same goes for things like jewelry. The good thing is most of the good quality college dorm safes have a soft layer. In some cases, racks and nets are there, which help you secure and organize your belongings.
5. Tethering
Most of the dorm safes use a chain to secure the safe to a sturdy structure like furniture, wall or floor. Depending on the size of the safe, the size and strength of the chain may vary. But as per our expert whatever may be size, the most secure chain is steel chain. So you must only consider buying those safes that have steel chain tethering.
How We Conduct Test?
We began by acquiring the 23 most popular or bestselling dorm safes. Before testing, we took some time to learn about the dorm safes so that we are a much better position to test these safes. We also hired seven experts who have years of experience in designing, selling or manufacturing safes. They were real help while we were selecting the products for tests.
Once we knew enough about the dorms safes, we were able to determine the parameters for tests. These parameters helped us to test all the features and capabilities of safes. While we were testing, we made sure that we simulate real-life situations, so that safe is tested to its extreme. In addition to tests, we also contacted existing customers who have been using a certain dorm safe for months or years. Their view on the safe, helped us to understand how safe they perform after months or years of purchase.
Considering all the test results, expert views and existing customer reviews, we scored each safe based on the three most important factor storage, safety, and portability. After calculating the overall score, we were able to create a list of college dorm safes. Out of these best safes, we categorized each model based on their best feature and capability. Here is the scorecard of the top seven safes:
| Product | Storage | Safety | Portability | Overall | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECR4Kids Lock and Roll | 96.8 | 96.4 | 97.6 | 96.9 | CheckPrice |
| Stealth Safe V5.0 | 95.8 | 97.4 | 96.1 | 96.4 | CheckPrice |
| Go Vault | 94.6 | 97.3 | 97.1 | 96.3 | CheckPrice |
| AmazonBasics Safe | 97.2 | 97.4 | 94.1 | 96.2 | Check Price |
| Vaultz Storage Box | 95.2 | 96.4 | 96.8 | 96.1 | CheckPrice |
| Helix Personal Safe | 94.4 | 96.1 | 97.1 | 95.8 | CheckPrice |
| SENTRY P008E | 94.2 | 97.4 | 95.6 | 95.7 | Check Price |
Final Thought
We have compiled the list of seven college dorm safes after series of tests, and talking to the existing customers. The list contains different types of safes, you have to find the one that fits your need. If you have any doubt about any model or dorm safe in general, our buyer’s guide will help you. Further, you can always contact the seller, if you want to know more about a particular model.
ECR4Kids Lock and Roll- Editor's Choice
Summary
Looking at its size and capability, we believe it is the best laptop safe with cable. Not just laptops, you can hide any valuable devices like tablets, smartphones, etc.
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