Supra C500 KeySafe Review
Reviewed by David Savage
It’s a sad reflection of the time we live in. No one leaves their doors unlocked any more, no leaves a spare key underneath a flowerpot (or at least shouldn’t!) and home security is becoming ever more important.
So, with that in mind, why would anybody leave a key outside anyway? Well, it’s always handy to leave a spare key somewhere, especially if you don’t know (or trust) your neighbours to leave one with them. Maybe you need to leave one for the children coming home from school, you’re going on holiday and want people to occasionally check on your house (water the plants, move the post etc.) while you are away or you have carers coming in and out all day.
So if you do have to leave a key outside, the best way to do so is in a key safe. After all, this is much safer and secure than leaving a key under the mat.
A key safe is a very strong mechanical metal box fixed to the brickwork outside your house to securely keep a spare key. It can only be opened with a combination code (if you have ever gone on holiday and rented an apartment or villa they might use something like this so you can get the keys).
We received the Supra C500 KeySafe for review from The Key Safe Company. The Supra C500 is a police accredited key safe tested on external walls, and only one of only two key safes to do so (Police approval through Secured by Design as a product that can help to reduce crime). Before installing and using please check with your home insurer that if using one it wouldn’t invalidate your insurance.
When the Supra C500 KeySafe arrived, I thought we had been delivered a house brick; it is very heavy at around 2kg, making it a substantial piece of hardware that looks and feels very secure and sturdy. It is a metal box with a plastic, pull down front to protect it from the elements. Behind the cover are 12 combination push keys and a reset button. It has space to store up to 6 keys on an internal hook (depending on type and size of key).
Setting up is fairly straightforward. It doesn’t come with a preset code so you have to configure one yourself. The Supra C500 Police approved key safe has 4,096 possible code combinations – a mixture of numbers and letters. The code you decide to use has to be between four and seven digits (you really should use at least five for better security). Each digit can only be used once – you could have 1234 but not 1122.
Be warned, there is no reset or override code, so make sure you test it before closing it and make a note of the number.
To set/change the code you need to open the box and using the plastic tool (included) (DO NOT use a screwdriver as you could damage it) twist the number/letter you want 180 degrees to enable/disable. Test it before closing to make sure it is correct (you won’t be able to ever open it if not).
Once you are sure it is correct you can fix it to an external wall. Find a suitable place that is not too obvious to site it. Using the template on the back of the instruction leaflet drill four holes and then screw the safe (using a T30 Torx driver) to the wall. It needs to be onto brick or dense concrete (not masonry) to be fully secure. It is supplied with 4 x wall tapping screws that do not require rawl plugs.
You can now safely and secure leave a key outside.
Overall, this is a quality piece of kit. It is strong and secure, rust and weather resistant and constructed from Zinc Alloy making it attack resistant.
This is an excellent way of storing a spare key for relatives and carers to access the house without having to give them a key. Police and some insurers approved (check with yours’ first), it gives great assurance that your spare key is safe.
If you have different carers coming in and out all the time then this is an excellent system, no cutting of lots of keys and no leaving a spare unsecured somewhere.
If you do need to use a key safe, always use a police approved one, install it out of sight if possible only give the code to anyone that is absolutely necessary to have it and make sure that you change the code regularly, it really isn’t difficult to change it.
The only issue I found with it is that when you set a code, i.e. 8391, the number doesn’t have to be entered in in that format, you can enter 1938 or 3981 and it will open. As long as the numbers from the code are entered in any order, the KeySafe will open.
Before you do decide to use please check with your home insurer about its use: check with your insurer that your policy covers an external key safe and if so carefully check the wording to what would invalidate it (carers entering etc… you might be covered for an authorised carer but if they give that number to someone else you might not be covered).
I think it is a very secure way to store a key outside and now have no issues about doing so.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £59.94
For more information or to buy online visit keysafe.co.uk.
