First Alert 2037F Water and Fire Protector File Chest, 0.62 Cubic Feet

Like so many others I did a ton of research trying to find a good fireproof file chest that was also water resistant. I landed on this product and ordered it. Like some others, mine arrived slightly damaged. The chest is well constructed and heavier than it looks. I'm assuming someone in the delivery process didn't think the chest would weigh so much and dropped it, causing a stress point in one corner. I contacted the seller, MaxWarehouse, and they immediately responded even though it was Sunday. After providing them with a couple of pictures, they arranged for a new fire chest to be sent to my house. That one arrived without and damage.Fortunately I haven't had to test it's effectiveness. But it does fit quite a few files inside with just enough room beneath them to drop in a couple of silica packets. The locking mechanism won't keep out anyone with a screwdriver and a couple of minutes but it will prevent people from accidently looking inside or trying to hide that it's been tampered with.

Was led to this particular unit by a review and test by "The Wire Cutter". They tested a variety of fire resistant document chests against the manufacturers claims by putting them in a fire of specified heat and time, then used a fire hose to extinguish them. For a couple of years, this one and others made by First Alert fared better than any other brand and proved waterproof which is a bonus.Received it yesterday and was quite surprised by how sturdily it was built and the amount of space. The material is strong and well finished inside and out, the latch works well and there was no damage. Don't mistake this for a safe, as it will not prevent forced entry or someone carrying it away. Plenty of space inside for 7 years tax returns, birth certificates, vehicle titles, house deed, wills, power of Attorneys and various insurance policies with space to spare.

Fits 8.5x11 files. Fireproof and waterproof locking safe. Beats a $150.00 per year for a box at the bank.Easy to use and the peace of mind is priceless.

I am so disappointed!!! I purchased this item to store special documents...college diplomas, tax records, birth records, etc. You can imagine how surprised I was when I opened it a few months ago & found the diploma covered in brown mildew & all moldy. The tax documents were very, very damp! These items were stored in the fire chest a little over a year. Thank goodness I didn't have many items stored inside yet. I thought that I might've done something wrong so I left the lid open for over 4 weeks to make sure it was dry inside. I put the diploma & its case in the sun hoping to kill the mildew. In a last ditch effort I even used a bleach solution on the diploma's case trying to remove the mildew & mold stain. Some were removed, some weren't. I air dried the tax documents thoroughly. I decided to test the file chest before I put any more priceless and/or important documents inside. After letting it air dry, wiping it down & inserting some of those drying packets, I put some newspaper inside & closed it for a couple months. Today I checked and the newspaper is damp! I have the file chest in my bedroom which is not a humid environment.This product is useless!!!UPDATE 2012:I purchased the Honeywell Waterproof Fire Protector in 2009. Amazon has linked my review with the First Alert Fire & Water File Chest. The instruction sheet included in my Honeywell purchase does not say that the safe needs to be opened periodically to dry it out.

This safe is a good size, and seems quite sturdy. I have had this safe for about 3 years. Unfortunately, all of the paper items that I placed in the safe grew mildew on them immediately. Since these are items that I wanted to PROTECT from damage, this has turned into an inconvenience. I placed a block of cedar in it some time ago, however the damage has already been done. None of my items were wet or remotely moist when I placed them inside, it seems as thought there was some residual moisture inside the safe when I received it.

I really like this safe, although I agree with the others, it really isn't a safe as the locking mechanism wouldn't keep out much more than a two year old. But, the case feels super sturdy and I think it would do the job in a fire. It is VERY heavy, but I kind of expected that.Now, for the packaging... First, as I was opening the product box (i.e. not the brown shipping box), I noticed that it had been opened and re-taped at some point. When I opened the safe, everything inside was damp. Ick. Then, I turned it around and noticed one corner was smashed. As heavy as this thing is, dropping it square on one side could cause this kind of damage and Amazon just tosses it into a cardboard box with a little crumpled paper around it and sends it off. This packaging is not sufficient.

I upgraded to this safe from one of the smaller flat kinds. I am so glad I did. This safe has room for many hanging folders, a few boxes of checks, and so on. This can fit all of my most important papers instead of trying to cram as much as possible in a smaller one.It is HEAVY. Really heavy. It doesn't have a handle, and it's not easy to move around. It had a small dent in the corners when it was delivered because of the heft, but I wasn't so concerned about that. It comes with two keys. I store one off-site in case there really is a fire.

I had been looking for a fireproof safe for important documents for awhile and was shocked at how expensive they can be, so I was happy to find this one with such great reviews. This thing is solid! It fits standard hanging files and has plenty of room. At the advice of other reviewers I threw in a couple silica packets to help keep things dry. I haven't had if for very long yet, but I don't see how I could have any problems with it. It's an excellent option for in home document protection.