"Major" Safe info wanted

[gort69]

Hi all -
1st post here. Hoping to find some info on this safe I recently acquired.. It's a "Major" and there is no model number or serial # tag on it. It definitely has concrete filled walls approx 3"-4" thick. The exterior dimensions are 48" tall (not including the casters), 28" wide and 24" deep. There is a sticker on the inside of the door that states it has a 2 hr fire rating, but it's a Japanese rating, not UL. The dial lock is S & G, and also has a key lock, both of which must be unlocked in order to open the door. The only info I've been able to find on the web is that Major Safe was acquired by AMSEC, but not sure when. Hoping someone is familiar with this safe, and would appreciate any info, esp how old it is and whether or not it's a decent safe.

Thanks!

PS - I have the combination and the key, so getting in is not an issue.

[billdeserthills]

Looks like an imported office safe made by the asian market and then private labeled as a Major.
Many legitimate safe companies sell the same safe, yours is notable due to it's larger than average
size--most folks who want a safe that large that I know just buy a heavy duty gun safe.

Although your safe has a two hour fire rating it doesn't have any burglary certification, because it most likely doesn't have any real metal in the doors or body to speak of, just a thin shell injected with concrete that won't stand up to much of a break in attempt. I wouldn't store a lot of valuables or money in this safe, it was really made to safeguard paperwork in the event of a fire.

Years ago I bought a large B-rate safe (1"thick steel door, 1/2" thick steel body) and stuck my Sentry safe inside--That was my heavy duty safe until I got enough money to buy my Amsec BF series safes (4 3/4" thick door 2" body)

Funny thing about safes, mine aren't even up to TL-15 rating--UL gives a TL-15 safe a 15 minute rating against a burglar opening it, which is just crazy to me. In fact the hardest safe I know, a TLTR-60 safe, which can cost over $10K --only has a 60 minute rating

[mh]

In fact the hardest safe I know, a TLTR-60 safe, which can cost over $10K --only has a 60 minute rating

That’s UL, but European certification bodies also test for higher ratings - according to https://vds.de/fileadmin/vds_publikatio ... 61_web.pdf it’s currently up to X (10) for safes and XIII (13) for vault rooms. These number ratings translate to “resistance units”, which relate to tool-minutes, this (and the “best” tool set used) is kept obscure, I believe in an attempt to not give the bad guys reliable time windows that they can calculate with.
But there’s no combination of tools that will work on a class ten safe in 60 minutes...

[MartinHewitt]

I guess it is a Satoh Sun Magnetic lock.

[Squelchtone]

Your safe looks like it is from the mid to late 70s or very early 80s. You should call the Portland Oregon lock shop on that sticker and ask them when they used that logo design if you want to know the date range.

In case you are trying to appraise the worth of your safe, it is by no means an antique, nor a high security safe. If it was on craigslist right now and I wanted to buy it for some reason I wouldnt offer more than $100 to $200 for it. And I like Major safes but this was an imported one with their name stuck on it and the kind of thing you might find at Montgomary Wards or local locksmith shops lower tier safe offerings so it doesnt scream quality. If it is a real 6700 series S&G lock on it, then that's the best part of the entire safe.

just my own opinions and musings,
Squelchtone

[gort69]

Thanks for the info - appreciate it.

[MartinHewitt]

Yours is probably indeed an S&G dial as far as I can see in your photo.

PS: There is a photo of a Sun Magnetic dial: https://keypicking.com/viewtopic.php?p=118462#p118462