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Key lock safe or electronic safe

Updated: October 2026

You are choosing a lock because someone will not remember a PIN, or because you have pictured a dead battery on a Sunday night. A key lock safe or electronic safe is the wrong argument if you start from the number of combinations. The failure you will meet is a lockout or a lost key. This page stays on that failure for the boxes in our [furniture safe comparison](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/furniture-safe). Peter F., DIY & tools editor, wrote this on 17 October 2026 from those listings. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing a lock because someone will not remember a PIN, or because you have pictured a dead battery on a Sunday night.

Our top picks

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2

Best overall

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2
9.0/10about £30.43
View offer
HomeSafe HomeSafe HV38K

Rank 2

HomeSafe HomeSafe HV38K
9.0/10about £81.39
View offer
Burg-Wächter Burg-Wächter Favor S3 E

Rank 3

Burg-Wächter Burg-Wächter Favor S3 E
8.6/10about £57.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.When a key lock is the better fit
  2. 2.When a keypad is the better fit
  3. 3.What the reviews show when it fails
  4. 4.Fingerprint is not the middle option

When a key lock is the better fit

Choose a key when the person who opens the safe will not use a keypad, and when you can keep a second key outside the box. In this set that is the QWORK and the HomeSafe HV38K. Both are key only, with two keys and no battery. HomeSafe reviewers cite that as the reason they bought it. Brihard will not cut a replacement from the serial number, and one quote was £40 for a key that was not guaranteed to work. A second key in another room is the mitigation. Try both keys with the door shut before you drill, on the fitting page. Who should buy which box is the best furniture safe page.

When a keypad is the better fit

Choose a keypad when several people need access without a key to copy, and when the listing gives you a mechanical way in. The Yale YSV/200/DB2 and the Burg-Wächter Favor S3 E are a PIN plus an override. The Yale includes two mechanical keys and batteries. The AltiKeep claims spare keys and an external battery pack. A keypad is the better fit only if you have tested that second way in. The Yale batteries live inside the door. A dead battery does not spring the door open. Independent Safes’ point is the override key, kept outside. The Yale listing does not describe a 9 V socket. The AltiKeep claims an external pack, and UK reviews say it is often missing. Replace the cells while the door is still open. If the code is shared, write it down outside the safe as well.
Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2

Testsieger

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2
9.0/10about £30.43
View offer

What the reviews show when it fails

The Yale failure in UK reviews is specific. The keypad or the batteries open the lock with the door open, and not once the door is shut. If you are still inside the return window, that is a return. Forcing the door bends the box. One Burg-Wächter reviewer found the emergency key too thin to open the flap. Another, after about a year in a vehicle, found the plastic knob spinning and the key useless. Test that key on day one. If both keys are lost and the code is gone, an MLA-registered locksmith is the next step, and the visit may cost more than a cheap safe. Do not attack the door because a review said the steel was thin.

Fingerprint is not the middle option

The Fdit looks like a third way: a fingerprint, no key to lose, no PIN to forget. The listing claims a fingerprint lock and a USB battery. It does not say a backup key is included. The only written review says it would not pair with a phone after more than two hours. Two ratings at 3.5 are not a pattern. When the pairing fails you have neither a code nor a key. That is a worse lockout than a Yale whose override key is in a drawer downstairs. The chamber depth is 7 cm. Go back to a key lock, or a keypad with a mechanical override you have tested with the door shut. Grade and size, which this page does not decide, are the buying guide.

Common questions

Will a dead battery open the door by itself?
No. A flat battery leaves an electronic lock shut. On the Yale the cells are inside the door, so you need the override key, or a door that is already open. The AltiKeep listing claims an external pack, which UK reviews often say was not in the box. Do not plan on a 9 V terminal unless your own model shows one.
Where should the override key live?
Outside the safe, somewhere you can reach when the door is locked. Independent Safes’ dead-battery advice is that simple, and it applies to the second key of a key-only safe as well. A key inside the safe, or on a hook in the same cupboard, fails on the day you need it. The second HomeSafe or QWORK key belongs in another room.
What if both keys are lost?
Assume you cannot reorder an entry-level key. SimplySafes says that is common, and Brihard will not cut one from the serial number. One quote was £40 for a key that might not work. A high-street cutter is the wrong trade for a serious double-bitted key. An MLA-registered locksmith is the trade SimplySafes names, and the visit can cost more than a cheap safe.
Why did the Yale open with the door open and not when shut?
Because that fault is already in the UK reviews. The keypad or the batteries operate the lock while the door is open, and not after it is closed. Test the shut door before you drill. If it fails, return the safe while you still can. Tightening the bolts will not make the lock throw.
Is a fingerprint drawer a third option?
Not in this set. The Fdit has no backup key in the bullets, and one written review about a pairing that failed after more than two hours. A fingerprint is not a compromise between the HomeSafe’s key and the Yale’s keypad. When the sensor or the app fails, there is nowhere to go.

Related pages

Burg-Wächter safe comparison

Furniture safe

Best furniture safe UK: passport, key or floor box

Furniture safe buying guide: grade before the stars

Safe for passports and documents UK, not fire words

How to bolt down a furniture safe to the structure

Sources

Public UK sources on safe grades, fixing and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Listing prices and star counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts dated 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. De Raat UK, insurance rating (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. London Safes, insurance ratings explained (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Lock & Key, safe ratings and insurance (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Sold Secure approved product catalogue 2025 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Burton Safes, safe fixing guidelines (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Burg-Wächter UK, Favor freestanding home safe (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. BSI, BS EN 15659:2019 light fire storage units (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 15 October 2026)