SentrySafe QA0121 Fire-Safe Waterproof Data Storage Chest, Grey
Manufacturer: SentrySafe
Model: QA0121
Part Number: QA0121
Color: Gray
Size: .1 cf.
Warranty: This product is covered under a limited 1-year manufacturer's warranty. Additional warranty information included in packaging. Please call us if you have any questions or concerns regarding this product's warranty.
Features:
- ETL Verified for Fire .5-Hour at 1550 degrees Fahrenheit and Water - 24 hr submersion testing
- Allows users to back up data using their own storage devices
- Tubular Key Lock
- Internal USB 2.0 bus powered port, USB &-cable for computer connection included, includes 10 CD/DVD sleeves, Organizational divider, Durable high gloss finish
- CD/DVD Storage and Protection holds up to 30 sleeves
FIRE-SAFE waterproof data storage chest. The world's first and only fire resistant and waterproof multi-purpose data protection chest. Allows users to backup data using their own storage devices (devices sold separately). Protects up to 60 CDs and DVDs (in 30 double-sided sleeves). Users connect their laptop or desktop computer via the internal USB port.
Exterior Dimensions: 9 3/4"H x 9 1/8"W x 10 7/8"D
Interior Dimensions: 6 5/8"H x 5 1/4"W x 5"D
Capacity: .10 cu. ft. 176 cu. in.
This is a neat concept for a data storage chest. Basically, you plug a USB cable from your computer into the chest, and on the inside, you plug another USB cable from the chest to your USB storage device. What this means is you get fire and water protection, while still being able to use the USB storage device.
I use this with a small Western Digital USB drive. One nice thing is that this USB drive requires a "two to one" USB cable for additional power -- and the data storage chest comes with one of these! Very nice touch. I backup my data onto this drive every night, and now it's nice knowing that the data is waterproof and fireproof, too.
You can also store CD's and DVD's in this unit. It comes with 10 sleeves to hold 20 discs, and you can buy more at Sentry Safe's web site.
Why not five stars, then? I have two minor cons:
1) I wish the inside was just a little more spacious, even if it meant increasing the overall size of the chest. We're using this to store documents as well -- particularly passports, etc. -- and more space for this would have been nice.
2) My only true concern is that by nature of a fireproof safe, the interior of the device is thermally insulated from the outside (there's no other way to ensure that the interior will be OK for 24 hours at 1550 F, of course). However, non-solid state storage devices, like hard drives, inherently generate *some* heat. As such, there's no ventilation for the drive. Every so often I leave the lid open for a while to exhaust this extra heat. I wouldn't use this chest for a drive that's used constantly (my hard drive "spins down" after a certain level of inactivity). I'm guessing the use of this chest will reduce the life time of a drive, but drives are cheap, and I'd rather have the protection this chest offers.
Overall, an ingenuous solution! One other thing I would mention is that we had a "regular" sentry fire safe in our old house, and one issue we had in our humid environment was mold growing on our passports! Therefore, I recommend that you purchase desiccants (silica gel, like those little sugar-like packets that come with most electronic devices these days), and throw some in the chest. These are easily found on ebay, among other places, for a nominal cost.