Ultimate & One-off Freestanding Safes

[Kent Tassell]

Any idea what locks were in it?

[safeman]

Any idea what locks were in it?

The keykocks would most likely be the Large Case Bank Lock with Nozzle. These had a horizontal keyhole. The key, when in the nozzle, turned 90° before going fully into the lock blocking all access and view from the outside.



Also incorporated the standard Reliance Guarded Lever to prevent tentative picking.

[Kent Tassell]

The keykocks would most likely be the Large Case Bank Lock with Nozzle. These had a horizontal keyhole. The key, when in the nozzle, turned 90° before going fully into the lock blocking all access and view from the outside.



Also incorporated the standard Reliance Guarded Lever to prevent tentative picking.

Thank you very much mate

[Cepasaccus]

Chubb's DuPont developed (I think) barrier material- Ellox as they named it, really was a major breakthrough and perhaps even one of the most significant of recent times. Here we had a material and a safe which almost seemed to defy physics- A plastic polymer impregnated with near diamond-hard chips that could put up a fight against serious drill attacks, disc cutters, explosives and thermal cutting! And it was a third of the weight of anything else being used- and plastic!

...

I remember a lengthy chat with some serious plastics experts about 20 years ago, asking them about the thermoplastic Chubb had used for the Planet. They all thought it was a wind-up- firstly they'd never heard of it, secondly they seemed to doubt everything I was telling them, and thirdly they all scratched their heads and said that there wasn't a polymer or thermoplastic in the universe that could perform as the so-called Ellox material.

Patent GB2197362 might be describing the material of this all-plastic safe.

The body and door of a safe ... constructed with a security barrier layer comprising an elastomer material such as polyurethane reinforced with elements of hard material such as aluminium or zirconium oxide. Onto this barrier is cast an outer elastomer layer..."

[safeman]

Patent GB2197362 might be describing the material of this all-plastic safe.

I have a few old notes regarding the Chubb Planet which may be of interest.


This safe was made in Holland. It was featured in a Tomorrows World programme many years age where it was subjected to the application of a disk cutter with a high number of disk being worn down by the Aloxite. It was also sledged to make a comparison with standard safes. Then there was a standard fire and fall test. All very effective. The door was locked by a continuous single bolt plate.
Although initially thought to be up to Grade 5 standard these early models were reported as having been recalled. Later versions were made with conventional metal bodies and may have been tested by Vds. As with TDR the material could be penetrated by skilled operators. They had some popularity where floor loading was a problem.

[Huw Eastwood]

Patent GB2197362 might be describing the material of this all-plastic safe.

I have a few old notes regarding the Chubb Planet which may be of interest.


This safe was made in Holland. It was featured in a Tomorrows World programme many years age where it was subjected to the application of a disk cutter with a high number of disk being worn down by the Aloxite. It was also sledged to make a comparison with standard safes. Then there was a standard fire and fall test. All very effective. The door was locked by a continuous single bolt plate.
Although initially thought to be up to Grade 5 standard these early models were reported as having been recalled. Later versions were made with conventional metal bodies and may have been tested by Vds. As with TDR the material could be penetrated by skilled operators. They had some popularity where floor loading was a problem.

Cheers Cerpasaccus, that’s definitely it from the description.

Cheers safeman, I remember the launch of these in the 80s and have a brochure for the original all plastic Planet- like the one you’ve pictured, and remember seeing it featured on Tomorrow’s World. Never actually saw an original version out in the field though.

Amazing technology for its time and still holds a few secrets we can learn from today in my view! Not only unique design and construction but also pioneering in terms of safe manufacture, as certain components were moulded in-situ as part of the overall structure.

The later versions like you said were encapsulated in an outer steel shell to meet the European testing grades and became the EuroPlanet, which in my view pretty much defeated the object.
All the additional steel increased the weight (and cost) significantly and like you said their appeal was in restricted weight applications.
Like the superb 1970s Chubb Castelle before it (not the later rubbish with same name), many Planets found homes in wealthy city apartments where floor loadings were limited.
But, with an already high price tag it became almost pointlessly non competitive once the weight and price increased further to meet the euro gradings.

Also, as far as I know they were the one badged Chubb product that was only ever made at the LIPS factory in Holland, and continued long after all the other production had gone to Malaysia.

Saw a few of the later euro grades with the steel outer but never an original ‘all plastic’.

[Huw Eastwood]

Just watched the Tomorrow’s World footage and it was the later EuroPlanet that featured and not the original all plastic model as I thought- shows how memory blurs with time.
I should have known from the tv screenshot safeman posted- the original mk1 colours were either a drab ivory beige or a hideous chocolate brown iirc.

[Huw Eastwood]

Here’s another contender for the ultimate safes thread while I’m onboard-
Didn’t post this when clearing old photos a while back as from memory John (safeman), had already posted it way back in the thread.
But, when re-reading through a year or so ago I realised what he’d posted was a totally different safe- the Inkas Monolith.

This Canadian offering- the Sécurifort 6222-CL5 isn’t as high specced as the Inkas which was TXTL-60x6, but with 5 inch walls and a 7 5/8 overall door it’s certainly no lightweight.
Described simply as to ULC Class 5 certification, and “incredibly high degree of torch and explosives resistance “. Hopefully the pics will upload..

[Gary Stephenson]

with regard to the planet and europlanet safes, I have opened and worked on a load of them, and even had the privilege of opening what must have been a prototype plastic body safe with a lichfied type boltwork. I thought I had seen pictures of the injection gear at woden road, but might be mistaken at that.

[Gary Stephenson]

also think Lips/Chubb did the Cennox vault doors from the same stuff