Burton Home Safe S2 1E review
By Tom Calder
The only safe on this page whose security claim we could confirm at primary source: Sold Secure's own register lists the Burton Home Safe S2 under Burton Security Limited, certified to BS EN 14450 Grade S2 after independent attack testing. That certification is what supports the £4,000 cash and £40,000 valuables ratings, and it is backed by AiS approval and a Secured by Design licence. It has no fire protection whatsoever, so treat it as one half of a pair rather than a do-everything box.
- Best for
- Anyone who needs a cash or valuables rating their home insurer will actually recognise.
- Skip it if
- Your priority is protecting documents from fire
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Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- Certified to BS EN 14450 Grade S2 by Sold Secure, and the entry is checkable on Sold Secure's own product register
- £4,000 cash and £40,000 valuables ratings that insurers recognise, plus AiS approval and a Secured by Design licence
- Four 19mm bolts and a hinge-side dog bolt, with optional dual-PIN entry and time delay
Worth knowing
- No fire rating of any kind — passports, deeds and paperwork need a separate fire safe
- The certification is void unless it is fixed down: Burton requires it to be bolted to a floor or wall
- 11 litres is genuinely small at 220 x 270 x 190mm inside; the 2E and 3E sizes carry the same S2 certification if you need more room
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Our review
The smallest of Burton's three Home Safe S2 sizes: an 11-litre electronic box certified to EN 14450 grade S2 by Sold Secure, which is what lets an insurer put a cash figure against it. What matters most is fixing, because Burton says the rating applies once it is secured to a solid floor. It suits anyone keeping cash, jewellery or passports at home who wants a rating their policy recognises; it is not a fire safe.
What grade S2 means
EN 14450 is the European standard for secure cabinets, and S2 is the higher of its two grades. Burton's Sold Secure certificate for the Home Safe S2, number 2163, names BS EN 14450:2017 Grade S2 and Burton Security Limited; the copy on Burton's site shows a validity date of 31 May 2024, but Sold Secure's live register still listed the Home Safe S2 under Safes EN14450 S2 on 21 October 2026. Burton also states approval by the Association of Insurance Surveyors and a Police Preferred Specification. The figures Burton attaches are 4,000 pounds in cash or 40,000 pounds in jewellery; confirm your own insurer accepts them.
In a British home
The inside is 220mm tall, 270mm wide and 190mm deep, about a shoebox: passports, a jewellery roll, cash and car keys fit; a laptop does not, and A4 paperwork only folded. The lock takes a six-digit master code and up to nine user codes, and Burton's instructions describe dual code, so two people must each enter a code, and a time delay of 1 to 99 minutes between code and opening. There is no fire protection, so the only copy of a will or the deeds belongs in a fire safe instead, alongside the originals of anything you copy into a Family File.
Fixing it: the part that makes the rating real
At 17kg it leaves the house under one arm if it is not anchored, which is why Burton says it must be bolted to the floor or a wall to keep its certification, and that the cash rating applies when it is secured to a solid floor. There is one pre-drilled hole in the base and a partly drilled one in the back, with a fixing kit in the box. Burton's installation guidelines favour reinforced concrete, drilled at least 100mm into the slab below any screed, a joist if you only have timber, and the centre of a brick rather than the mortar; they advise against hollow block, stud walls, floorboards and furniture. Check for pipes and cables before drilling.
How it compares
The Yale Maximum Security YSEM/250/EG1 is the nearest graded rival on our home safes comparison: Sold Secure Silver for domestic safes rather than EN 14450 S2, 18.6 litres, 15.7kg, with a key override that the Burton does not list. For paperwork the natural partner is the Yale Fire Safe YFM/352/FG2, rated NT Fire 017-60P for an hour of paper protection with no burglary grade. Burton's Size 2 and Size 3 share this certificate at 23 and 39 litres.
Living with it
Power is a single 9V alkaline battery behind a plate inside the door; beeps warn when it is low, and if it dies with the door shut you hold a fresh 9V battery to the two contacts on the front of the lock and enter your code. Burton lists no key override, so keep a spare 9V battery somewhere other than inside the safe. Burton's product page says one year of warranty while its printed instructions say two years parts and labour, so ask the retailer which applies. It is sold through safe specialists, whose delivery and returns terms apply.
Our verdict
Buy it if cash, jewellery or passports are the worry and you have a solid floor to bolt it to; it is the simplest route on our site to a rating an insurer will recognise. Skip it if paper or data is what you want to protect, because a house fire would take everything in it; buy a fire safe instead, or as the second half of a pair, and our house fire guide shows why. Do not buy it at all if you will not fix it down.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 21 Oct 2026. Sources: Burton Safes — Home Safe S2 Size 1 product page (certification, ratings, dimensions, fixing requirement, warranty); Burton Safes — Home Safe S2 instructions (PDF: codes, penalty time, time delay, 9V battery, emergency power); Burton Safes — Home Safe S2 product guide (PDF: sizes, weights, volumes); Burton Safes — installation guidelines for freestanding safes (PDF); Sold Secure — test certificate 2163, Burton Home Safe S2, BS EN 14450:2017 Grade S2 (PDF hosted by Burton); Sold Secure — approved product search, keyword Burton (register entry under Safes EN14450 S2).
Who shouldn't buy this
Skip it if your priority is protecting documents from fire — pair it with, or choose instead, a certified fire safe such as the Chubbsafes Executive 40K.
Key specs
| Type | Insurance-rated security safe, electronic — no fire rating |
| Certification | EN 14450 S2 (Sold Secure) — £4,000 cash rating. No fire rating. |
| Lock | Electronic keypad, 10 codes, 4× 19mm bolts + hinge dog bolt |
| Capacity | 11 L |
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
If this isn’t the one
Best for Households who want fire certification from two named independent bodies, with room for four lever-arch files.
Read the review →
Best for Households that want an independently graded home security safe for cash and valuables, at a more modest cash rating than the Burton.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 19:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for People who need the same Sold Secure Silver grading in a taller safe that takes folders, a laptop and boxed valuables.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 19:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.Questions
Is the Burton Home Safe S2 1E fireproof?
No. Burton gives it no fire rating; it is a burglary-resistance safe certified to EN 14450 S2, and paper or drives inside it would not be protected in a house fire. Pair it with a fire safe if you need both jobs done.
What cash rating does the Burton Home Safe S2 1E have?
Burton states 4,000 pounds for cash or 40,000 pounds for jewellery, supported by the Sold Secure EN 14450 S2 certification and AiS approval. Burton also says the rating applies when the safe is secured to a solid floor, so an unfixed safe may not satisfy your insurer.
What happens if the battery in the Burton Home Safe S2 1E goes flat?
Hold a fresh 9V alkaline battery against the plus and minus contacts on the front of the lock, press ON, enter your six-digit code and turn the handle within four seconds. Then replace the battery behind the plate inside the door. Three wrong codes start a one-minute penalty that doubles to a maximum of 16 minutes.
Can the Burton Home Safe S2 1E be wall-mounted?
Yes. Burton lists back and base fixing with a fixing kit included and says it installs to floors and walls, though its guidance prefers a solid floor for the rating and warns against hollow block and stud walls.
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