Phoenix Datacombi DS2501E review
Phoenix Datacombi DS2501E Size 1 Data & Document Safe
By Tom Calder
The real differentiator here is a separately certified data-media rating rather than vague marketing about being 'safe for electronics': SP in Sweden certified it to NT Fire 017-90 for paper and 017-90DIS for diskettes, tapes and data storage, with a further MTC DIP120-60DM rating covering 60 minutes for DVDs, USB sticks and hard drives. It is also rated for a 9.1m drop impact, for collapse through a burning floor. Phoenix's '£2,500 overnight cash risk' figure, though, is a recommendation with no standard behind it — this is a fire safe, not a burglary-rated one.
- Best for
- Protecting hard drives, backup media and business records from fire, where an ordinary paper safe would not.
- Skip it if
- You only need paperwork protected
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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
- Separately certified data-media protection — NT Fire 017-90DIS plus MTC DIP120-60DM for hard drives and USB sticks
- 90 minutes for paper as well, so documents and digital backups sit in the same unit
- Internal lockable drawer, height-adjustable shelf and three key hooks, with hidden and scrambled code entry as standard
Worth knowing
- 103kg and 640 x 500 x 500mm — it wants a ground floor or a checked joist, and arrives kerbside
- The '£2,500 overnight cash risk / £25,000 valuables' figure is a Phoenix recommendation, not a certified cash rating
- Some resellers print a 60-minute data figure lifted from a different standard; Phoenix's own spec is 90 minutes for diskettes and tapes, 60 for digital media
Out of stock when we checked: our alternatives
Closest in size first, then by our score. None of them was showing out of stock when we last checked.
Best for Anyone who needs a cash or valuables rating their home insurer will actually recognise.
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
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Our review
A floor-standing Phoenix safe built for the one job an ordinary fire safe cannot do: rated to keep hard drives, memory sticks and backup tapes cool enough to come through a house fire, with 90 minutes of paper protection alongside. What matters most is the separate data-media class, because paper-rated safes are allowed to get far hotter inside. It suits a home office or small business whose digital records exist nowhere else.
What the three ratings mean
Phoenix lists three test standards. NT Fire 017-90 Paper and NT Fire 017-90dis are Nordtest classes, and the method spells out the difference: a paper-class cabinet may warm by up to 150°C inside, because ordinary paper keeps its information below 170°C, while a diskette-class cabinet may warm by no more than 30°C, for media that can lose information above 50°C. The number is the minutes that limit held in a furnace following the ISO 834 curve. The third, MTC DIP120-60DM, is a standard Phoenix names for 60 minutes with DVDs, memory sticks and hard drives. Phoenix names no certifying body for any of them on its page, so if an insurer or auditor wants certificates, ask before you order.
Phoenix also says it is fire and impact tested from 9.1 metres, standing in for a fall through a burning floor, and calls the data compartment water resistant. It is not a burglary-graded safe: the overnight cash figure Phoenix prints is described as approximate on its own spec sheet, with a note to check with your underwriter.
In a British home
The main compartment is 63 litres with a six-litre data box and a lockable drawer, and the interior is 375mm wide and 330mm deep. Phoenix's capacity table lists zero lever-arch folders and zero foolscap box files for this size, because the drawer and data box take 305mm out of the height. Plan on folders laid flat, passports, drives and backup media rather than a shelf of ring binders; the larger DS2502 holds five lever-arch files. Our house fire guide covers the night itself.
How it compares
Among the paper-only safes on our site this is the odd one out. The Chubbsafes Executive 40K carries NT Fire 017 class 60 for paper plus UL 72 Class 350 for an hour, holds 41 litres and weighs 57kg, with a key lock and no data rating. The Yale Large Fire Safe YFM/420/FG2 is rated NT Fire 017-60P, holds 25.3 litres and weighs 36kg. Either protects paperwork for an hour at between a third and just over half the weight; neither is rated to keep a hard drive below the temperature at which it dies. More on our home safes comparison.
Living with it
At 103kg and 640mm tall by 500mm wide and deep, this is a two-person, ground-floor purchase. Burton's general installation guidelines for safes say to check floor loading along the route and at the final spot, and to ask a structural engineer if unsure. Phoenix supplies bolts for fixing into concrete, and delivery from the stockists we have checked is kerbside.
The electronic lock has an LED display, dual control so two codes can be required, and hidden-code and scrambled-code options, and Phoenix's spec sheet says the door locks automatically when slammed shut. Phoenix does not publish the battery type or what happens when it runs flat, so ask the retailer. The guarantee is two years on site, and Phoenix's FAQ says all its fire-resistant products carry a free lifetime after-the-fire replacement warranty; register the serial number on Phoenix's warranty page. If you buy direct, Phoenix's sale terms allow cancellation within 30 days of receipt with the buyer paying return carriage, and a collection charge plus 10% restocking if the buyer does not send it back.
Our verdict
Buy it if you have digital records that exist nowhere else, or paperwork that needs 90 minutes rather than 60; the data class is the whole reason to pay this much and carry this much weight. Skip it if everything that matters is on paper or already copied to a cloud service: a paper-rated fire safe does that job for far less, and an encrypted copy elsewhere protects data better than any box. If theft is the worry, look at the Burton Home Safe S2 1E instead, or as well.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 21 Oct 2026. Sources: Phoenix Safe Company — Datacombi DS2501E product page (ratings, dimensions, lock, fixing, guarantee); Phoenix Safe Company — DS2500 Series Data Combi specification sheet (PDF: capacity table, drop test, underwriter note); Phoenix Safe Company — FAQ search, 'after the fire' (warranty FAQ: lifetime after-the-fire replacement, two-year onsite); Phoenix Safe Company — standard sale terms and conditions (cancellation, returns, restocking); Phoenix Safe Company — register your product warranty (serial number, purchase date); Nordtest — NT FIRE 017, Edition 3 (2003): filing, data and diskette cabinets, fire resistance (class criteria); Burton Safes — installation guidelines for freestanding safes (PDF: floor loading, substrates).
Who shouldn't buy this
Skip it if you only need paperwork protected — the Chubbsafes Executive 40K or a Yale YFM fire safe does that job for a fraction of the price and the weight.
Key specs
| Type | Fire-rated document + data-media safe, floor-standing |
| Certification | NT Fire 017-90 Paper/90DIS (SP) + MTC DIP120-60DM; no burglary |
| Lock | Electronic, dual control, 2 PINs, internal locking drawer |
| Capacity | 63 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.
Questions
Will the Phoenix Datacombi DS2501E protect a hard drive or USB stick in a fire?
Phoenix says yes: it is tested to NT Fire 017-90dis for diskettes, tapes and data storage, and to MTC DIP120-60DM for 60 minutes with DVDs, memory sticks and hard drives. Keep media in the data compartment, which Phoenix calls water resistant.
How heavy is the Phoenix Datacombi DS2501E, and can it go upstairs?
Phoenix lists 103kg without packaging and says nothing about upper floors. Check the floor loading along the route and at the final spot before ordering. The bolts Phoenix supplies are for concrete, so a ground floor on a concrete slab is the natural home for it.
Does the Phoenix Datacombi DS2501E have a cash rating?
Not a certified one. Phoenix recommends it for an overnight cash risk of 2,500 pounds or 25,000 pounds in valuables, and its spec sheet calls those figures approximate and says to check with your underwriter. There is no EN 14450 or EN 1143-1 grade, so an insurer may not accept it for cash cover.
Will lever-arch files fit in the Phoenix Datacombi DS2501E?
Phoenix's capacity table says no: zero lever-arch folders and zero foolscap box files for this size, because the drawer and data box reduce the internal height by 305mm. The DS2502 is the smallest Data Combi that takes them, at five.
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