AutoSafe

Transporting a laptop in a vehicle, it is often too easy to become careless and leave it in full view, inviting a smashed window, loss of expensive equipment and possibly months of work. There is no guarantee that thieves will not break into your car, so a mobile safe is a good investment.

The AutoSafe is a way to secure not just a laptop, but confidential papers, pharmaceuticals and other items best kept under lock and key. It can be attached to a trunk interior to provide a safe haven for valuables and it comes with Thatcham 'Q' rated certification. Manufactured from high quality steel, the AutoSafe is easily fitted into any vehicle by securing the one-meter, PVC-coated, steel cable to a chosen secure point - luggage mounting straps, chassis bars or the spare wheel bracket - and then the bulbous ends are slipped into the multi-point slots. There are two to the front and a pair to each side, which look like the screw locating slots found on many DIY fixing brackets, what makes them secure is that, once the lid is locked, the cable cannot be slipped out again.

The AutoSafe itself comes with Velcro fastenings underneath, to prevent sliding, but they do allow the authorized user to quickly and safely remove it. The company says that no two AutoSafes can have the same key sets. And for travelers who like to hire a car, the AutoSafe can be quickly fitted to the hire vehicle. Surprisingly enough, the unit isn't that heavy. In fact, we have encountered weightier brief cases with alarms and locks suitable for laptop use over the years. This makes the AutoSafe certainly viable for most security conscious users. Although it looks like a safe, in mat black livery, it does have a handle for easy transport, which is spring-loaded so it can return to its recess - maybe not a fashion item but it is secure and robust.