You’re staring at a pile of birth certificates, social security cards, and maybe that one thumb drive with all your wedding photos, wondering if a $100 plastic-looking box can actually keep them from turning into ash. It’s a weird feeling. You want protection, but you don’t necessarily want a 200-pound iron maiden bolted to your floor.
Enter the Honeywell 1114 lightweight fire and waterproof chest.
The name is a bit of a mouthful, honestly. Most people just call it the "1114." But there’s a massive misconception floating around about what "lightweight" actually means in the world of fire safety. Hint: it still weighs more than a bag of premium dog food.
The Weight Paradox: It’s Heavy for Being "Light"
Let’s get the elephant out of the room. Honeywell calls this the "lightweight" version because it’s the slimmed-down cousin of the beastly 1104 model. But don’t let the marketing fool you. This thing weighs roughly 41.9 pounds.
Forty-two pounds.
If you’re planning on casually swinging this by your side like a briefcase on the way to the office, you’re going to end up at the chiropractor. The "lightweight" tag is relative. Compared to a full-sized floor safe that requires a professional moving crew, yeah, it’s light. But for a portable chest? It’s a tank.
The weight comes from the insulation. To get that 1-hour UL fire protection rating (up to 1700°F), you need mass. You need that thick, proprietary insulation that keeps the internal temperature below the point where paper charcoals. If it felt like a plastic Tupperware bin, it wouldn't work. Basically, the weight is the proof that there's actually something inside the walls protecting your stuff.
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What Actually Fits Inside?
The interior dimensions are 3.8 inches high, 14.8 inches wide, and 12 inches deep.
Why does that matter? Because it means you can finally stop folding your legal-sized documents.
Most "small" safes force you to crease your most important papers. The Honeywell 1114 lets letter, A4, and legal-size documents lay perfectly flat. There is something deeply satisfying about not having to origami your house deed just to get the lid to close.
- Capacity: 0.39 cubic feet.
- Media storage: It’s safe for digital media (CDs, DVDs, USB sticks).
- The "Flat" Rule: Envelopes and passports fit with miles of room to spare.
One thing to watch out for: it's shallow. At less than 4 inches of height, you aren't fitting a stack of thick binders in here. It’s a document chest, not a toy box.
The 24-Hour (or 100-Hour?) Water Mystery
There is a lot of conflicting info online about the waterproof rating. If you check some retail listings, they’ll say it’s waterproof for 24 hours. Others, like certain 2026 spec sheets, claim up to 100 hours of protection at a depth of 1 meter (about 39 inches).
Which one is it?
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Honestly, the 100-hour rating is the newer ETL verification standard Honeywell has been pushing. But look, if your house is underwater for four days, you have bigger problems than a chest rating. The takeaway is the waterproof seal. Most fire safes are actually not waterproof. In fact, many people lose their documents during a fire not because of the flames, but because the fire department’s high-pressure hoses fill the safe with water.
The 1114 uses two compression latches on the sides to "squish" the lid down onto a rubber gasket. This creates a literal airtight seal.
The Humidity Trap (Read This Carefully)
Because that seal is so good, it’s airtight. This is great for floods, but terrible for mold.
If you live in a humid climate and you lock up your documents and forget about them for six months, you might open the chest to find your birth certificate smelling like a damp basement. It’s a common "gotcha" with high-end waterproof chests.
The Fix: You’ve gotta air it out. Open it once every two weeks for twenty minutes. Or, do what the pros do and toss a high-quality silica gel desiccant pack inside. It’s a $10 insurance policy to make sure your papers don't get "sweaty."
Real Talk on Security
Let’s be real for a second. This is a fire and water chest, not a "keep out the professional burglars" safe.
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It uses a basic privacy key lock. The keys are a bit thin—some users have complained they feel "skimpy." This lock is there to keep kids out or to keep the lid from popping open if you drop it. If a thief finds this, they aren't going to pick the lock; they’re just going to pick up the 42-pound box and walk away with it.
If you’re looking for theft protection, you need something that bolts to the floor. The Honeywell 1114 is designed to survive a disaster, not a heist.
Why This Specific Model?
You might see the Honeywell 1533 or the SentrySafe HD4100 and think they're the same. They aren't. The 1114 occupies a weird "sweet spot." It gives you a full hour of fire protection whereas many others only give you 30 minutes.
That extra 30 minutes is the difference between your documents surviving a major house fire or becoming a pile of grey dust. Most house fires are knocked out relatively quickly, but 30 minutes is cutting it close. That 1-hour rating is why people pay the premium for this specific chest.
Actionable Steps for New Owners
If you just picked one of these up, don't just throw your stuff in and slide it under the bed.
- Inventory Check: Use a phone app to scan everything you’re putting inside. Even a fireproof chest isn't 100% foolproof.
- The Bag-in-Box Method: Put your most critical papers in a heavy-duty Ziploc or a small fire-resistant bag inside the chest. It adds a second layer of moisture and heat protection.
- Key Management: You get two keys. Do not keep the spare in the same room as the chest. If the house goes up, you don't want both keys lost in the rubble.
- Placement: Store it on the lowest floor of your home. Heat rises. If the chest is on the second floor, it’s going to be exposed to much higher temperatures for longer during a fire than if it’s on a concrete basement floor.
The Honeywell 1114 is a solid piece of hardware. It’s heavy, it’s a bit of a pain to maintain regarding humidity, and it won't stop a determined thief with a crowbar. But when it comes to keeping your life's paperwork from being erased by a burst pipe or a kitchen fire, it’s one of the most reliable mid-range options you can buy.