First Alert

The Best Carbon Monoxide Detectors: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Health & Wellness

First Alert CO710 Carbon Monoxide Alarm with 10-Year BatteryRunner-up

A tabletop alarm with a sealed 10 year lithium battery and a backlit display that shows CO in ppm, a recent peak and the room temperature.

Best for: Renters, dorm rooms, and anyone adding a bedside alarm on a nightstand or shelf without wiring or drilling anything.

$ · budget

The Best Escape Ladders: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Health & Wellness

First Alert Two-Story Fire Escape Ladder, 14 FeetRunner-up

A 14 foot steel and nylon ladder with a stabilizer on every rung, repackable so you can rehearse, and cheap enough to put one in each upstairs bedroom.

Best for: A two storey house with conventional double hung windows where you want a ladder in every upstairs bedroom rather than one good one.

$$ · mid-range

The Best Fire Extinguishers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Health & Wellness

First Alert PRO5 Heavy Duty Plus Rechargeable Fire Extinguisher (FE3A40GR)Runner-up

The same 3-A:40-B:C rating as the Amerex in a unit sold through ordinary retail, with a longer warranty and a thinner spec sheet.

Best for: Buying two or three rechargeable units at once so you are not walking past a fire to reach the only one.

$ · budget

The Best Home Safes: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Home & Kitchen

First Alert 2037F Water and Fire File Chest

A waterproof file chest with a carry handle and a latch lock, good for papers in a flood and weak against a thief.

Why we skip it: The maker's own graphics show a carry handle and a 36 lb weight, so a burglar can simply pick it up and walk out

$ · budget