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(More customer reviews)How many times have you been loaned a key for 5 minutes that you'll need several times and would like a copy of it? How many times have you re-keyed your apartment or your house becaue of a lost key or keyring? Wouldn't it be easier if you could just copy your own keys for 5 cents instead of dealing with the broken down machine at the hardware store that makes lousy coppies and charges you $2.49 for them? (and you have to make 2 trips to get one good copy?)
That's why I bought this, and it's already been used the day it showed up to make a duplicate of my only rental apartment key for my new tennant on move-in day at 3 AM. Where else could I have made a key copy at 3AM?
Despite its small size, it's reproduction is within .001" of the original. Speed is under 30 seconds for a kwikset key. This is a MANUAL unit which means you must move the carriage by hand SLOWLY from tip (the first part that goes into the lock) to BOW (the part you hold on to). Automatic units do this by motor action at a lightning pace, sacrificing accuracy. There is no rotating brush but if you cut slow enough there won't be any "hanging chads" because the key blank will be oblitterated into millions of tiny pieces. The hardware store systems cut so fast that A - they are not accurate, and B - they make hanging chads that must be deburred with a brush. It will not hurt to cut both directions but start from tip to bow and if needed return from bow to tip (odds are if you went slow you will not need a second pass to get an accurate cut). This is not a pair of pliers, so read the manual and keep it when it comes time to replace the cutter 1000 keys from now.
I mounted this in the trunk of my car on an inverter which runs it just fine (it uses 160 watts running so a 200W inverter is desirable - you are only running for 30 seconds so it won't drain the battery and its startup surge is not bad)
Finally a key xerox machine in my car!
I recommend buying a box of KW-1 and SC-1 keys - you can find them priced $18 for 50 keys which will hold you over for a long time. They are the two most popular keyblanks to go with it. When given the choice between the 5 pin or the 6 pin blank, always buy the 6 pin as the machine will cut away the 6th pin if you have a 5 pin original so you can just stock one keyblank size. The unit is made in the usa, has dual 4 jaw chucks which rotate to hold different size keys, and comes with a toolkit with accessories to handle oddball keys and to calibrate the cutter. It comes precalibrated with proof keys and ready to run out of the box. Be careful with schlage keys as they have about 7 common blanks. Kaba Ilco makes a universal blank that fits multiple schlage locks.
Final tip - stock some large and long keys (doesn't matter the keyway) - if you only have a key for 5 minutes and you DONT have the right blank, make a copy onto your oversized key (the mill will cut it down to size to match the original), then use your phone to take a photo of the sides of the original and go to the hardware store and buy an UNCUT blank that matches the key you were loaned. Now move your key you had to waste (but stores the information) over to the left jaw and put the proper key blank into the cutting jaw on the right and copy your copy onto the proper blank. This works as a last ditch alternative. If you stock a 7 pin Best or Arrow blank you can make a pattern copy of just about any key (you are only storing the height information). Alternately you can grind off the side rails and use the key to open the lock with a little finess - it's essentially a custom pick tool at that point without the grooves down the side. Note this does not work for side cut keys - those groves are important and this machine will not copy them - they are a security key.
This unit is made with a 12V motor but amazon doesn't sell that model and it is much more expensive - the inverter solution works just fine. Do be careful as flying chips of key material go everywhere while using it and you need to be up close so wear safety googles as with any power tool. You are using a high speed mill cutter that will throw chips just like a bridgeport. The people who say it won't happen to them are the ones in the emergency room getting brass chips out of their eyes.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Kaba Ilco 008 Manual Key Machine, the "Mini-Mite"
Key Machine
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