Basic key machine.

[ricksconnected]

what is a good basic key machine that would be good for a newbie to the business.
really only wanting to do residential key related cuts at first but open to ideas
from those that know.

[bitbuster]

Check your local Craigslist to see what may be available. I started with the Belsaw 200 but won't suggest you do. See if you can find an older Ilco machine, perhaps an 025 or similar machine. Even a Cole 3KCC. There are many brands to suit your needs.

[ricksconnected]

oh man, our local CL isnt worth a crap. however than you for listing a few options
to look into. not running out to buy right now but getting ideas as to what i might need
in the future.

[Squelchtone]

oh man, our local CL isnt worth a crap. however than you for listing a few options
to look into. not running out to buy right now but getting ideas as to what i might need
in the future.

you could buy this 008 machine, but it is probably not the best choice for a locksmith, it's more for an apartment complex maintenance dept to make copies of apartment keys once in a while, not to make 50 keys a day.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/tls/ ... 82624.html

Squelchtone

[Squelchtone]

ebay is another good place, Search by Distance: Nearest First to find things close to you.

Here is an Ilco 025 like bitbuster suggested https://www.ebay.com/itm/ILCO-025-Manua ... 3463123019

Here is an HPC Speedex https://www.ebay.com/itm/SPEEDEX-9160MC ... 3551963566

some items have free shipping, a large and heavy key machine however, will probably cost you some cash to ship in from out of state.

Squelchtone

[ricksconnected]

oh man, our local CL isnt worth a crap. however than you for listing a few options
to look into. not running out to buy right now but getting ideas as to what i might need
in the future.

you could buy this 008 machine, but it is probably not the best choice for a locksmith, it's more for an apartment complex maintenance dept to make copies of apartment keys once in a while, not to make 50 keys a day.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/tls/ ... 82624.html

Squelchtone

lol would you look at that............
every time i hate CL in my area somebody comes up with something
i need on there or have been looking for. never darn fails.

looking up all these links now.

[jeffmoss26]

do not buy an HPC mini speedex. they are crap.

[ricksconnected]

not really sure how fancy i need to go to start out with.

[demux]

not really sure how fancy i need to go to start out with.

Depends what you want to do or think you might want to do. If all you're interested in is duplication then any of the things people have already said would be fine. You might find it difficult to make a living off that though. If you think you might want to do rekey work, masterkey systems, etc I'd suggest you consider at least a basic code machine (Framon #2, HPC 1200, etc). IMHO it's better to overbuy initially than buy just what you need now and find it's insufficient down the road. That'll leave you with a fairly expensive machine sitting under the workbench gathering dust.

FYI my first machine was an FB 200 and my second machine was a Framon #2. I consider myself basically a hobbyist. I do a bit of institutional lock work on the side primarily with businesses I've already done other work for, though it's not my primary source of income.

[ricksconnected]

wow there are more key machines than one can imagine out there lol.

[GWiens2001]

wow there are more key machines than one can imagine out there lol.

There are far more than you suspect. I have about 10 key machines, and I'm just a hobbyist, too.

Gordon

[ricksconnected]

wow there are more key machines than one can imagine out there lol.

There are far more than you suspect. I have about 10 key machines, and I'm just a hobbyist, too.

Gordon

why 10?

[demux]

why 10?

I'll let Gordon speak to his specific situation, but the reason most lockies have multiple machines is because different machines are good at different things. At the very least, you'll need a basic pin-tumbler key duplicator for obvious reasons. If you want to do rekey work, you'll want at least one code machine so you can originate new keys to spec. Duplicating keys on a code machine (especially for locks with sloppy tolerances) is a waste of time. Originating keys on a duplicator requires you to have a set of space and depth keys for every system you want to originate, and even if you do it's a huge pain. If you want to get into masterkey systems of any size you'll probably want a computer controlled machine that you can connect to your desktop running your master key software so you can send key info right from the key database to be cut. If you work on things other than standard pin-tumbler (tubular, sidewinder, etc) you'll want dedicated machines for those. If you decide to get into any of the more esoteric high-security systems a lot of those require special machines (think Protec, BiLock, even Medeco though many generic code machines now can cut Medeco keys) If you do a lot of work with one or two particular systems (SFIC A2, Schlage, etc) you may want to invest in a punch machine for those systems as cutting keys that way is much faster. If you do work on the road you'll want 1-2 basic machines in each of your vans. You see how things can add up quickly.

[ricksconnected]

thats a lot of machines thats for sure. just looking to do simple residential stuff for a good bit.
nothing fancy for a while. dont know what machines will have me covered for a while W/O breaking the bank.
any machine models you can suggest would be great too.

[billdeserthills]

ebay is another good place, Search by Distance: Nearest First to find things close to you.

Here is an Ilco 025 like bitbuster suggested https://www.ebay.com/itm/ILCO-025-Manua ... 3463123019

Here is an HPC Speedex https://www.ebay.com/itm/SPEEDEX-9160MC ... 3551963566

some items have free shipping, a large and heavy key machine however, will probably cost you some cash to ship in from out of state.

Squelchtone

I actually like the HPC 9120 & 9160 Speedex machines but not the one pictured as it'a a first gen modeland only has two-way vises--the newer model has 4 way key vises. I actually retrofit my 1st gen 9120 speedex with hpc's help 25 years ago & I've rebuilt that machine many times as I still use it today