by quicksilver » 21 May 2007 11:38
IMO one of the best things to do when thinking about new equipment is to assume a price range. Let's say that you don't want to spend anymore than "X". If some features on a machine that costs "Y" (more) are not nesessary for your needs then the answer is obvious. However if you find that the features may be important one day, etc. then always get the best you can possibly afford.
Buying tools is somewhat like playing baseball out-field. You can always run up but running backward is tough. You can generally make a well appointed tool do simple work but you can't make a simple tool do involved stuff. Discountkeymachines.com is a good place if you are a business owner. They have an Ilco Universal II that looks fantastic. I have an old Ilco and they are made well. Let's say today you don't need a code machine but you think that one day you might and your budget can fit it....by all means get it!
But if money is the priority, you can get them down to a few hundred as kits from Foley Belsaw, etc. A big list of great machines doesn't do you any good if you just need a duplicating machine; period. There is a GREAT little thing that's a hand drill driven tool that copies keys for less than 200 and it will work with any hand-held drill so it can go in a tool box!
