So as some of you on this site may know, I'm something of an SFIC enthusiast when it comes to my particular interests in locksport. I've collected a few keyways by now and have practiced making little mastered systems by rearranging the pins in a couple of these locks.
The annoying part, though, is that SFICs have lots of pin stacks, and lots of depths (not to mention tight tolerances), and filing a new set of blanks when you change a couple bittings gets really old, really fast. Lately I've been considering getting a key punch to make this part easier, but I'd really like to avoid the $500 that a Pak-a-Punch costs... it's really out of the price range for something I do as a hobby.
I've seen a couple people talk about the
Lishi cutter that DX sells, but haven't heard from anyone that's actually bought it. Is this thing any good? Also, this part is particularly important for the keys I want to cut, is the cut angle too wide or shallow for use on SFIC keys? If so, could I modify the cutter to work on SFIC keys?
So yeah, I'd really like to hear more about key cutters and punches that aren't ridiculously expensive. Or, if anyone has some tips on finding a Pak-a-Punch or equivalent style punch for significantly cheaper, I would love to hear about that too.
