by zeke79 » 30 Mar 2009 0:49
It will run in the neighborhood of $500 to get a full set of cards for the blitz if you order them through HPC or HLFlake etc. That does not include the binder or sleeves for storage. Pricey for sure. One thing you might look into if you must have the individual cards would be to price them from Ilco as the cards for their version of the blitz are the same as HPC's if I recall correctly. If you want to start using the machine on the cheap then I would recommend getting the two micrometer cards and picking up Framon's space and depth book. It is the most comprehensive manual in print (that I am aware of) at roughly 380 pages of info. The manual will run you around $80 in a nice binder and the two micrometer cards at HPC's prices will run you another $30-$50 for the pair. The only limitation you may have with this setup is if you are cutting best sfic. It will be easier to cut best if you bought the actual cards as they will be more accurate than cutting by the micrometer cards due to the way the micrometer cards are divided. You have to do some guess work at times with the micrometer cards which is fine in most cases but due to the tolerances of best, being off a couple thousandths can cause problems.
As for cutters, you will need the CW-14MC for most work as stated and the 1011 as stated for file cabinets, desks, master padlocks etc. The cutting wheels are reasonable to buy. The punch however can get very expensive to buy new die/punch assemblies once they are worn out. The punch is also limited in some areas on the blanks it can cut. Blanks for some paracentric keyways cannot be punched. Hopefully someone with alot of experience with the HPC punch will chime in and give you an idea of the limitations of the machine.
As stated, for code machines, I prefer the ITL950 series of machines for several reasons. The first of which is the fact that one cutting wheel takes care of everything as the machines computer control emulates all flats. This saves you from spending over a hundred dollars for each cutting wheel you might need for the blitz. If you take into account having to maintain the two main cutters for the blitz, then say you need an assa wheel, a medeco wheel, and a sargent wheel then you realize that you have about six hundred dollars of cutting wheels to maintain. Compare this to the one wheel you have to maintain on the ITL. This solves the issue of cutting wheel tolerances that can be a few thousandths that you have to remember on the blitz when you switch from the cutter you are calibrated for to another. Another great thing about the ITL950CM is the built in auto codes. Just peck in the indirect code, select the correct vehicle model and cut which is handy along with the ability to do half cuts which is perfect for use with determinators. The blitz is a good machine however there are just a few things you can get spoiled on with the ITLs, the speed of the machine and built in masterkeying capability if you decide to use it are just a couple of the other nice features.
If you have picked up a blitz already then you can try what I stated above. I personally do not like printing cards out from software as the paper is thin and they seem to just be a pain to deal with. One might be able to have them laminated and make a decent card that way but that will get expensive fairly quick. Buying a set is expensive but they last forever. I have cards that are honestly twenty years old and despite being dirty they are in perfect working order. The machines themselves last a long time too as long as they do not take a fall or something like that. The blitz is not as durable as the framon #2's but the blitz is faster than the framon. I think it is safe to say that the blitz is just as durable, if not more durable than the ITL950 series machines. I cannot say for sure as neither or my machines have been through a fall to test this theory.
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