As most of you know I am a new member to the forum and first impressions are everything. It is my best interest to make a good first impression and get off on the right foot. I am going to share with you a few reviews side by side of the many duplicators ready and available. I have tried and used frequently each of these machines I am about to describe and have experience with each. I will admit that I have a bias for one of the machines and if you are in my position you would have bias as well.
First off I am going to talk about the Rytan series. There are two main machines available for purchase. Each comes with a manual and a key to verify that it has been tested with accuracy. A pretty honest move. Rytan values their customers and much care goes into each machine.
RY-100
The Rytan 100 is your basic duplicator. It doesnt use a gear driven shift stick but rather a pump. Less maintenance is required this way. The pump can take a lot more wear and damage before it breaks. The placement of the shift stick and cradle handles are different than most duplicators but I find with practice it can duplicate keys faster.
The shoulder gauge is a very versatile addition to this machine. With both yellow tip covers and bare steel you can gauge from the shoulder, you can gauge from the tip or you can even gauge from behind the tip. Pretty much however you want to gauge. This allows for a large variety of keys to be cut... With only 2 Jaws! The jaws are specially designed as well so that you can get a superior grip on your keys when cutting them.
As for the unit itself, it is loaded with features, it is very light weight and small. you can fit this machine in some tight spaces. This machine is also upgradable which we will talk about later. Each of the Rytan machines have similar features which I will talk about all at once.
RY-256
The 256 is the exact same machine with two major differences. It can cut Medeco keys. The stylus is adjustable both in depth and angle. Even the whole motor and blade housing can be adjusted with the additional handle on top to carve away at those angled cuts. The other major difference is the blade. The blade is flat one one side to cut key blanks like Kwikset Titan or Schlage.
Both of these 2 Jaw machines have adapters that can be purchased to cut double sided keys with ease. All in all either of these machines can cut nearly any key you run across. There are mounting holes in the bottom so that you can mount it to your work desk or in your mobile unit. Each of these machines can either be upgraded or purchased into the upgrades bringing you two new machines.
RY-200
RY-456
The key difference with the 200 model and the 456 model to the last two that I covered is that they are fully loaded with upgrades. These two models come equipped with the flat carbide steel blades, softie brush, an easy adjust stylus, and all their shields in place. Not only do you get that but these models come equipped with 4-Way Jaws. Aside from stranger keys like tibbe keys and tubular keys for examples you will be able to cut any key there is.
In addition you can also purchase a kit to convert the blade and the drive system to a euro duplicator. Those hard steel keys dont hold up to its high speeds and hardened blade. A lamp may also be purchased with an adjustable stem to see what your doing in a dark van.
But lets be fair, there are other duplicators on the market and they deserve attention too. HPC, Bianchi, and Laser Key each have great machines. To start, let me talk about the HPC first.
Its quick, Its durable and excellent for common key use, but It has a downside. The HPC Duplicator is limited. It really does not have the ability to cut many keys. HPC makes a cool comeback though with its tubular and tibbe adapters. That makes this a good first choice for the mobile units.
The Bianchi Duplicator is a good example of foreign quality. It is tough, sturdy, and doesnt move. Did I mention it doesnt move? Its really quite heavy. It has 4-Way Jaws and has a lot of versatility to the keys that it can cut but it is in no way a mobile unit.
This is it, when you want a machine that does it all, this is the best of the best. It can cut everything from laser keys to dimple keys and everything in between. It cuts medeco and tubular. It cuts tibbe and double sided keys. It does it perfect. It reads the first keys depths and replicates them as a brand new key with no flaws. It costs a fortune and is a rather fragile machine. It also requires the support of a laptop.
Well this has been fun. I thank all of you who read through the end. I wish you all a great night and happy buying.
