Key Programmers and Code Cutting

[alockguru]

AD is expensive. Its a shame there goodies are so high but there gadgets are always my favorite.

The SBB (knock off not the original) or T300 barley work. No lie. There is only a handful of makes & models they will work on. The SBB will work well on the few auto's that it does.

My setup
Programmers TKO, MVP PRO
(buy 250 tokens @ $11ea & only leave 50 on machine) I use the PRO only when I have too even tho <b>it is</b> the BEST programmer available. Updates are free & new tech comes out pretty fast usually .

Code cutters: HPC 1200CMB, 3D Pro Xtreme.

Pretty much does everything. I have some other miscellaneous eprom stuff but if your just getting started I wouldn't worry with that stuff yet.

[alockguru]

For a big-city large production shop, it seems so simple to buy 250 tokens at a time but that's not feasible for everyone. I am a small town locksmith in a town of approx 1000. There is nobody else within 2 hours that can program keys. It's not a matter of me competing with established locksmiths by buying a cheap machine and poaching, but for me to buy an AD machine new will NEVER pay off. To assume that if you can afford the machine, you can afford the tokens, (which might have been someone else saying so) don't forget that AD leases this machine to make it more attractive to a small business owner like myself. When I'm in the market for a machine, I will do everything I can to find a legal version, but used. I know that AD will be happy to take me to court for using a stolen version of their stolen technology, so I will go legal whenever I can find one.

Just thought i'd give you the perspective to a small town guy who is FED UP with AD and their lack of customer service.

The PRO IMO is the perfect choice for a small town smith. It comes with 30-50 tokens when you buy it which should get you started. Then a investment in 250 tokes should be no problem for even a small business. It may be a few years before you get your return back but the machine will last you your whole career. $6000 investment (machine + 250 tokens) would last you a very long time in a small town. You get FREE updates so you would never have to turn down a job even when its a new 2015 auto. The knock offs are very limited in the makes/models they do. So you'd be passing off a lot of jobs to the dealer. In a small town with just a few calls, any job I couldn't do would be like a dagger to my side.

I agree AD support is pretty rude and not that helpful on the forums. (mostly because people ask the same questions I assume) but they have always been more then helpful when ever I have called in.

[2octops]

I disagree that AD support is rude. You want rude, call Ray at Treskat.

Sometimes they are clueless but I've never found them to be rude about it. Actually they can be quiet comical about not knowing sometimes.

Back when they were just starting up here in the US and forwarding tech support calls to locksmiths that were out in the field working, it was a PITA and a gamble if you would find somebody that knew what they were talking about and some of them were quiet rude. But they keep tech support in house now.