How to use a Best Key Combinator.

[GWiens2001]

Have had this for about an hour, so not an expert. The experts here please correct any mistakes. However, these are pretty simple to operate. Convinced my son that he needed to help with operating this for the tutorial.

This is the Best Key Combinator (the older style).

Front:


Right side:


Rear side:


and bottom:


First thing is to turn the handle so the flat side is facing left (where the key will be inserted soon)




Now pull the handle towards you, drawing out the carriage until it stops.





Insert the key to the left of the handle in this slot, with the key blade facing away from the handle, and the back of the key firmly against the right side of the slot. The there is a grabber that will hold the key from sliding left or right or up or down.






Now pull the handle out a bit more firmly. It is spring loaded, and you will be pulling out the holder until it clears the key bow, rotate it so it covers the bow, then release it, so it holds the key in place.





Now set the dial on the left side to 9. The dial turns easily, and is indexed so it will stop on the numbers.


Press the handle fully down quickly, then release it. This completes the setup of the key and combinator, but does not cut the key at all. The punching of the key starts after this step.


Showing the carriage position before and after the above setup:




Now you are ready to punch your key! If you are new to SFIC, remember that the bitting is cut on the key from the tip to the bow. Here are the bittings for the two keys to be punched.



Set the dial to the first number to be punched:


And quickly/firmly move the handle down. Too weak, and the key will not be punched.




and fully release the handle. As the handle reaches the top of travel, you will see that the carriage moves in a bit, preparing for the next bitting.


Dial and punch your next bitting.


As an example, here are the two punched out key bittings we just did:


Continue on until you have finished punching your key. Here all the bittings have been punched and the carriage is all the way in:


Pull the handle to pull out the carriage, as you did at the start.


Turn the handle so the key is no longer blocked in place.


And remove your cut key.


Ohh, pretty!




This things is sooo much faster than the ProLok blue punch I have used before, let alone dialing the bitting in on a Blitz key machine. This is the type of ProLok am referring to:


Here are the parts punched out of the key.


For those who may ask, those parts punched from the key come out through the bottom of the punch, out this square hole:


Here are both the keys needed.


Printed out the manual for this device, if anyone is interested. It shows how the thing is operated, calibrated, and serviced.

Hope this helps someone out.

Gordon

[femurat]

Great tutorial, thanks to the little helper.

Inventions like this make me realize how clever our ancestors were. Such a simple and effective machine. It's beautiful.

Cheers

[MacGnG1]

very nice! thanks GW. I need one of these

[tpark]

That is one cool piece of hardware! What keyways will it cut?

[GWiens2001]

That is one cool piece of hardware! What keyways will it cut?

None of the PKS keyways (Tx and Wx), but all the rest.

Gordon

[Gantry]

Looks neat! Thanks for "Show & Tell"

[averagejoe]

That is one cool piece of hardware! What keyways will it cut?

That is one cool piece of hardware! What keyways will it cut?

None of the PKS keyways (Tx and Wx), but all the rest.

Gordon

Yup, it will cut all of the "normal/original" keyways.

If you look at the picture below, the key machine actually holds and indexes the blank on the very bottom cut on the warding (right side of the key) so it can't cut any blanks that have the cut on the left hand side of the blank.



Here is a video I made a while back for somebody else that just bought one of these combinators.

[tpark]

Ahh - Knowing that it can cut all the standard keys makes me want to get one, but I really can't justify it based on the number of keys I cut. I'm sure I'll think about it each time I do cut Best keys!

[GWiens2001]

Ahh - Knowing that it can cut all the standard keys makes me want to get one, but I really can't justify it based on the number of keys I cut. I'm sure I'll think about it each time I do cut Best keys!

Don't tell my wife I said so, but I can't justify the cost either for the rare occasion I need to cut an SFIC key since I am merely a hobbiest, not a locksmith. But it beats driving all the way across town to get to my favorite lock shop when I need to cut keys. I'd rather do it myself rather than pay someone to cut them if I am requesting a specific bitting.

Now I just need to find a way to afford a sidewinder/laser/dimple key machine.

Gordon

[demux]

Ahh - Knowing that it can cut all the standard keys makes me want to get one, but I really can't justify it based on the number of keys I cut. I'm sure I'll think about it each time I do cut Best keys!

+1 to that, it would certainly be nice to have. Probably won't get one for a long time if at all though, considering I just acquired a Framon (tracking shows it's out for delivery today ) and I think it'll be a while before I get to buy another key machine...

Have to say though, if I ever did I think I'd go for something that could do all the keyways. I've been slowly but surely converting most of my personal stuff over to the PKS keyways, some of those W sections are very hard to get a pick into.

[tpark]

As a hobbyist I bet you're dealing with a wider variety of locks, but lower volumes. Now that you have your own combinator, you can pin up cores and make/test keys for the core without needing external resources. That in itself makes it worth it.

demux: You're right about the PKS keyways, some of those are hard to pick because of the keyway. Also, it's unlikely that thieves will be carrying PKS bump keys.

[GWiens2001]

Have been pinning up SFIC cores for years. Before this combinator, I used my HPC Blitz to cut the keys. Before that, went across town to use the ProLok punch at my favorite lock shop. Before that, used a pippin file. Before that, a Harbor Freight needle file and sandpaper. Gradually been getting better quality stuff. But it costs money, which can be in short supply.

There is always a way. But will say that I think this was worth the cost for me, and the accuracy really makes things easier.

Gordon

[JSwistak]

Very nice! Job well done!!

[tpark]

Have been pinning up SFIC cores for years. Before this combinator, I used my HPC Blitz to cut the keys. Before that, went across town to use the ProLok punch at my favorite lock shop. Before that, used a pippin file. Before that, a Harbor Freight needle file and sandpaper. Gradually been getting better quality stuff. But it costs money, which can be in short supply.

There is always a way. But will say that I think this was worth the cost for me, and the accuracy really makes things easier.

Gordon

Well... I know that you've been doing this stuff for years, but I was trying to work in a suitable justification for purchasing a punch But sometimes it's not really about getting a working key, but having an immensely cool, original piece of equipment that can thunk out keys in no time at all.

There's a certain satisfaction when keys work perfectly without any adjustment. I've cut a number of keys with a pak-a-punch, but for sfic the cuts weren't quite right, so I would cut a bit high then use a pippin file and a micrometer to adjust it. I can totally see where you are coming from.

[GWiens2001]

But sometimes it's not really about getting a working key, but having an immensely cool, original piece of equipment that can thunk out keys in no time at all.

That pretty well nails it. But unfortunately that argument would not sway the boss. (My wife).

Gordon