Guides and news
How to read a key, what a chip does, which machine cuts what, and what has changed in the tools. Written for people who do this for a living.
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Newest first, across both feeds- News What we stock, and why every count on this site is a real one Category counts, brand counts and specification fields here are read from live inventory.
- Guides Key blanks explained: keyway codes, blades and shells A blank has to match the keyway, accept the chip, and fit the shell.
- Guides What a 2-in-1 pick and decoder does, and how to choose the keyway It reads the lock instead of the key. Which means the tool is chosen by keyway code, never by the badge on the bonnet.
- Guides All keys lost: what the job actually needs Often possible, occasionally not, and it depends on the vehicle rather than the tool.
- Guides How to read an FCC ID and find the right fob The FCC ID narrows a remote to one exact part rather than a family that looks identical in photographs.
- Guides Key programmer or key cutting machine: which do you buy first? They solve opposite halves of the same job. Which half you buy first depends on which half you currently pay somebody else to do.