By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

When there is no original to trace

A duplicator needs a key. A code machine needs a number. The day a customer calls from the lot with no key at all, or a fleet manager hands you a stack of key codes and a list of vehicles, the duplicator on your counter is no help. That is the job of the machines on this page, and the third one here, the Delta FO, is a specialist that cuts one family of keys the others do not.

The Ilco key machine page lists all three. They are not interchangeable, and one has a power requirement that will catch a buyer who skims the listing.

Side by side

Item	EZ-Code II	Unocode 199	Delta FO
Part number	EZ-CODE	UC199-AUTOMATIC	DELTA-FO
Type	Automatic, code cutting and duplication	Automatic, electronic code cutting	Manual, Tibbe cutting
Keys	Edge-cut automotive, cylinder (automotive and commercial)	Single and double-sided flat, cruciform, edge-cut	6-cut and 8-cut Tibbe (Ford, Jaguar)
Power	110V AC	230V-50Hz, single phase	110V
Weight	50 lb	94 lb	29 lb
Warranty	1-year (3-year extension listed)	1-year (3-year extension listed)	2-year limited

EZ-Code II: code and duplicate in one machine

The EZ-Code II does two jobs. It cuts a key from a code, and it duplicates a key from an original. The listing says one machine handles both origination and duplication, which is why a shop buys it.

The details the listing gives:

• A built-in database of 200+ automotive code series, so you do not buy code cards for those.
• Automatic calibration.
• Key edge detection with taper correction, to plus or minus 0.002 in.
• Expandable through Kreate-A-Key Premium Software when you connect a PC.

It runs on 110V AC, a plain wall outlet, and weighs 50 lb. The box has the code database, vise jaws, the cutter and the operation manual. A replacement cutter is listed as the D716549ZB Ultracode and EZ-Code cutter, T-U01 in its title.

The listing does not name the 200+ code series, so before you buy against a particular make and year, ask us to check it. A database count is not the same as your car. I have no list to quote.

Unocode 199: volume and a 230V circuit

The Unocode 199 is the production machine. The listing describes an electronic optical reader, a carbide cutter, an optional automatic feeder that needs no compressed air, and a 20-second cutting cycle on a 5-pin key. The listing's own pro-tip puts that at 180 keys an hour. Do the math yourself: 20 seconds a key is 180 in an hour with no pauses, so that figure assumes a feeder that never waits for a blank.

It works PC-driven or standalone and is compatible with the Silca Code Program. Keys named: single and double-sided flat keys, cruciform keys and edge-cut keys. The box lists a CU50A cutter, a universal four-sided clamp, software compatibility and a power cord. It weighs 94 lb and measures 15.6 x 21.4 x 15.2 in.

Read the power line. The Unocode 199 is listed as 230V-50Hz, single phase. A standard 120V outlet does not supply that. Before you order, confirm what the machine needs and what your building has. If you cut a key a day, this machine is more than you need. If you cut hundreds a week, the numbers start to make sense.

Delta FO: the Tibbe machine

Tibbe keys are the Ford and Jaguar high-security keys the listing names, in 6-cut and 8-cut versions. A standard duplicator cannot hold or cut them. The Delta FO is a manual machine built for it. The listing calls out a direct-drive cutter, so no v-belt to adjust, a sealed ball-bearing motor, a cobalt steel cutter, and a dial-type depth adjustment. The vise jaws are specialized for 6-space and 8-space Tibbe keys.

It weighs 29 lb, sits on a bench and runs on 110V. The box holds the cobalt cutter, the Tibbe vise jaws and a dial depth adjustment tool.

What the listing does not say: which model years of Ford and Jaguar it covers, or how you get the cuts for a key you have to originate. It reads as a cutter and a duplicator. If you need origination by code, ask us how you would get the spacing and depth data before you buy.

Which one to buy

• You do automotive lockouts and replacement keys and want a code machine at a normal outlet: the EZ-Code II.
• You run a key shop or an institutional key room and cut keys in volume: the Unocode 199, if you have the 230V supply or are ready to install it.
• You work on Ford or Jaguar and see Tibbe keys: the Delta FO. No other machine on the page names Tibbe.
• You only duplicate keys from originals: none of these. The Speed 040, Speed 044 and Bravo III are the duplicators for that.

If your shop also runs a different make of code machine, the HPC Speedex piece covers a shop duplicator pair from another line. And for the mobile side of the business, the Rytan van machine piece is the starting point.

Before you order

1. Write down the vehicles you cut most. Bring the list to the call.
2. Check the supply: 110V for the EZ-Code II and Delta FO, 230V-50Hz single phase for the Unocode 199.
3. Decide whether you need a PC. The Unocode 199 works either way; the EZ-Code II expands through software.
4. Ask about replacement cutters now, not after the first one dulls.

Common questions

Do I need code cards for the EZ-Code II?

The listing says no for the 200+ automotive code series built in. It does not list the series, so confirm yours.

Will the Unocode 199 run on a normal outlet?

The listing gives 230V-50Hz single phase. That is not a standard 120V outlet.

Can the Delta FO cut a Ford key?

The listing names 6-cut and 8-cut Tibbe keys for Ford and Jaguar. It does not name models.

How long is the warranty?

One year on the EZ-Code II and Unocode 199, with a three-year extension listed. Two years limited on the Delta FO.