By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

The outlet is the whole question

Every locksmith who cuts keys off a van has stood in a parking lot with a dead customer and a machine that needs 120 volts. You can run an inverter, you can ask the building for an outlet, or you can carry a machine that does not care. Ilco sells both kinds in the same size class. The Ilco key machine page lists the whole line. This piece sorts out the two small ones: the Flash Mobile, which runs on a battery, and the Flash 008, which plugs in.

They look alike on paper. Both are manual, both weigh about the same, and both have 3.5 in. clamp spacing. The difference is where you can use them and what each one costs you in setup.

Side by side

Item	Flash Mobile	Flash 008
Part number	BB0037XXXX	D745936ZB
Operation	Manual	Manual
Power	24V lithium-ion battery, 2950 mAh, 120W motor	120V-60Hz, 1.2 A, 130 W
Motor speed	2200 RPM	2900 RPM
Weight	15 lb	14 lb
Size (W x D x H)	12.6 x 10.5 x 10.5 in.	12.2 x 9.5 x 8.7 in.
Clamp spacing	3.5 in.	3.5 in.
Cutter	AlTiN-coated HSS	AlTiN-coated
Warranty	2-year limited	2-year limited

Everything above is from the listings. Where one listing gives a number the other does not, the table leaves it out instead of guessing.

What each one cuts

The Flash Mobile listing names residential, commercial and automotive edge-cut keys, large bow, long blade, flip-style and cruciform. The Flash 008 listing names the same list and adds cylinder keys. If you cut cylinder keys on the job, read that as a point for the 008. If you do not, the key lists are a wash.

The listings do not say which key blanks fit which jaw position, and they give no table of keyways. Hold the blank in the jaw before you commit to a machine for a particular key. A flip key and a long blade are on both lists, but nobody can tell you from a catalog page how the blank will seat in your jaw.

The Flash Mobile: cut it where the job is

The listing says 300 keys on a charge. It says the cutter lasts about 1,100 keys before replacement. If both figures hold in your hands, one cutter outlives roughly three and a half charges. Treat both as the maker's numbers, not a promise, because brass blanks, nickel silver and a worn cutter all change the count.

What matters on the road:

• No cord, no inverter. The motor runs off the 24V pack. An LED shows the charge.
• It carries. The integrated handle and 15 lb weight mean you lift it out of the van with one hand.
• Four-position clamps and nickel-plated jaws hold the key and the blank.

The box holds the machine, the 24V battery with its charger, the cutter and the four-position clamps. The listing does not mention a mounting bracket, so if you want it bolted down, ask before you order. The listing also gives no battery replacement price or spare-pack option, and I will not guess.

Charge it the night before. A battery tool that has not seen a charger in a week is a paperweight in the field.

The Flash 008: plug in, bolt down

The 008 is the machine you can set on a bench in the shop and take to a site with a power drop. It draws 1.2 A at 120V, which is small enough to run on any normal circuit or a modest inverter. The 2900 RPM motor is faster than the Flash Mobile's 2200 RPM, and the listing credits it with clean cuts.

The listing calls out a few things worth knowing:

• Four-sided nickel-plated jaws.
• Slotted jaw surfaces for tip-stop bars.
• A rigid shoulder gauge.
• A nylon deburring brush, mounting bracket and safety shield in the box.

The mounting bracket is the useful part for a van. Bolt it to a shelf and the machine does not walk across the floor on the first hard stop. The listing calls it an entry-level Ilco and a solid first machine or reliable backup. That matches how it is built: manual, simple, and light.

Where the Speed 044 fits

If you are shopping this size, you will see the Speed 044 next to them. It is also manual and also cuts edge-cut residential, commercial and automotive keys. It weighs 35 lb, more than double either Flash, and has a precision depth tracer. That is a shop machine, not a van machine. If you ride with one, put it on the floor behind the seat and strap it. The Flash pair is meant to be carried.

Which one to buy

• You cut at lockouts, flea markets or sites with no power: the Flash Mobile. The battery is the reason to own it.
• You want a bolt-down machine for the van or the bench, and you can get power: the Flash 008.
• You cut cylinder keys on the job: the Flash 008, since its listing names cylinder keys and the Mobile's does not.
• You run a counter and want a reliable backup: the Speed 044, and keep a Flash in the van.

Cutters wear out on every machine. The cutter wheels on the line are sold separately. The listings for those give the part number and the brand, not the machines they fit, so call us with the machine model before you order a spare. For the mechanics of how a wheel is picked to a key system, the HPC cutter wheel piece walks through the logic, and the Rytan van machine piece compares another small line.

Common questions

How many keys will the Flash Mobile cut on a charge?

The listing says 300 on a charge, with brass keys named in the feature list. Your count will depend on the blank.

Does the Flash 008 need a special outlet?

No. The listing gives 120V-60Hz at 1.2 A, which is a normal circuit.

Which one is faster?

The 008's motor is rated at 2900 RPM and the Mobile's at 2200. The listings give no cut-time figure for either.

Can either machine cut high-security keys?

Neither listing names high-security keys. The Tibbe Ford and Jaguar keys go on a different machine, handled by the Delta FO, a Tibbe machine.