What to Look for in a Quality Key Programmer for Sale

To be a successful locksmith, you must have the right tools. One of the essential pieces of equipment in your locksmithing arsenal is a key programmer. Key programmers are rather complex pieces of machinery. Unsurprisingly, they can also be pretty expensive.

That’s one of the reasons why it is so important to make a sound investment when you purchase yours. Let’s look at what key programmers do and what elements and features you should look for when it’s time for you to buy or replace one.

What Is a Key Programmer?

Key programmers are not for making standard house keys. Sometimes called transponder programmers or cloning devices, locksmiths use these machines to create new keys or key fobs for vehicles. 

Why Do You Need a Key Programmer?

Simply put, without a key programmer, your business won’t be able to service vehicles. Nearly all new cars have computer-programmed key fobs with chips instead of standard keys with teeth. This has been the trend for cars for a long time; it’s growing rarer and rarer to find vehicles with “old-fashioned” mechanical keys.

Some locksmiths simply don’t service vehicles, which is the only way to avoid purchasing a key programmer. You can make a living like that, but you may struggle with finding repeat customers, and you will have to turn down many calls.

What to Look For When Buying a Key Programmer

Now that we understand why owning a key programmer is so critical, let’s look at the features of these valuable pieces of equipment so that you can make the right choice for your business.

• Price: You shouldn’t run your business into a mountain of debt for one piece of equipment. Keep in mind, though, that higher prices usually mean greater ease of use. You must weigh the price versus quality.
• Ease of use: How good are you with technology? Unless you’re a wiz, you should look for a relatively easy-to-learn and use key programmer. One significant difference between inexpensive programmers and high-end items is whether the programmer can find the code by the year, make, and model of the car, or whether you have to know what system is installed before beginning.
• Additional equipment and tokens: Most key programmers will require accessories for different types of cars, while some charge a token (which can be purchased in bulk) each time you use it.
• Customer service: The less expensive programmers tend to have poor customer service. It’s also a downside of buying second-hand.
• Coverage: Some programmers only work with a limited number of makes and models of cars.

Our Favorite Key Programmers

You absolutely must research whichever key programmer you buy. However, to help narrow your choices, here are three of our favorites. All score high in the categories above, and our customers tend to enjoy using them.

• Autel Key Programmer and Diagnostic Tool Bundle
• XTool AutoProPAD
• Autek iKey 820