CONDOR RELEASED BY UK SELLER!

[estate]

Just got an email from a UK Reseller.... ?2950!!!! PMSL!!!!

[rapidlocksmiths]

saw it , although dearer than china , the positives for the extra cost would be the 12 months back to base warranty , no shipping costs , no import duty and support they will offer their customers on the machine , i understand they will be stocking all cutters , clamps and parts as well , and ive heard rumour they will be offering a cheap extended warranty option after the 12 months too , which on a machine that hasnt yet been proven over time could well be useful , the fact they will be stocking and selling parts and cutters , i can see some who have bought machine in china benefiting from fast spares in uk .


its no different to uk suppliers taking on kd900 and skp900 , it will be dearer than buying from china , but you have a uk warranty and protection fully under uk consumer laws and groups , so for the bargain hunter willing to take a punt china is best option , but for many a warranty and consumer protection and support has a real value and for them is the safest option , they must do well with them or they wouldnt bother taking them on.

i know of a few suppliers around the world taking condor on in their respective countries as a robust machine , just not yet been around long enough to know if it stands test of time , ie still good after a year or more solid use .

[drakov]

ie still good after a year or more solid use

Martin is there any keys it doesn't cover/cut very well? Condor was on my list as my next purchase but have opted for fiat/chrysler wi-tech kit instead

[MrSporty]

It doesn't do SX9's due to no suitable clamp.

Got an X3 clamp coming from china to support Fords but as far as I can tell, the Jaguar Tibbe do not look fully supported yet (still thinks it shouldbe in the X2 clamp)

[paul_12345]

It doesn't do SX9's due to no suitable clamp.

Got an X3 clamp coming from china to support Fords but as far as I can tell, the Jaguar Tibbe do not look fully supported yet (still thinks it shouldbe in the X2 clamp)

by the look of the pictures of the x3 clamp it cant do the 8 cut jag as it only has markings for 4 depths

[rapidlocksmiths]

from playing with the one i have , as has been said the sx9 isnt covered as no suitable clamp , jag 8 cut isnt covered on new clamp , it still has a few bugs on certain keys , but they seem to be rectifying these quickly , some keys like ne72 id rather see them on tip stops than shoulder stops .

my biggest critisism is the stop used , when used on the laser jaw its a bugger to line key up with it , though ive since made my own to ease this .

But on the whole its a decent bit of kit that cuts a decent key , certainly on most of what the average auto locksmith will see on a daily basis , they have already got the HU100 10 cut listed and working and have added the va6 on the 1234Q5678H series but cut only not decode on this one .

the new menu that allows you to search by car make and model year is useful , cuts to code , you can input cuts , decode and copy adjust cuts , find missing bitting etc , its alot of machine for a little money .

if they continue to update it and bug fix at the rate they have so far , then it could be a top machine for sure , for the money its a very good bit of kit , it will never be a viper but then its no where near viper money , id certainly reccomend it to anyone , it is working and earning for me , but will never replace my viper .

ask me the same question in 3 months time when they complete next round of updates and i hope they improve this even further , it has the potential to be a great machine , at present i still prefer viper , but its catching up .

my own appraisal would be that its already value for money and a good machine , im confident the rate they update at that it will become a very good machine , but for me its too early to appraise it properly as its still fairly new , it looks like viper robust build , so looks like a long term machine , but until time goes by we wont know its long term life span , but indications to date look good , and its more than adequate for the average locky or key cutter.

so far ive had it under test on back of van for 5 months through winter and in workshop for 3 more months , so far so good and still working well and cutting a good key .

[Cromwe11]

The X3 clamp works fine for the ford tibbe although the cut could be better my trusty old Jakey Lynx cuts a much better key.
The 8 cut Jaguar tibbe is in the menu but if you try and actually cut one the probe moves to touch the back rite of the clamp then stops and gives the message "Check probe and fixture"
With the SX9 if you remove the bar that goes over the top of the key on the x1 clamp it will take the SX9 blank. If you use the Silca blanks and drop the cutter slightly lower than the probe only about 1mm it will cut a perfectly symmetrical key using the 2.5mm cutter.
Its fussy about the blanks on this one though. If you use the Chinese sx9 blanks (at least the ones I had) it wont cut a symetrical key.

[rapidlocksmiths]

i have never been a lover of clamps on tibbe , ive had a silca delta fo for 10 years and it still cuts a perfect key every time , i will never be convinced to swap this for a clamp on any machine .

so far its performed well on chinese hu101 , hu100 and hu66 keys , though i do slow it down on these to prolong cutter life .

ive not broken a probe yet , and im just about to change 2nd cutter in 8 months , so its been good on these so far , though i have had a few guys tell me they have killed some probes , ive not had this issue thus far .

[viw9419]

. . . . . .

[rapidlocksmiths]

i agree on most , except the sx9 , i have the only sx9 prototype direct reader made by mr li , and yes it works .

it is difficult to learn , but it works well to direct read the key cuts but not the sidebars , so as only does half the job , then considering the fact it isnt easy to use and is more expensive to make , it was shelved sadly , i remember well when we had mr li at the ala show in manchester some years back where he demonstrated this , everyone who saw it was wowed , its a shame it was never progressed , but is an old key now , so a low volume possibility compared to say the new vag lock tool , so its obvious which will be on back burner , maybe he will revisit it.

id agree that for anyone starting out or without much key cutting knowledge , then the availability of uk support and warranty is very important , and in supporting such a supplier continued investment in development is more likely than from china , just as a uk warranty and consumer rights could well be very important to many . being vat registered is a bonus as can claim this back , and the availability of an extended warranty over the 12 months is sensible .

there will always be 2 types of buyer , those that prefer to save money by buying direct and those that prefer the safety net of buying from uk with warranty and support . miracle machines are a good example , you can save a ?1000 by buying from the authorised chinese seller of miracle , but by buying from the uk seller you get support thats reported to be excellent , repairs done quickly without having to send off to china and full warranty , different buyers see different things as important , im a safe buyer and have always prefered to pay a little more from uk suppliers for the added protection and warranty this provides , i also buy extended warranties on key kit , im a real mr play it safe i guess , i even pay for major kit on business card to get even more protection.

as with any machine you will get problem ones , if bought from china then the cost involved in shipping both ways to get resolved will soon eat away at any saving made on purchase , as a new machine with long term issues not known , a warranty and even extended warranty could be a prudent investment , though with a uk stockist supporting it the availability of parts in the uk may go some way to easing the pain if a china bought machine.
knowing the uk supplier , they will make their own developments and exclusive additions to the machine if they havnt already that is unique to there market .

it will be interesting to see how this pans out over the comming years

[viw9419]

. . . . . .

[rapidlocksmiths]

must have been at last years alex show , as far as i know he has no plans to revisit it , i was asked to have some made and sell them , but i cant do that as a personal gift from li , im sure if development slows down he will revisit some old projects like this in the future , but sx9 use diminishes yearly as an old key now. im looking forward to the test samples of the next generation vag lock more at present.

most here do know the price in china , and most here will buy from china direct and take their chances , but for everyone happy to buy this way there exists many who prefer to buy without risks associated with china , the plus side as ive mentioned is for those buying from china who do suffer faults down the line , having the ability to buy parts quickly or pay for a repair quickly in the uk will be usefull , also the purchase of cutters and probes especially if need it next day , so it may even be useful to those of us here.

many will see a warranty and even an extended warranty as a safer purchase , this is how i prefer to trade , some warranties ive never used , others ive had more than my monies worth from , ive been stung many times in china on lower value purchases , but these one can afford to be stung on , some purchases however would hurt if stung.

im lucky as i have 4 cut to code machines to choose from , all with similar coverage , so one goes down i can wait on a repair , however to the guy who has just the 1 machine having a warranty that fixes fast and free on warranty and provides a loan machine to keep you working if need be , can well mean the difference between working and earning and not doing so , especially if relying on the key cutting for the living , in such a situation the extra spent has been saved in 1 hit when taking all including loss of earnings into account , so there are different buyers with differing ideas on value and priorities , which is why ad do so well with kd200 despite it being so much cheaper in china and why 3d will do well with skp900 despite its availability in china , as sell to a differing type of client and some clients need alot od support from what im told by suppliers .

good support and a full warranty has a substantial value with some purchases and not so with others depending on knowledge and skill set of the user .

id save a fortune if i had the risk taker gene and bought in china major purchases , but i prefer playing it safe at end of day , we are all different.

im not rich like you mate , im a poor and humble locksmith with 6 kids and 2 grand kids to feed , so dont have the riches you have to risk , oh how the other half live .

[autofan1965]

rapidlocksmith can you tell me where is used hu100 with 10cuts?

[rapidlocksmiths]

at present USA on new silverado models and camero models , wont be too long before it filters in over here too , door lock uses cuts 1 to 6 , ignition uses cuts 3 to 10 , its listed in current instacode already and has key codes begining V followed by 4 numbers , ie V0001 on series V0001 to V5718 on instacode card No 1373

[paul_12345]

I assume someones already contacted condor to see if they will release a debug/developer mode/tools? if so what was their response

[MrSporty]

There is a basic debug mode in built. If you hold the top right and top left buttons then power your unit up, an extra icon will appear at the bottom left called "Factory Mode"

In that menu you can change the XYZ offsets, test the steppers and cutter motor, test the probe/cutter to bed continuity etc.

Personally I'm thinking of dumping the 1GBit Hynix NAND off mine to see if it linux based. Although there are a few ports on the back, it looks as though only the USB and SD card are currently connected. On my PCB (v6) the level convertor for the RS232 (MAX2323 ?) and the PHY for the network port are currently unpopulated.

[Automat]

at present USA on new silverado models and camero models , wont be too long before it filters in over here too , door lock uses cuts 1 to 6 , ignition uses cuts 3 to 10 , its listed in current instacode already and has key codes begining V followed by 4 numbers , ie V0001 on series V0001 to V5718 on instacode card No 1373

I read this about the new GM key code series in the USA trade magazine Locksmith Ledger, last december:

"General Motors appears to have taken the first two cuts and added them to the end of the key code. For example, the Z0123 key code is 11334231. The V0123 key code is 1133423111, the same as the ?V? key code by just adding the first two cuts to the end. Not every ?Z? key code number is used by the ?V? Code Series. Check when in doubt.

[rapidlocksmiths]

or use existing lishi tool to pick and decode cuts 1 to 6 , in your fill program you can enter the known cuts 1 to 6 copy cuts 1 and 2 into positions 9 and 10 and hope your biting program identifies just 1 key . alternatively the missing cuts can be obtained from the glovebox lock .

condor already has this series in its program , but its hard to search for as they havnt put it under a key reference yet , you need to use the search by vehicle function , ie enter chevrolet then silverado then select the 10 cut key and enter biting or code