Frequently Asked Questions

Bianchi USA sold through the North American locksmith distribution channel rather than directly to end users. Today the best place to look for machines, parts and blanks is a locksmith supply distributor. See Where to Buy.

Bianchi USA operated from North Olmsted, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

Read The Bianchi Tradition, which follows the family from a 1770 wrought iron workshop to electronic key machines.

A key with no electronics in the head. It is all metal or metal with a plastic head. No programming is needed; it only has to be cut correctly to operate the lock and ignition.

Nickel plated brass. The plating extends shelf life and keeps the key looking new for longer. Some were also offered with a plastic head.

A plain metal blade used to test cut a key in a lock before cutting a more expensive key that may also need programming.

VATS stands for Vehicle Anti-Theft System. The blade has a resistor (often called a pellet or chip) embedded in it, with one of fifteen possible values. VATS keys are used on GM vehicles. They do not need cloning or programming, only a reader to find the resistor value. They come in single and double sided versions.

It depends on the chip type and whether you still have a working key to clone. Fixed code keys cloned from an original sit at the low end, encrypted keys and smart fobs cost more, and all-keys-lost jobs add programming labour. See transponder key replacement costs for a breakdown and real published price ranges.

A transponder key has a small chip that sends, receives and responds to data by radio frequency. When the key is turned in the ignition it sends a unique code to the vehicle's computer. Once the code is recognized, the vehicle is allowed to start.

A replacement for some automotive transponder keys that contains a circuit board or transponder chip which can be cloned from the original with a transponder cloning tool.

Once cloned, the chip or circuit board mimics the original transponder, sending the same signal to the vehicle's computer when the key is turned to the ON position.

Cloneable keys can be cloned quickly with a Bianchi cloning tool. That removes the need for on-board programming or two working original keys, and you can add as many keys as needed without erasing keys already programmed to the vehicle.

1-piece cloneable keys are battery-less and have no circuit board. They contain a blank transponder that receives the value of an existing key. 2-piece cloneable keys use an electronic circuit board that mimics a transponder. Bianchi's 2-piece keys have a head/chip (holding the circuit board) and a horseshoe style blade that snaps into it.

They use more expensive components, but they cover more vehicle applications with a single cloning tool. The two part design also lets you stock a few chips and a variety of blades, which keeps inventory costs down.

To cover all applications you need the Repli-Code 7 TX + Decryptor or the 884 Decryptor Ultegra, plus the TK24, TK40 and TK60 keys. The later TK100 replaced all three with one chip.

The TK60 (Philips Crypto) is battery-less. The TK24 and TK40 use batteries, which last roughly 7 years on average. The TK100 universal chip is battery-less.

Financing, leasing and payment plans were always handled by the locksmith distributor, not by Bianchi USA.

Non-wear parts were covered for one year from the date of purchase by the original user on new machines. The Bianchi Laser 994 carried a three year warranty.

Non-wear parts. Cutters and tracers are wear items. The warranty was void if unauthorized work was done or non-original spare parts were used.

Out of warranty repairs were billed to the owner, including shipping. Today, a locksmith supply distributor or a machine service shop that works on Keyline and Bianchi equipment is your best option.