There’s no impressioning by using a file to be had here. These same bits can handle edge-cut keys, although that process is typically a bit slower than traditional wheel-based edge-cutting.

The notch is carved out by what appears to be a tiny drill bit, unlike the cutting wheels that define standard edge-cut duplicators and code cutters. Unlike traditional edge-cut keys, laser keys are created by notching out a groove in a key blade that essentially is a solid plank of metal. It also is becoming increasingly rare to find even entry-level vehicles that don’t employ the use of a high-security key, the most glaring exception being Nissan, which skipped over traditional physical-security measures and jumped right into secure gateway modules. Today, it’s extremely rare to find a vehicle that uses a laser-cut key but doesn’t employ a transponder system (looking at you Hyundai/Kia). The goal behind the technology was to make automobile locks much more difficult to pick and significantly more difficult to duplicate. In the 1990s, laser-cut keys were used in some premium vehicle makes and models as an optional feature. Because microprocessing technology still was in its infancy for automotive security applications, the next-best thing was to modify or enhance physical-security measures, which were the edge-cut keys of that era.

Automotive thefts had been rampant throughout the 1980s and well into the following decade. were introduced in the 1990s as an enhanced measure of physical security for automotive applications. Laser-cut keys, also known as sidewinder keys, high-security keys, worm-cut keys, etc.

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