For those that don't know, ERA manufacture low cost locks for the European market.
Just had a problem with an ERA euro cylinder where the drive to the cam had worn out in just a few months of light use. The application was for an apartment lock where a morticed lock had a deadbolt and latch combined. One turn unlocked the deadbolt and another part turn actioned the latch. The latch had quite a hefty return spring and operated over only 30degrees of key movement so the action was quite heavy.
On dismantling the cylinder I found that the cam wasn't operated by the rotation of the plug but by the nose of the key that protruded through the plug, tolerances were high and the contact between the key and the brass actuator was so tiny that given the heavy action the accelerated wear was inevitable.
I suppose the moral is that you get what you pay for but I hadn't expected it to be quite this crap. If anyone knows other euro cyls that rely on the nose of the key to operate the cam please let me know so I can avoid them in future.
Thanks,