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what is so special about certain chucks?

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seventhdevil:
for years now i've seen some people rave about different makes and told others to even avoid some manufacturers so what makes any of them good or bad???

i've only ever had two different chucks in my 15 years of turning life. the first i ever had was a RS patriot chuck (that thing with the red rubber band around it) all my others have been the old clubman 4" chucks from axminster both new and second hand (i've a few of the 5" goliath size too) but i've not noticed these to be different for better or worse than the other.

these days i see prices rocketing and people still saying the same old stuff about each manufacturer.

are new ones actually better or not?

just curious to see what peoples thoughts are on the subject.

Derek:
Like you I only have had two makes of chuck one being the Robert Sorby Patriot which I have three of and they have seen good service, the other being a versa chuck again with good service. I think I have enough for my needs so have no need to look for more whether it be one like the existing or possibly a different make.
My look on things are if it does a good job it is for me if it lasts then again it is good for me, I can only recommend these chucks as I have nothing else to compare them with if I thought either rubbish I would say so and also would have kicked them out of the workshop

John Peachey:
I have only used two makes of chuck - Nova and Axminster. I originally started out with Axminster, because of their in house numbering system. for instance they advertise the lathe with a T04M thread so it was easy to buy the chuck with the corresponding label - useful when starting out. I bought the Nova as it had a set of jaws that Axminster didn't have at the time.

The Axminster chucks are used 98%  of the time, the Nova only occasionally. Which is better? Not sure how I could answer that. They both do the job asked, and are robust. The Nova does irritate me, as it opens/closes with the key in the opposite direction to the Axminster!

I think most of the chucks on the market are of similar quality, and as Derek says, if they were useless they would be out the door! I do agree there is  a lot of rubbish out there about which is the best make. I would if choosing a new stick to the known manufacturers, but would stick to the two makes I currently have, as the cost of jaws seems to be also creeping up

otterbank:
I have used the Axminster chucks for years. Bought one new and picked up others from eBay.  Over the years I had accrued numerous jaws and thought there was no point in changing to a different make as I had no issues. I did invest in a new SK114 when it first came out and  did think it was an improvement but not a game changer, still happy with the old chicks too.
During lock down I purchased a Vicmarc VM120 and I have to say it is a very nice chuck and I do use it a lot. I doubt I’ll be buying a big selection of jaws for it but if I was to start again I would be very tempted to go all in on the Vicmarc.
My view is they are all perfectly serviceable chucks and they will all see me out.
Michael

Wood spinner:
My preferred chuck is the Oneway Stronghold Chuck

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