New Chuck?

[Mike Cruz]

I've been seeing these new chucks (new to me, at least) popping up on Ebay. They are called the Hurricane HTC 125. They look mammoth. Price is quite reasonable. Wondering if anyone has any experience with them... Looks like a Vicmarc knockoff. Bigger than the Stronghold AND the Vicmarc 120. Thanks.

[Roger Chandler]

here is a pic......don't know anything about it Mike, but I would like to hear from any users who have it. Here is some info from another site......they also have a 4" HTC 100

All Feature :

• 5" (125MM) Diameter
• This chuck is made from steel with a chrome plated body and black anodized jaws. The basic chuck includes Standard Dovetail Jaws, Screw, 6" Long Chuck Key, Allen Key for removing the chuck jaws and your choice of one threaded insert.
• includes Standard Dovetail Jaws, Screw, 6" Long Chuck Key, Allen Key for removing the chuck jaws and your choice of one threaded insert.
• The backplate is indexed in 24 positions.
• Please note that this chuck is designed for full size lathes. In our opinion, it is too large and heavy for mini/midi lathes. Check out our HTC100 4" chuck which is great for for Full / Midi / Mini lathes.

[Steve Mawson]

$199.99 for the 5" one doesn't look like a
bargain to me. I see bidding starting lower but buy it now is $199.99 plus shipping.

[Jason Clark2]

I'd be willing to bet that they're a rebranded/renamed PSI Barracuda2 and Barracuda4. Personally I'd steer clear.

Jason

[Mike Cruz]

Steve, I'm not saying that they are necessarily a bargain. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with them. I've got 3 Strongholds, and don't really need another chuch anyway. Just saw it and it raised a brow...

Jason, the Barracudas are not indexed. Also, it has a different drive. So, I don't think it is a Barracuda...

As for rebranding, I have two of the ones that Grizzly sells that are Vicmarc knockoffs. I've seen them directly against a Vicmarc. They work just fine... So, even if they are a knockoff, that wouldn't scare me away IF I were in the market...

[Phil Rose]

I see them on Amazon as well... $169.99 for the 5" plus shipping. No experience with it either.

[Mike Peace]

Without any idea what other jaws are available, if any, or if it can use jaws from another specific chuck, why would anyone be interested in this off brand chuck? The Nova Titan that can use any of the Nova jaws would be a much better buy IMHO. I have the Titan and like it. It is a massive chuck.

[Mike Cruz]

Interesting view, Mike...

From their Ebay site:

This Chuck Kit includes Standard Dovetail jaws but other jaw sets are available in our ebay store.The following jaws can be purchased separately in our ebay store

• Large Dovetail jaws
• Step Jaws
• Extended Dovetail / Spindle Nose Jaws
• Pin Jaws
• Jumbo or "Cole" Jaws

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I just don't want to take chances for a few measly dollars, that chuck I use is holding a potentially lethal projectile, so I just go with what I consider the best all around chuck, a Oneway in my case

[Mike Cruz]

By all means, Leo, I agree with you whole heartedly. I have no stake in this chuck. May or may not even be interested in buying one. I was merely asking if anyone had any experience with it. And again, for the record, I purchased the Grizzly Vicmarc knockoffs and they've worked great. I did have an issue with one (or was it two...) that didn't run true. But sent it/them back and got good ones.

Anyway, I do find it interesting that instead of curiosity and intrique, there is a...wall...going up regarding them. Without any input from anyone that has used one, it is simply being dismissed. Just because it is an unknown name or one hasn't yet used it, doesn't make it inherently bad. That said, it might be a POS, I don't know. That is why I was asking about it...

[Jeff Nicol]

I have seen these around and of course they are most likely Chinese made, but I don't know. But a chuck that is used properly and kept clean and maintained will work well no matter the brand. I have an old Nova chuck that uses "Tommy" bars that I have had for 8 years and it is still going strong, I have 2 Barracudda 2 chucks that have never given me one bit of trouble and I have 2 Oneway strongholds that are super. But like anything if you are trying to overload the chuck and try to over tighten them, you risk failure, so pick the right chuck for the job and make sure your tenon or recess is cut to allow the best use of the jaws you are using.


Proper technique and knowing the limits of your tool will help them perform at their peak! Even a Corvette can be beat by a ratty sleeper with a big high HP engine under the hood!


Jeff

[Jason Clark2]

My barracuda2 did come with one of the square drive keys as shown in the image. This was 6 or 7 years ago (it also came with inserts for 1" x 8 and 3/4" x 16 only). I threw it away when I got my first Supernova and I haven't looked back. I'll pass on this one too.

Jason

[Mike Cruz]

So, your judgement of this chuck is based on a different chuck that you didn't like by a different company...okay.

[John Keeton]

Mike, perhaps the resistance comes from not knowing anything about the manufacturer, as it seems these are being sold through resellers. And, given the price - $169 - 199, with one set of jaws, it could be that folks feel better about buying the Barracuda4 from PSI at $199 with 4 sets of jaws. Just thinking out loud, I guess. I am a Nova guy, but I do believe there are multiple brands of excellent chucks out there.

It would be nice to hear from someone that has used the chuck, but it just doesn't seem to be well priced given the perceived lack of manufacturer's warranty and backup, or at the least, not much information about that. Maybe that has deterred folks from buying and thus, no one posting with experience with this one.

Maybe you will get some feedback from a user - be patient.

[Mike Cruz]

John, you couldn't be more spot on. I wasn't asking "would you buy this chuck". I was asking if anyone had experience with it. And seemed to get some responses that were based on lack of knowledge of said chuck. This isn't a Barracuda4 (for better or worse). It IS much larger than a Stronghold; larger than a Vicmarc 120...the largest chucks made by two of the leading chuck manufacturers. So, at $169 for a mammoth chuck, it is (MIGHT be) something to consider... I for one, don't want/need a chuck that comes with multiple sets of jaws. I need only one set of jaws per chuck (I hate changing out jaws). So, 4 sets of jaws means I paid for 3 sets I don't need (and at the usual $20 plus per set of jaws, that means I spent at least $60 more than I needed, or even that I bought a $140 for $199).

I have NO stake in this chuck. I'm not plugging it as a great chuck. Not even as a GOOD chuck. I have NO idea whether it is great, good, or junk. Honestly, I'm not arguing FOR it in any way. Rather for not dismissing something that hasn't proven to be worthy of dismissing. That said, I'm not running out to buy it. It IS made in Asia, though not many (if any) chucks are made in the USA. If I have to buy from another country/area other than USA, I'd prefer Canada or Australia over Asia.

I, too John, hope to hear from someone that has used one. Not that I am waiting with baited breath to hear something fantastic. Rather that I would like to hear an honest opinion from someone (or better yet, multiple people) that has used it.

I've got 3 Strongholds. I've purchased two used and one new. The one that was new was the worst one...out of the box. I had to take it apart and remove all the grease/packing junk they put all over it to actually be able to spin the key without a fair amount of effort. If that was the first one I had owned, I'm not sure what my review would have been like of one of the most respected chucks on the market. But at least my review and opinion would have been from my experience WITH that chuck, and WHY I did or didn't like THAT chuck. Maybe that is typical of new Oneway chucks. Maybe the one I got had an extra thick coating. I don't know. I can say the chucks are great.

Eventually, some of these chucks will make it into the market. Eventually, we might hear about how good or bad they are. It may take some time. It may never happen. We'll (I'll) have to wait to see...