Brian Brown
07-15-2009, 12:30 PM
A while back, SWMBO insisted I buy a new chuck :) to reduce the amount of jaw switching, and lost turning time that we have so little of. I currently have a Barracuda 2 chuck, and thought it would make sense to get a new one with jaws that interchange with it. CSUSA's catalog lists an apprentice chuck that looks amazingly like my PSI chuck. I called CS and asked if the jaws were the same as my PSI. They were unable to confirm that they are, but said they might be. So a few weeks ago when I was in Provo, I stopped at CS (I have mentioned before what a cool place this is :D). I filled out my order form with the chuck so the warehouse crew could get it for me, and took it to Roger at the desk. Roger gave me a strange look, and slid the box at my elbow in front of me and asked will this do? They had the same chuck I wanted for $10 off, because the wood box was broken. Ummmmm... let's see, that is the same wooden box I'll throw away as soon as I get home. I gotta think about whether this is a good deal or not. :rolleyes: I opened the box, and realized immediately that this chuck is not the same as my Barracuda 2. The apprentice has a larger body. It is the same as a Barracuda 4, and the jaws do interchange with the Barracuda 2. The difference is that the Apprentice has the old style chuck key (much better IMO) and it has a back plate to keep the dust out. I have read that the Barracuda does not have the back plate, but In the PSI catalog pic, it looks to me like it is there. Oh, the other difference... the Barracuda 4 is $220.00, and the Apprentice is $165.00. So I saved $65.00, got to go to CSUSA with SWMBO's blessing, and yeah, I bought more than just the chuck. :o