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Thomas Bennett
06-25-2013, 9:52 PM
And speaking of chucks…
I read a comment a while back from Mike Cruz about the HTC Hurricane Chuck. If Mike says it’s a good chuck..it’s a good chuck! I searched the net and found them for sale on the popular auction site. I bought the big one and a variety of jaws. At our local woodturning club we compared the Hurricane to the similar sized Vicmarc. I think it was the “140” Vicmarc. I had never seen a Vicmarc. It’s a premium chuck, for sure, but not that much different than the Hurricane, and costs about twice as much as the Hurricane. The Vicmarc had some humongous jaws on it that were very impressive. I did a little Vicmarc research and it seems they make the largest jaws available and an even larger chuck than the Hurricane, the “150”. I like to turn large stuff. I’ve been using a Oneway with no problems. The largest jaws are for a 5 inch-ish tenon. This has worked fine for me in the past. The big Vicmarc jaws can support a 9 inch tenon , quite a bit of difference. I bought one and love it. In conclusion, I find the Hurricane to be a great value for a “mid-sized” chuck. The finish and action are excellent. Sometimes you need to spend to get something specialized, as I did with the Vicmarc 150.
Here’s my disclaimer: I have no idea who the folks are that sell the Hurricane chuck or the Vicmarc.
Enclosed are some photos of all the chucks mentioned andeven a couple of little Novas, which I also like a lot.265101Here's the Hurricane 265100 Here's the Oneway and the Hurricane265102 The Hurricane, Oneway and the big Vivmarc265103 All of the above with some Novas

Roger Chandler
06-25-2013, 10:06 PM
I also have a Hurricane 125 chuck........got it about a month ago..........I am impressed with its quality, and especially its value for the price. I have used it 3 times now........the latest on a large walnut pedestal bowl in roughout..........it really held well with the 5" serrated jaws. I also have used the standard jaws that come with it......they seem to fit a gap between some of my Nova chuck jaw sizes .......glad I got it!

Mike Cruz
06-26-2013, 9:35 AM
Thomas, I don't know all about me being any kind of expert on chucks...:o I've just given my opinion...that's all. But I appreciate the confidence in me! :D

I've heard that there is a larger set of jaws coming out for the 125 soon. I'm waiting on baited breath for them. Of course, that'll mean I need another chuck for them, too... :rolleyes::p

Neat comparison pics of the chucks. Thanks for doing that. I haven't had occasion to use a Vicmarc, so that was nice to see.