oneway or vicmarc chuck

[John M. Smith]

What are the pros and cons of each chuck.

John

[Curt Fuller]

All pros, no cons, in my opinion. Price, availability may vary depending on where you're buying it and there may be a few minor differences in their jaw designs, but both are excellent chucks.

[Dennis Peacock]

Nothing wrong with either one...as well as the SuperNova2. All 3 chucks are good chucks.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Both are good chucks. I have used both but happen to like the Vicmarc for some reason a little better.

[Wilbur Pan]

I was trying to choose between the Vicmarc and the Oneway. I went with the Vicmarc because I decided I didn't like the two-tone appearance of the Oneway.

Seriously. That was the only difference I could find.

[Hilel Salomon]

I have 6 vicmarc 120's and 11 oneway strongholds (divided unequally among two shops )I hate changing jaws and whenever I can get the chucks at a steep discount, I do. Obviously, I like both of them, but there is a difference. Vicmarc has a sealed back and Oneway does not. If dust is going to be a problem, it will occur sooner on the Oneway. Oneway's serrated jaws are unbelievably strong but mar the tenon. Vicmarc's tend to be dovetailed and do hold very well. Vicmarc's repeatability is superior to Oneway's . Oneway is made in Canada by an extremely reliable, tech friendly company. When you call them, you get immediate and excellent help, advice and service. Vicmarc is made in New Zealand and-while friendly enough- not nearly as responsive as Oneway. You can buy new Oneways at substantially reduced prices ( Hartville tools sells the chucks at very good prices and sometimes has discounts on them). You generally have to pay full retail for the Vicmarcs and w/the weakened dollar, I wouldn't be surprised to see the prices go up even further.
Ultimately, if it depends on how many you need, what you will be turning, the size of your lathe, etc. If I were starting from scratch and was only going to get one chuck, it probably would be a Vicmarc. If I were going to buy two or more, it would be a oneway.
The truth is that you won't go wrong with either of them.
Luck, Hilel

[Matt Hutchinson]

I can't speak for the Oneway, but I have the big (5.5 inch) Vicmarc. It was recommended to me by a professional woodturner who had worn out a few chucks. He believed it to be the best heavy duty chuck on the market. It can handle any weight you put on it, and it has excellent gripping power. Right now it is my only chuck, but I do plan on buying less expensive chucks for lighter duty applications.

Hutch

[Ken George]

I have 2 of the Grizzly chucks that are nearly identical to the Vicmarc and am very happy with them. Also have a real Vicmarc, a Oneway and a Barracuda. I would never buy a Barracuda again. The Grizzly is much better.

[John Shuk]

Some people like the gripping method of the Vicmarc over the Oneway. I'm sure some people are the opposite of that. I would look into that to make a more informed decision. Honestly I can't remember which one accepts a straight tenon and which takes a slight dovetail. Otherwise build quality is very good for both.

[Jim Becker]

Some people like the gripping method of the Vicmarc over the Oneway. .

I'm on the OneWay side for this one...it's jaws work nicely with straight tenons. I do like the way that the Vicmarc key works, however.

Both chuck brands offer wonderful performance and value, however.

[Fred Conte]

John I just went through this exercise myself.

After reading everything I could find and talking with Steve Schlumpf who I really respect I finally decided to go with the Oneway Talon and several jaw sets from Hartville Tool.

Given what everyone has said already I went with the Talon because of it's resistance to corrosion which is a major problem here in central Florida. I spend a great deal of time fighting rust on all my tools.

If you haven't read the following article on chucks, which I found very informative and helpful, check it out:

http://www.woodturnerruss.com/Chucks.html#anchor_30

HTH - Fred :)

[Brian McInturff]

I own 4 Vicmarcs and 1 Oneway. I'm very partial to the Vicmarc and probably would never buy a Oneway chuck again. I prefer the key mechanism on the Vicmarc over the Oneway. For me it is much, much smoother operation. The finish of the Vicmarc is nicer than the Oneway also. I have also found I prefer the dovetail over the serrated jaws. The serrated can at times simply crush the wood if you try and go with a thinner tenon.

[Brent English]

I'm with the majority on this one, nothing really wrong with the Oneway, but the Vicmarc has a closed back, does not need a special wrench and has better assortment of jaws. Weak US dollar effects price of both as both are imports.