Hurricane HTC Chuck review

[Mike Cruz]

Months ago, I decided I was going to get one of these chucks. I got it on EBay. The guy that sells them has them made for him (in China). But he isn't a middle man. He has them made FOR his company. Go to EBAY and search Hurricane HTC 125 and you'll find the chuck. You can search his "store" to see the other stuff he has for sale, too.

Anyway, he sells the 125 (a 5" chuck) and the 100 (a 4" chuck). I opted for the 5" chuck because I already have 4 Strongholds (#1 spigot, #2, #3, and #4 jaws), and wanted something really hefty for the big blanks I'll be turning. At the time, the largest jaws offered were the Large Dovetail jaws. Now he has Large Serrated jaws as well. They are just about the exact same size at the #4 Stronghold jaws, except that the jaws are slightly thicker so while the inside (compressing) dimensions of the large 125 jaws and the #4 Stronghold jaws are the same, the large 125 jaws can go slightly bigger on the outside (expansion). So, the two combinations are redundant. I believe there are plans for more (bigger) jaws to be coming out in the future. Like Oneway chucks, these chucks take insert adapters, so you just order the one you need for your lathe.

When I first got the chuck, I have to say, I was impressed. It is markedly larger than the Stronghold. It is NOT open in the back like the stronghold, and it weighs a ton. VERY sturdy feeling chuck.

Today, I finally got a chance to try the chuck out. WARNING: Before you actually use the chuck, mount it up, put paper towels up, and turn your lathe on... It is almost as if this thing was soaked in oil or something, because it spun like freshly cut green wood! I got a facemask full. Once I trued up the tenon of this 17" x 4.5" ambrosia maple bowl, I mounted the chuck up on it. I spun it around and mounted it to the lathe. Turned the lathe on, and BINGO, it ran perfectly true. The chuck held the blank perfectly throughout the turning. It never need retightening (though I checked a couple of times).

All in all, I was very pleased with the chuck. The number of jaws that are available is growing. And for about $150 (including the insert, standard jaws, and shipping), I think it is seriously worth it!

BTW...NO, I am not getting any kickbacks from the seller. No, I'm not in any way affiliated with him. No, I don't stand to gain anything from this review. I simply told him that if I got this chuck, I'd be happy to review it for him on some online sites after I tested it...if he wanted me to. He seemed quite willing to have me do it. I told him that the review would be an honest one...good or bad. He was confident I'd like it...he was right.

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[Richard Madden]

Thanks for the review, Mike. I'll keep this one in mind.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks for the review. I had looked at those a couple of times.

[Eric Gourieux]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

You have some nice ambrosia, there!

[Mike Cruz]

You guys are certainly welcome. Eric, from your avatar, I can only guess that you've got some in there, too somewhere!

[David C. Roseman]

Good review! Thanks, Mike. This looks like a nice product. I see that a couple of videos on it were uploaded to youtube a few weeks ago. One shows all nine of the jaws sets currently available.

David

[Roger Chandler]

Thanks for the review on this Mike......I too was interested in this ...........it looks like a good setup and I think I will check out the youtube videos mentioned by David. I was glad the owner cleared up the issue about what one poster mentioned a while back.....the jaws are steel and not aluminum, which would have made no sense to me, but you hear all kinds of inaccurate info online sometimes!

That copper monster is a sweet looking machine!

[Montgomery Scott]

Looks like a copy of the Vicmarc.

[Mike Cruz]

Again, you guys are welcome! Glad to pass on my experience with it.

David and Roger, he not only has the video of the chuck up on YouTube, but he has a video of his CPM-10V 5/8" bowl gouge that is made in the USA, too. His list price is $79.99 on EBay, but he has "make an offer" on it, so, you might be able to save a couple of bucks...

Roger, thanks. I have to admit, it isn't the quietest lathe around, but it is serving me well.

[Mike Cruz]

I have the Grizzly Vicmarc knockoff, Montgomery, which is the knockoff of the Vicmarc 100, I believe. Yes, they do look similar. Not sure what the actual dimensions are of the Vicmarc 120. At 1/2 the price, I can say it is worth it! Yes it is indexed on the back, like the Vicmarc. However, instead of a plastic handled hex key, it has an all metal square drive key.

[Roger Chandler]

Mike.......what are the largest and smallest diameters for the jaws......closed and opened maximum?

Edit: after I posted this question, I took a minute to click on the youtube video.........he explains all the dimensions of all the jaw sets..........good information.......no need to respond, Mike!

[Kim Gibbens]

I've been watching these as well, I am new to turning and was looking for a chuck. The price is nice, but there is no stated warranty, there is no proven record and who do we get service from in a few years down the road if needed and he isn't selling these anymore? He stated in the previous thread that he was wanting to supply turners with a good quality tool at much cheaper prices, but I don't think a penny savings for his CPM-10V 5/8" over a Thompsons Tool of the same quality is any kind of savings.

I was all set to order the chuck and some jaws and the 5/8" bowl gouge, but decided after a lot of reading here I that I would probably be better served with sticking to a proven performer with many years of experience and many happy owners ( Vicmarc or Oneway - not purchased yet). When I first started looking a few weeks ago he was selling that bowl gouge for 59.99 BIN. His BIN prices have gone up incrementally over the past few months.
Maybe my thinking is off base, I don't know, but I just wonder if the savings are worth the trade off in peace of mind.

Thanks for the review, I appreciate the time and effort for doing this. If I was an experienced turner with a good solid chuck and jaws and was looking to supplement my collection, this would be very attractive to me. But I don't have a chuck and jaws and would hate to invest in this and then they go out of business. Then I would have to invest in another different company and not be able to use the jaws on a different chuck. Am I making any sense? I would really like the savings, just wish I didn't have these reservations.

Thanks again for the review.

[Mike Cruz]

Ken, you make some good points! Part of what you are paying for when you pay $285 for a Oneway Stronghold is the name and the company behind them. Does that make the product necessarily any better? No. However, the Stronghold, for example, IS a proven chuck with a good track record. That said, I got one directly from Oneway, and it needed to be taken apart, cleaned, lubed, and put back together... The thing is, if you can afford Strongholds, then have at it. Heck, I've gotten all of mine used (except the one straight from Oneway, but that was a mix up...I ordered an adapter and got a chuck! They gave me a discount on it, rather than send it back on their dime...). Anyway, you can pretty much buy two of these for each Vicmarc 120 or Stronghold. I, for one, hate changing jaws. That is why I have so many chucks. One advantage to having all the same chucks is that you have only one key! I have Supernove, Stronghold, Grizzly (Vicmarc knockoff), and the Hurricane. I have 4 different keys to play with. And on another note, of the 4 Strongholds I have, one of them needs a specific key. Don't ask me why. Maybe older than the others, I don't know. But the key that operates all my other Strongholds is very "grindy" in that one Stronghold. So, I actually have 5 keys. I had NO plans to have this many chucks...I've just accumulated them. And you are correct. The jaws on the Hurricane 125 will not fit Strongholds. Whether or not they'll fit Vicmarcs is another story. I don't know.

Kim, I'm not sure what size lathe you have. But if it is 16" or less in swing, you'd probably be fine with the Hurricane HTC 100. It is about $120, I think. The HTC 125 is for very large blanks.

As for why the bowl gouge used to be $59.99 BIN, and is now $79.99, I don't know. Are you sure it is the same gouge? Either way, I've spoken with the seller. He is a turner (a member here as well). He understands what good quality tools are. His goal is to get as much of his product in the market as possible so that people will see the quality of his product. THAT means selling low sometimes.

And I don't want to sound like I am advocating his tools as the best on the market, or that everyone should run out and buy his stuff. I'm simply giving a review, and saying what I know/have heard about the seller and his company. As of yet, I haven't had any issues. You DO have a point about longevity and warranty. It was a concern I had as well. And I completely understand your reservations. You have to do what is right for you.

[Kim Gibbens]

Mike
Thanks for the reply. I have a Powermatic 3520B, so that is why I was looking at the HTC 125 vs the HTC 100. And yes I am sure it is the same one, had it in my watch list for a couple of weeks and was shocked when it went up $20 for the BIN. I've watched all of Steves' videos a few times each and checked out the qualifications he gives out and he is who he says and seem very knowledgeable .
One question, doe the HTC have a set screw on the insert to secure it for reverse mode? I think the Oneway has this, don't know if the Vicmarc has it either.

Thanks

[Mike Cruz]

No, Kim, it does not. That could be a deciding factor for you, if you turn in reverse. I don't, so it doesn't matter to me. And if you have a PM3520B, then I can see that spending the extra on a Stronghold for piece of mind isn't out of the question. Again, I'm not saying that the HTC 125 is better than the Stronghold. From my experience the other day, it was certain "as good". And for 1/2 the price, I think worth it. Having 4 Strongholds, if they were bought new, I would have saved about $600 getting HTC 125s rather than getting new Strongholds. I suppose that is my point, too. But there is a good reason that there are so many manufacturers of chucks...each one appeals to different people for different reasons.