Need an inexpensive keyless chuck.

[Ken from ontario]

This chuck is going to go on my Mini milling machine so 5/8" chuck is the highest I would go , 1/2" is even alright, I have never owned a keyless chuck but we used to have one on our mill at work and I really liked how quickly you can change bits.

What's your opinion on SHARS 's claim that their chuck's accuracy is .~ 0055" ? I can get a 1/2" chuck with an R8 arbor for $105 CDN dollar, (the shipping is the killer ), what's your opinion on this Shars chuck:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/300408699465?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I could get a used Albrecht for $130 or so but it's used and I'm not sure it's a smart move to buy this item used just because it's made in Germany, it is a bit too high in price for a used one , what do you think ?
Has anyone heard of CME/Harvest chucks?here's new one for good price but I'm not sure how much better it is than the Shars brand:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/181211027900?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Appreciate all your comments .
Ken.

 

[Terrywerm]

I have a Shars 6" lathe chuck, and it is very good, but I know nothing about their keyless drill chucks.

I've seen both good and bad used Albrecht chucks, so don't assume that it is going to be good just because it's an Albrecht.

If you are interested in buying American made, brand new, Glacern is running a special on their R8 mounted keyless chucks this month.
1/2" keyless chuck on an R8 arbor: Regularly $179.99, on sale for $149.99
5/8" keyless chuck on an R8 arbor: Regularly $229.99, on sale for $169.99
Both are advertised at less than .002" runout.
Shipping might be a killer on these though. They ship out of California.

Not affiliated with them in any way, just a happy customer. I absolutely love my Glacern 5" vise!

 

[mikey]

Personally, I think Albrecht makes the best keyless chucks. They come up on ebay often and if you look and wait, you'll find one in really good shape. This one looks pretty good: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALBRECHT-1-...913399?hash=item3d322e8077:g:~9wAAOSw-0xYk47G, and is BIN for about $86.00. I bought my last brand new Albrecht 1/2" chuck for $85.00.

Not knocking the Chinese stuff - no experience with them. I've had a total of 9 Albrecht chucks so far and all of them worked really well after I cleaned them up. Of course, there are garbage Albrechts, too, so you have to look carefully but good ones are out there.

 

[Ken from ontario]

Terry, I looked at their ( Glacern's) prices, not bad at all, I'm still shopping around .
Mikey, since I posted this thread I've been looking around on the net for a good quality chuck and the name Albrecht keeps popping up , but as you and terry both mentioned, there are a lot of garbage ones mixed with a few good ones, I almost bid on a used one for $53 but stopped myself at the last minute, it looked too worn out although all I had to go on was the picture . the best ones on ebay are the new old stocks.

What are your opinions on this Taiwanese chuck under the name "Precision Mathews" ? they seem to build all sorts of metalworking tools , I found this on ebay .ca and it looked promising, comes with integral R8 shank and the runout is ~.002", not bad for what I'm looking for.


http://www.ebay.ca/itm/232231595178

Thank you both for your thoughts.

 

[wawoodman]

PM has a great reputation here. I suspect that the chuck would be fine.

 

[mikey]

Sorry, Ken, I have no experience with that chuck. I can tell you that the price they're charging for a brand new chuck with an integrated arbor is very low; if cost is the major issue then it looks good.

For me, a drill chuck is a tool I use often and I prefer an Albrecht chuck. Yes, there are many junk chucks out there but you can spot the good ones easily. Here is a good one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/152425212844?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

The body, hood and collar show little to no signs of wear or abuse. The tips of the jaws align; there are small marks to suggest the user made contact with the work but it is minor. The seller also cleaned it up; there are signs of some rust but nothing major. Overall, this chuck is in very good (near new) shape and I would buy it if the price was right. It is now up for bid. If you look at similar completed listings for chucks in this condition you'll have a ballpark idea of what they go for. If I had to guess, I would say this thing will go for about $120.00 or less, probably less.

Keep in mind that it has a JT33 and you will need to add in the cost of an R8 shank but you'll have a fine chuck of known quality. Not sure what that is worth to you.

 

[Ken from ontario]

Thank you both.
The availability of Albrecht chucks on ebay canada is nowhere near what you'd find on ebay US(.com) .if the seller's enrolled in GSP program then I would have a chance to bid/buy, otherwise I'd have to ask them if they would be willing to ship internationally, not many can be bothered.
Anyhow, I found a couple that I put in my ebay "watch list" including the one you linked,( thank you Mikey), of course I would go for Albrecht if the the prices were as reasonable here as they are south of the border.
The search continues.

 

[ch2co]

I have an Albrecht look alike Chinese chuck and I have used real Albrecht chucks and there is a world of difference between them. Mh chuck that came with my used lathe works but not nearly as nicely as I would prefer with regard to slippage , the runout accuracy seems to be good though. The PM that is shown above looks good and from all of the positive input about PM products that I've seen here, I would consider.

CHuck the grumpy old guy

 

[mikey]

Thank you both.
The availability of Albrecht chucks on ebay canada is nowhere near what you'd find on ebay US(.com) .if the seller's enrolled in GSP program then I would have a chance to bid/buy, otherwise I'd have to ask them if they would be willing to ship internationally, not many can be bothered.
Anyhow, I found a couple that I put in my ebay "watch list" including the one you linked,( thank you Mikey), of course I would go for Albrecht if the the prices were as reasonable here as they are south of the border.
The search continues.

Patience is the key. Wait for a good one; it will come. Over the years, I've purchased 9 Albrechts on ebay; one 1/2 chuck was new for $85.00. Of the other 8, only one needed new jaws. All the others were restored to like new functional condition without issues. Here is a pic of a $50.00 ebay chuck very much like the one I linked to:

 

[Ken from ontario]

Thanks Grumpy,I was sure about the PM I linked but Mikey convinced me to look more closely at Albrecht chucks.
Mikey,you are right, patience, is the key,,,, but it's something I seriously lack,lol. I just found a used but in good condition Albrecht for $99.99 USD and bought it.
It comes with an R8 chuck, to be honest, it is more than what I wanted to pay but I'm 63years old, want to enjoy life so I'm now a happy owner of THE mighty chuck.