James et.al.: In the end I chose Vicmarc.
My Reasons in no particular order:
1) The Vicmarc landed cost was substantially less. No one in the USA really had much stock if any. So I bought mine direct from AU and the USD to AUD exchange rate was very good at the time of ordering. I could have bought (2) VM100s and have money left over vs. (1) SK100 sourced in the USA (see #2)
2) The SK100 was not available from Axminster, not in the old, solid body, lifetime guarantee version, nor in the upcoming universal style with the swap-able backing plate, and the shorter warranty. The SK114 is still made in the solid body but I don't need the SK114 size. The only place that had any stock for the old design SK100 was a US supplier (at top dollar $$$).
3) Part of the reason I was switching brands was to get a direct threaded, solid body, that did not use inserts/adapters. The new SK100 has an insert (well, interchangeable backing plate they call it). I expect the "backing plate" is an improvement vs a threaded insert as far as potential run out goes, but it's still not a solid body. The VM100 comes in direct thread, so it is shorter overall which is important for me on my PM2020 shorter bed lathe. I will say this was a minor point, definitely not a deal breaker for Axminster, but to me, the jury is out on the new design. And why'd they change the warranty on this one?
4) I consulted Vicmarc and made sure there was no technical reason I couldn't buy extra jaw carriers and do the "spin in", "spin out" changing of jaws. Axminster promotes that "feature" and even makes a a sheet metal wall rack for their jaws with the jaw carriers on them. You can see them on the wall in some of Collin Way(?)'s videos. As long as I understood the risks and reasons to be sure I did not over-open a Vicmarc jaw set, then there was no technical reason I coudl not. The Chuck would be perfectly happy with the different jaw carriers. As long as you don't mix up the carrier sets, which are matches sets, you're golden. And I'd never mix them as they are all attached to different jaw sets. I've marked mine so I know the spot they would stop at with the safety stop in place. It would be rare I'd be that extended anyway, but I know when and where to look if it's needed, so I'm comfortable, safety wise. So, that did away with that feature difference between the 2 brands, and the Vicmarc jaw carriers were less expensive as well (IIRC).
5) A
BIG point for me was the jaw travel. It was another reason I changed brands from nova in the first place. I measured the travel on a friends Axminster and Vicmarc. The Vicmarc jaws move twice as far. I know all about the perfect circle for tenons and mortise but there are many times when that makes no difference, like holding square stock, getting a rough grab on something for a preliminary step, etc.
6) Vicmarc's shark jaws, and jaw selection. I like the Vicmarc shark jaws, a lot. Axminster has one that's similar, but I think Vicmarc offers 5 sizes for the VM100. They had every other style jaw I need for about everything I do. I bought a full assortment. I know many have multiple dedicated chucks, and I may add one one day, but I'm not a production turner, do it for fun and am never in a hurry. The spin out-in method is quite easy and fairly quick.
7) I'm a fan of R Raffan, and he and several others that I keep up with use Vicmarc. So that's a good testimonial. I do believe the Axminsters are well made, their craftsmanship seems very good, but so does the Vicmarc, so I'd call quality a tie.
All that said, I still like Axminster's stainless steel parts. If Vicmarc's jaws had been stainless this probably would not have been a competition for me. It was the only negative I had really, and it's not been a problem for many others, it shouldn't with me either.
I'm an avid 3D CAD/design/3D printer guy, so I made my own storage system for my Vicmarc jaws. Protects the jaw carrier's teeth, stores them neatly. They are held in their "perfect circle" position so I can see at a glance which one I want/need. They are magnetic and quick change, they are easy to stack on a 1/4" rod, or you could put them on pegs on a wall. With all of my jaws having jaw carriers attached, I no longer mess with the screws and I can change jaws under a minute, probably half that. I have an appropriate size hex driver for my little Bosch power screwdriver, so I can do the spin out in a couple of seconds. But I'm never in a hurry anyway. Some of mine in these photos. A few sets not pictured. Colors represent the magnet strength, heavier jaws get a size bigger on magnets. Magnets aren't needed unless you were to wall mount them. Which was my original plan. But I found stacking works great and I'm short on wall space anyway, so the stack is my method.
Hope this helps...
Scott
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