Hi Odie,
Sorry about the delay on the reply. When I first started turning I made the usual mistake, I bought a cheap piece of s... lathe, then updated to a more expensive POS lathe - several times. I figured I'd stay with turning, so the only real option was a new Vicmarc VL300. With only one lathe, for me, the longbed was the better option. Pros: Large size, heavy, smooth, quiet, powerful, good solid cam lock banjo operation, really good variable speed control, spindle indexing and lock, solid and user friendly. The knee stop bar is a great idea, I always use it. I have spent a lot of time turning on this lathe, everything from large burls to small boxes and I certainly do like it. My lathe is a 2000 model and has been trouble free so far. No cons that I can think of. I would recommend the VL 300 to anyone wanting a quality lathe.
The reason behind the oversized handwheel (on all three lathes) is very simple. I find it gives me much more control over the spindle when fitting or removing the chuck/faceplate (ie hold the chuck still with right hand, turn handwheel with left. The larger handwheel is easier to grip and control). Also, it is easier to rotate the chuck using the handwheel with a large and heavy out of round blank to check for bed-tool rest clearance before start up.
The second blue lathe is a Vicmarc VL175 swivel head and only comes in longbed. The attraction was the versatility of the swivel head. It's a good second lathe and has also been trouble free so far.
The chucks... short answer - I hate changing jaws. I have a dozen or so (some new, some secondhand), all Vicmarc, each with a different jaw set (small to large). I find there is enough size variation to cover most mounting situations. It's just my preference. I'm always in the market for a secondhand chuck. Here in Australia, Vicmarc chucks are probably the most common quality chucks available. Pics below.
As far as options go with lathes and chucks we have Vicmarc, Woodfast, Stubby, Nova, some Jet, and some Chinese knockoffs, maybe a few others. I'm not sure whether we have any US made lathes, I haven't seen any Oneway, Powermatic or Robust etc - possibly because the market is too small.
Hope this covers it for you Odie,
Fred