SuperNova2 or Oneway Talon

Re: SuperNova2 or Oneway Talon

John Veerkamp

>I have the Talon. I believe it is more versatle right now. lots of assessories.

John

Re: SuperNova2 or Oneway Talon

Mark Kauder

>I have a SuperNova I and I like it. It does everything that I have asked of it. The one complaint that I have about it (the wrench) has been fixed in the new version.

Mark

Re: SuperNova2 or Oneway Talon

Richard Allen

>Hi Chris

What a terrific choice to have. Both chucks are well made products. You can use Oneway Talon jaws on the SuperNova. The Jaws of the Oneway chucks are one of the best parts that differentiates the Oneway chucks from the other chucks. The spindle adaptor on the Oneway chucks can be locked onto the lathe spindle with set screws. This prevents accidental dismounting of the chuck. If you don't turn in reverse or turn large pieces on a lathe with dynamic breaking then that feature is of very little concern.

Generally the Nova chucks are high quality. Nova made a "compact chuck" which was enough of a disappointment that they discontinued making that chuck.

Chances are the new Nova will be better than the other chucks they have made. However, the Oneway Talon is a proven winner. Nova needs 6 months or so of user comments before we can say that about the SuperNova2. You have the opportunity to become one of those people who takes a chance and is able to report the success or failure of the new chuck. Or you can leave that risk to someone else.

Good Luck

Richard

Re: SuperNova2 or Oneway Talon

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>I have both chucks, as well as the earlier Supernova and the large Teknatool Titan.

The Talon is a great chuck for small to mid-sized work. It is an adequate chuck for large, but not very large work. It has a reputation for reliability and precision and mine has lived up to that reputation for the 3-4 years I have had it. It has some very good jaws sets, (I particularly like the extended #1 size pin jaws) but the number of those jaw sets is quite limited compared to most other chucks, particulary compared to very large number of jaw styles that Teknatool and Axminster offer. It is slightly smaller than both the new and old SuperNova's, which may prove an advantage for smaller work in terms of slightly greater access to the back of some turnings. The key operation is smooth, but the key directly engages with the teeth operating the chuck and the key must be inserted exactly radial to the chuck. The spindle thread adapter fits intelock with the chuck is outstanding, and allows for locking the chuck to those spindles that have a matching locking groove.

The SuperNova 2 is a new and major revision of the original SuperNova, but is almost exactly a scaled down version of the Teknatool Titan. The Titan has been refined (mostly with respect to smoother gearing) since the original was introduced and those refinements have been incorporated into the latest SuperNova 2's. Thus, although the SuperNova2 is a recently introduced chuck, it really has been refined through the experience with the Titan (which I just love as a chuck). The new Supernova 2 has perhaps the largest range of jaws that may be mounted on it of any chuck on the market (the Axminster is the only one that competes). It will take all of the very broad and growing range of Teknatool jaws (one Titan only jaw set accepted), it can mount all of the Oneway and Talon jaw sets (but not the Stronghold) and Vermec makes jaw slide adapters that will even allow mounting of many of the Vicmark jaws. Of course this is only meaninful if you need that versatility (now or in the future) or if you really need a specific jaw set that isn't available for the Talon, still, it is comforting to know that not only will you be likely to match any of the jaw sets to the SuperNOva 2, but that the jaw sets you acquire will fit on any of the other larger or smaller Teknatool chucks you might possibly acquire in the future.

The SuperNova 2 has the nices key system of any chuck I have encountered but for the Titan which uses the same key. It is a ball end hex key that not only makes for easy insertion and operation, but allows the handle to be mildly angled while doing so.

I especially like the spindle thread adapters that Teknatool uses. Their latest versions come with a set screw that allows locking the chuck to spindles with matching grooves (this groove location is becomeing standardized between lathes so you can, for instance, use any of the Oneway brand of chucks, or any of the thread adaptor Teknatool chucks on any of the lathes with a spindle groove). But the think I like so about this adaptor over the Oneway is that the adaptor has large hex shoulders that can be griped by a thin open end wrench that makes for very effective and efficient removal of recalcitrant chucks. Teknatool offers a low cost wrench just for this purpose, or you can spend more to get an automotive one. I find this much better than having to pull on a key (that was never intended for such purposes), using a bar that can easily bend and/or elongate holes, or tying to weave on a strap wrench. IMO, this hex adaptor is one of the nicest features of the Teknatool chucks, but one that is rarely reported. As for size, the SuperNova 2 is truly a mid sized chuck that isn't too large for small scale work, but will work well for all but the very largest of work. Using the Powergrip jaws with the older version of the Supernova, I've cored our 16 inch bowls, a task that puts a pretty fair load on a chuck.

As long as quality control remains high, and this is a caveat with almost any product, the new SuperNova 2 looks to be a first rate chuck that will span a very wide range of working styles and project needs. The Talon, in contrast, is an excellent chuck with a proven quality control record, with some most useful jaw sets, but more limited in versatility and slightly less refined in operational features.

Re: SuperNova2 or Oneway Talon

Chris Lee

>Lyn,

Thanks for that review. That was exactly what I wanted. I think I am leaning towards the SuperNova2. Thanks Again, You don't work for Teknatool do ya??? :)

Chris