Shars 4 jaw chuck: How bad can it be?

Here's an unboxing, teardown, and inspection of a Shars 10 inch 4 jaw chuck. What do you get for $150?

[@lindsayfog5246]

this told me nothing except you have unrealistically high expectations of cleanliness from import tooling

[@dspencer1409]

Why would you need a number on an independent chuck?

[@jeroen-surf]

30 min video that could have been done in 5 min. No measurements, no accuracy tests, only repeated complaints about grinding dust...

[@Reno4u2]

agreed...borderline worthless video

[@cannonball666]

All I got was "nasty" about 50 times.

[@ryanb1874]

Damn, know of ANY good videos where they extremely accurately measure everything about a chuck.

[@melgross]

@@ryanb1874yes, there are a number. A lot of guys like to seem sophisticated by complaining about Chinese tooling.

[@Mrkemalkut]

Doesn't matter where it was made, I'd still clean it anyway.

[@650gringo]

OK here is an improved review of that same chuck: I bought it, I cleaned it and I actually used it on my lathe. It's fine!

[@EdM66410]

I mean at 10x cheaper than a real chuck I'd say it's worth it, even if you do put a couple hours worth of love into her.

[@MCEngineeringInc]

Looks like a decent chuck. I guess skipping the cleaning step they are able to pass the savings on to you.

[@edwardkawecki8101]

Didn't you mean pass the shavings on to you? Lol

[@BobOBob]

Might save half a kilogram on shipping if they'd clean out the shavings and grit.

[@ryanb1874]

Is tue damn thing even real steel, not damn semi steel.

[@melgross]

@@ryanb1874it would be for $1,000 more.

[@steveh8724]

Nasty? It's wrapped in rust preventative paper. That's not nasty... So at the 10 min mark, I have to wonder what this person was expecting. A 10" 4-jaw D1-6 chuck for $150, what do you think it's going to be like? If you want "high quality" clean fully deburred etc. then pony up 5-10 x this cost. How do you expect a product to be sold at this price point to differ? I would happily settle for them skipping the little things that I can easily do, as long as the basic functionality and machining quality are acceptable. Still too early to tell at this stage in the evaluation. @12:46 "You could have a fairly descent chuck here if you would just clean it up a little bit." Really? If they took the time to clean it thoroughly deburr and clean it up, what do you think that would do the the price? If I'm buying a $150 10" 4-jaw, I'm going to happily take it apart and go over it. Heck I'd probably do that if it was a $750 chuck, just less actual work to do.Of course now it's FEB-2022 and the same item (Shars 10" 4-jaw independent with integral D1-6 mount is now $230 (and out of stock).

[@badtensioner]

still expensive for me. wash it with kerosene, water, dishwashing soap then water. industrial blow dry and they are sure to assemble again, oiling per part as you assemble it again. what you are doing wiping and wiping each part is such a waste of time. clean it with well and you'll get the most out of that.

[@steveh8724]

Here's the short version of this video. Take it apart. Clean and deburr thoroughly. Then you have a "good usable chuck." If you want to hear 15 minutes of repetitive complaining about how dirty the chuck was originally, then watch the full video.

[@wobbbs]

so if you went and bought a $2000 you wouldn't clean before use? FFS just clean it and stop whining like a baby!!

[@ninjasfanfunnystuff9026]

Your so optimistic right out of the gate!

[@intelligenceservices]

Instead of presumably slave labor, how much would one of those cost if it was made for 15 bucks an hour in America?

[@jagboy69]

A WHOLE LOT MORE!

[@felgate11]

Buy cheap - Pay twice!! cheap Chinese crap - Jaw numbering doesn't matter - It's a 4 jaw!!

[@RidgewoodMachine]

My 12" Cadillac 4 jaw check has numbered jaws. It doesn't really matter but some have them. If you're willing to donate a Buck 4 jaw I'd gladly use it instead of the Chineesium piece.

[@davelee5605]

Looks like a good buy, to me, for $150... I was glad when I opened my 8" and found it covered with protection. Better than rust. I could pay triple and buy a "not nasty" chuck. Always plan on disassembly, cleaning, and de-burring ANY chuck before use. Remember ya only paid a buck fifty.

[@Arckivio]

You're right. I love these reviews where they buy a cheap chuck & then amaze us with the announcement that it's not a Pratt Burnerd!!!!

[@bruceang82]

I didn't need to watch all the video, your disdain & ready to condem attitude said it all from the beginning, you are not neutral at all...from the beginning. You spent $150...what, did you expect? Spend $1400 for a Bison chuck.

[@andyZ3500s]

Anything from China or in that price range is a kit. Most of the work has been done already. It's up to you to clean and deburr it. If you want to go farther then you start to machine, grind or evan start scraping. Things in this price range serve a purpose. It depends on your circumstance. Yes I did steal the term kit from Stefan

[@melgross]

Every time I see someone buying a chuck that costs 20% (or less) of what a chuck from a major manufacturer costs and complains that it’s - cheap, I have to laugh. If someone wants an excellent, clean chuck right from the box, they should spend the money for one instead of complaining about burrs and grit, when that’s one reason they saved so much money. Generally, the sharp edges and burrs don’t affect the operation of the product. Happily, these products normally work pretty well once they’re cleaned up.

[@tomcook5813]

Its not a scroll chuck, you don't need numbered jaws, yes, lots of oil (we heard about that first 6 mins. Yes, youll need to clean it up, you should clean anything up that's bought new. The whole video you complained...Its a $150 10' chuck..relax.

[@felgate11]

Like Crash Helmets!! - If you only have a ten dollar head - you only need a ten dollar helmet!!

[@steveh8724]

I'm terrified that this guy is going to smash a finger or cut himself on a burr because he's decided to work with the slippery heavy object on a slick work surface. Put down a shop towel or better a piece of corrugated cardboard so it won't slide around like it's on ice! And I'm concerned he's considering self-harm because his bargain priced chuck is, well, dirty. Imagine if he bought a used lathe, talk about nasty, have you looked at pics of used lathes for sale? You know those "wonderful old made-in-USA lathes" that we're supposed to buy.

[@johnnybarbar7435]

How many times can you complain about a chuck that is 10% the cost of a USA chuck....rhetorical, no answer needed. T slots can easily be added to most chucks if that is your thing.

[@AlsanPine]

all machine equipment i have ever used that was from china required this "finishing" work. lathes, mills, chucks, etc. always take them apart, de-bur, clean the hell out of it, properly lubricate, assemble and you will have an excellent tool. think of these items as kits. they might as well ship them as separate parts and save us the time to take them apart but i suppose they have to test for the fit and glaring damage and this way we see the whole thing put together like it is supposed to be before we take it apart. still... chinese equipment should be thought of as kits. you get a huge savings in money but have to spend some of your time bringing it up to ideal level. thanks for the vid and this reminder 🙂

[@DavidHerscher]

Yes, it's full of grinding dust, grit, and dirt. All import machine tools are. But, does it work? Are the jaws hardened? Does it swing balanced?

[@nicelez]

So many things to comment about - 1st you toss down a set of calipers !!! As much as you complain about the product you might put into care of your own calipers! Second, you mention not having a crane to lift the 106.2 pound 4 jaw... ??? .. Is that an fold-able engine hoist I see behind you to your right? Works for me when I need to lift heavy objects.

[@RidgewoodMachine]

Yes, I handled my rather old $30 caliper roughly. The good calipers lead easier lives. Sure, that's a shop crane behind me but it won't clear the business end of the lathe or the Vidmar cabinet where my chucks hide.

[@HanstheTraffer]

If it's so icky with icky stuff in it. Maybe you shouldn't be a machinist?

[@jacoblattimore5434]

That's actually pretty good for a foreign made chuck, especially if it only cost $150. You mixed up the jaw order btw. I know it doesn't matter on a 4 jaw so much, but I noticed you were trying to keep them together. I do the same thing. If anything ever came "ready to use" from China, I would probably have a heart attack. Just the way it is.

[@brads1204]

just should have popped it in a parts washer with some mineral spirits to wash it, then super light oil chuck bit gear and done. wasted time.

[@jamesdavis8021]

Buy a parts washer.That reminds me, I need to drain,clean and,refill mine.😆🤪

[@007connecticut]

Spray it down with WD-40 and blow it out. Then oil it.

[@tomgiorgini9154]

all the whining, why didn't you buy a bison chuck

[@atomscombining9054]

it must be made in china mainland

[@Ideasite]

I think these products are particularly targeted toward those willing to perform finishing steps. The customer saves that cost, but commits to performing finishing work. Without the finikshing work, these things will self-destruct prematurely. I prefer that trade-off because I like to make sure the fit & finish is perfect. I've found that the underlying accuracy of the stuff I've gotten from Shars has been surprisingly good. I enjoy working to clean, deburr, etc. and even drop the hardware in an ultrasonic cleaner. A brand new, forged Bison chuck will be perfect out of the box, but cost 5 to 10 times the price. The Bison will also use harder materials. For me and my hobby shop, Shars & equivalent Chinese products are a good compromise as long as I don't mind the final steps of manufacture and as long as I remember that the material might be softer.

[@leeklemetti1887]

Ah, for the want for a good parts cleaning tank! The chuck look good though.

[@dizzolve]

communist tears lol 17:10

[@bennyrlove]

much ado - about nothing

[@EPaulIII]

You need a parts cleaner.

[@christopherenoch4230]

I was hoping you'd check it on the lathe.... BTW - I'm so glad your lathe arrived spotless. I'd take it apart clean and lube anyway... I guess you don't clean lube your guns? Just saying... Have a wonderful day!

[@metalworksmachineshop]

If it was shipped from China without oil , you would probably really complain about all the rust on it. Im sure the ID of the jaws were ground to that chuck body, so ya they dont clean them... like you said, its not a 800.00 to 1500.00 chuck either. I would have made 100% sure the jaws went back in where they were ground. Looks like a nice chuck.

[@creamshop]

i understand your disappointed, life teached me if your paying way lower than supposed for a specific item then expect something disappointing, machine shop tooling is hit and miss manufacturing, mostly miss

[@opieshomeshop]

Shars makes really good paper weights. I bought one and its still sitting on my bench doing nothing which is what its going to be doing for a long long long time. Ill probably make some sort of rotary welding jig out of it.

[@RockingJOffroad]

First order of business with any tools from China, is to disassemble and deburr and very thorough cleaning!

[@hilltopmachineworks2131]

I bought the same chuck for the same reasons you bought yours. My 15" 4 jaw weighs 126 pounds. At 54 years old I can still muscle it up on the lathe, but having the little 10" 4 jaw is much easier when I don't need a big chuck. Also mine wasn't as dirty as yours. Maybe they made yours on a Friday at 4:50pm?

[@wayneacaron8744]

you shoulda seen my sherline 3jaw when it arrived. burrs EVERYWHERE. metal chips in it too! after cleaning, deburring. hand fitting. its a pinion-less chuck. this was 1995. new from sherline. poppy"posting as poppy's workshop on youtube"

[@jimjackson1542]

Most all the stuff you get made in Cheeena is like Harbor Junk ( Freight ). You have to fix it before you can use it.

[@chiplarkin1029]

Have you ever considered mounting your 12” four jaw and then place your three jaw in the four jaw chuck and leave them both mounted. You can quickly load your part into your three jaw and if tolerances call for it to be dialed in, then use the four jaw to do it.

[@bobblack3870]

Thanks for the review. Biggest take-away is that Shars is selling a decent chuck, but for the savings, it is recommended to do full cleaning before use.

[@DrewLSsix]

That used to be standard procedure, but people seem to be more sensitive these days. If you came up in the machining/manufacturing industry you might be used to shiny new machines just appearing ready to run but your boss paid a handsome ransom to have the supplier make that happen!

[@bluehornet6752]

Yeah, to be honest this video could have been much shorter had he just said "It's really freakin' nasty dirty, so you gotta disassemble it to clean it up." And then went on to talk about the quality of manufacture...which is pretty much what we were after here. There could be a drinking game made of this video: Take a swig of booze every time he says "nasty," and you'll never make it through the entire video in one sitting. LOL...

[@MetrologyEngineer]

Seriously how can you complain for $150 I think we get a pretty damn good amount of value from foreign labor... If you want the same quality without cleaning you'd probably pay at least $350 made in the US. And if I came clean they'd charge you $750.

[@RidgewoodMachine]

This was an inspection with observation, not a critical exam or comparison.

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

Way better than the SANOU 4-jaw I bought. It was so bad the jaws were not ground square out of the box. It's diestent for a new life as a welding positioner.

[@Gottenhimfella]

I didn't catch the bit where this chuck got its jaws measured for squareness

[@ryanb1874]

What it your opinion of, let's say a 4 jaw chucks internal jaw ways are out of absolute precision a little, couple thousandsths, warm during quenching ect... or milling was off, let's say by .005, all in the same direction, I don't think it would matter if it's still an independent 4 jaw. I hear people claim to have to make such like within hidreths of thousandth everywhere, but I just think that is a lot to ask. For somethu g not going anywhere near femilabs. Hell I'd make one if I could.

[@mtnbiker4480]

Jaw lift is the really bad thing. Your tolerances will be crap.

[@joesanders2037]

Thank you, I am about to buy that exact Chuck. I reckon I'll have to give it a bath.

[@ShopperPlug]

How did you clean it? What chemicals did you use?

[@SUPERDUCKcromobe]

I'd buy one, .......All my stuff is dirty

[@ehsanbeheshti9990]

This is made in CHINA ...

[@spikey2740]

Chinese chuck - $160 Cleaning paper - $160 Disassembly/cleaning/reassembly - $160 You could have bought a GOOD chuck for that.

[@Marzy5821]

They got to the dark side of the moon!?

[@jameshisself9324]

The China disappointment never seems to end. It's like they assume you are going to clean it first, so they don't even bother. I am super part time at machining with no more than an interest in getting projects done and not the tools themselves so I will never commit the funds that quality tooling would require. Which means it's China or nothing for me. Just got to make it work.

[@melgross]

They have to save money somewhere. Honestly, if someone calls themselves a machinist, then there’s no excuse to complain about something they should be able to take care of in about an hour. I’ve cleaned chucks, and that’s about what it takes for a scroll chuck, a four jaw takes less.

[@jameshisself9324]

@@melgross Right, but there it the theoretical promise of saving money through cheap labor, that was the whole idea behind made in china in the first place. It has now descended into just make it look good for the pictures on the googly machine. It is what it is and I can work with anything as most machinists, but there is still real coin going into this tooling and it would be nice if it appeared that the worker knew what they were making and gave 2 Fs about it's suitability for purpose. It could be worse, it could be that we can't get them at all or they are priced as if US made.

[@melgross]

@@jameshisself9324 some really excellent things are made in China, from foreign companies and domestic Chinese companies. But cheap is cheap. When this sort of cheap stuff was made here, it was pretty bad too. I remember it pretty well from the 1960s and 1970s. But that USA made garbage isn’t made here any more as the Chinese (and now India) put those crappy companies out of business with equal products that were cheaper. So the reality is that cheap is cheap. Complaining about it is a waste of time. You want a better product, pay for it.

[@jameshisself9324]

@@melgross When I want a better product I make it. Of course China makes good stuff too, everything is built to a spec and to a price. Kindly point us to the items like the 4 jaw chucks that are made in China with incrementally higher quality for an incrementally higher price. Not sure what your beef with me is, everyone should call anyone on the carpet for making and selling crap product. Raise the price incrementally and raise the quality proportional to that. It's not black and white, there are an infinite number of levels of quality divided as fine as the market wants. Not a single soul who is buying anything wants it to be made below a minimum standard to save a buck. Meeting the minimum standard for less than the next guy is the perception, not abandoning the standard but making it appear that you still meet it. Again, the magic of the googly machine. We want minimum standard for less, not less for less. Anyone can do that.

[@melgross]

@@jameshisself9324 the lower the price, the lower the standard. It’s not free to manufacture something. Every time you lower the price you cut something out of the cost to manufacture it. As people continue to buy cheaper items, they quality level continues to go down. There is almost no bottom level. I’ve even seen chucks made out of zine. Not big ones of course, but they’re there. There is no such thing as a minimum standard, unless it’s mandated by government. None of this is. Nobody has a “right” to get a good product. This one costs 10% of what a top chuck of the same size costs, or even a bit less. It’s a pretty damn good chuck, particularly considering that. The minor problems you had are really be with mentioning other than saying, it’s got to be cleaned out as they can’t afford to take those steps at this price.

[@Sc7056-s9z]

Good video. Thanks for the information. Curious as to what tolerances you can hold parts in this chuck if you take the time to dial the part in? Repeat ability in rechucking the same part? One thousands or less? Thanks.

[@RidgewoodMachine]

The chuck works fine. Since it is an independent jaw chuck you can always dial the part in to the desired runout.

[@bobblack3870]

@@RidgewoodMachine That'w why it is unnecessary to label (number) the jaws. They are all identical, unlike auto-centering.

[@dereknbartram]

@@bobblack3870 Is that strictly true? Doesn't that assume that all the jaw slots are on exactly the same plane? If the jaw slots aren't you'd still get a good grip with the original jaw placement due to being grinded in their respective slot and hence being ground with compensation, but swap them about and you find some jaws grabbed better towards the front or rear ends of the jaw.

[@iwaterboy2396]

@@bobblack3870 RIDGEWOOD MACHINE IS JUST A RETTTARRD! STOP WATCHING HIS VIDEO!

[@mtnbiker4480]

Pratt Burnerd, for instance, hand fits each jaw to the slot. On a Shars...you are doing the break-in.

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Nice job, does not look to bad.

[@bradley3549]

A voice of reason - I have a couple ~$150 chucks under my belt now and while they are no Buck, for the money it's really hard to beat if you're willing to do a little bit of cleanup. And let's be honest, anybody who's ever picked up a used old high quality chuck knows how much work goes into cleaning and potentially fixing it anyway and after all that you may still have worn parts requiring at best regrinding, at worst a worn scroll that means you'll never get repeatable accuracy. End result, pretty much the same if you ask me, except I can return the brand new cheap chuck if it's REALLY bad out of the box.

[@cheek1m0nkey]

Looks great to me at that price. And I would expect to clean/deburr it, regardless of who I bought from, but especially if imported. Edit: I should add that I can't speak to the Shars lathe chucks as I don't have any experience with them, but their keyless drill press chucks are fantastic, especially the higher end Tegara stuff.