Barry N. Turner wrote:

Exactly what is going on with the Compac chuck? I have one and it works
perfectly. The only limitations I have noticed are its capacity.

Barry

Hi Barry,
That has been my experience as well,mine has worked flawlessly for over
two years. There did appear to be some nagging issues with quality
control, and my understanding is that it is now undergoing "design
review." I expect to see it's return, though I have no personal
knowledge of that.

My sense is that it was never gained the praise it was due, both because
of the quality control problems and that IMO many people purchased it
because it was inexpensive but without giving thought to it's proper
niche in the chuck hierarchy. As I see it, and this is the way a wrote a
review of it comparing it to the Oneway Talon, the Teknatool Compac
is/was a superb chuck for small scale and miniature turning. The Compac
had the smallest body of any quality chuck, and in my experience was
very precise. That small body and precision meant one had access to the
headstock end of small turnings in a way that no larger chuck provided,
including the Talon. To this day, I still use my Compac for miniature
turnings. In the end, I felt this made the Compac more suitable as a
second or third chuck, rather than a first chuck, but because of price,
many bought it hoping it would do everything for them.

On the other hand, the Talon is the superior chuck for the total
capabilities of a minilathe. It is twice as expensive, but from one
perspective it is twice the chuck. It definitely is a nice chuck and the
one used for all larger work on my Jet Mini. Despite it's excellent all
around capabilities (except for coring and deep hollowforms) for lathes
from 10 inch to 16 inch swing, it is still pretty chunky for miniature
work, even when fitted with it's excellent #1 pin jaws. So, I remain
very pleased to have my Compac for the little stuff, and hope to see its
return.

Sorry for the length, I've been wanting to say something about the
Compac for quite a while, and this was just the occasion.

Lyn