I'm looking into getting a 6" 6-jaw chuck and deciding between buck and bison (or other quality brands). Is the extra money for a Buck worth it...or are they pretty much the same as Bison chucks? I've ruled out the cheap imports because i think they'll be low quality.

The buck has pointier jaws, allowing it to close quite a bit more than the Bison. If you don't have a collet chuck and plan on turning small diameter rods, then the Buck is the better choice.

I have a Bison Set-Tru 3-jaw and love it.

BTW, any particular reason why you're going with a 6-jaw? My 3-jaw has blunt jaws, but the nature of 3-jaw chucks is that they close pretty far regardless.

I don't know anything about buck.

I really like Bison and usually go to them first for my "chuck-type" products.

...BTW, any particular reason why you're going with a 6-jaw?....

One reason to have a six jaw available is that you can remove two opposite jaws and then hold square stock running true.

The 6-jaw is a little more versatile also because it can better hold thin walled work. The higher number of jaws translate into less force per jaw for the same total clamping force compared to a 3-jaw chuck.

ok, thanks. It sounds like the Buck and Bison are pretty much the same except that the Buck can hold smaller diameter work (especially with the solid jaws).

Has anyone had any experience with Enco brand chucks. For a 6" 6-jaw chuck, the price comparison is: Bison-$484 Enco-$304 and Buck-$997. Enco is by far the cheapest, and if the quality is equivalent, i might as well get the Enco chuck.

Make sure you are comparing identical chucks. The Bison probably has removable top jaws but the Enco may be solid jaws. The removable top jaws can be turned around for holding large diameter parts and it is possible to make custom top jaws. This can be very useful for odd-ball parts.

Hmm...wow. I never thought about that. That's a good idea

When I bought my Bison 6 1/4" 4 jaw chuck about 15 years ago, they told me there were two grades, production and precision. The precision grade was about 20 percent higher cost. I bought the higher grade and am quite happy with it. You might want to ask them about this.
I like the 4 jaw since you can put round or odd shaped parts in it. Also, you can eliminate the runout on round parts which you can't on a 3 jaw scroll chuck.

That is true, Bison still comes in at least 2 grades.
To a certain extent, you get what you pay for.
IMO by the time my guys wreck the Bison semi-steel chucks, they have paid for themselves and I buy new.
The Chinese chucks that came with the lathes didn't last a year.
There is nothing wrong with the initial quality of the China chucks, but the material must be too soft (or something).

Has anyone had any experience with Enco brand chucks. For a 6" 6-jaw chuck, the price comparison is: Bison-$484 Enco-$304 and Buck-$997. Enco is by far the cheapest, and if the quality is equivalent, i might as well get the Enco chuck.

you get what you pay for