[Source] Qctp Tool Holder Brands---shars, Phase Ii, Dorian, Aloris

pstemari

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I need to pick up some more BXA QCTP #1 holders and noticing the huge difference in the price bands. Shars is by far the cheapest at $17 each, Phase II (which I currently have) and KBC are tied at about $33, and Dorian and Aloris run about $64.

Are the Shars tool holders any good?

Am I going to notice a difference if I step up to the Dorian or the Aloris?

The only problem I've run into on the Phase II blocks is that the height adjustment set screw needs a little blue Loctite to keep it in the block when adjusting the thumbnut.
 
I have a mixture of Shars and Phase II QCTP hardware, both AXA and BXA, on two different lathes. Sometimes one vendor or another has a sale, and I'll buy some more tool holders. Everything seems to play nicely with everything else. No problems per se, but I have replaced the tool locking setscrews on nearly all of them - just don't like the material the Chinese setscrews are made of. And yes, I've had to Loctite the height adjuster screws. Satisfactory otherwise.

I sincerely wish I could afford Dorian or Aloris. I'm sure all the screws would be of unquestioned quality, as would be the height adjusters and their lock nuts. And I seem to recall reading that the tool's positional repeatability is a lot better. You do get what you pay for, but as I've said, I've been able to "make it work" with what I have. And I just don't have the $$ to get the good ones.
 
I have both the Aloris and Shars also Phase II, the Chinese holders work well, no big problems with them. The one thing I have noticed is the imports sometimes will change the tool position slightly when you tighten the the holder. Usually not a big thing.
 
I have a BXA from All Industrial Tool supply, a BXA from CDCO (both wedge style) and a piston style from Grizzly (BXA). I buy tool holders from CDCOtools.com for $11 each without the boring bar groove or $12 each with the groove. Haven't had problems with any of them. A lot of guys have complained about holes being tapped off-angle and soft set screws, never had those problems with mine. I've never used a real Aloris so maybe I don't know what I'm missing.

Bruce
 
I have a BXA from All Industrial Tool supply, a BXA from CDCO (both wedge style) and a piston style from Grizzly (BXA). I buy tool holders from CDCOtools.com for $11 each without the boring bar groove or $12 each with the groove. Haven't had problems with any of them. A lot of guys have complained about holes being tapped off-angle and soft set screws, never had those problems with mine. I've never used a real Aloris so maybe I don't know what I'm missing.

Bruce
I agree with Bruce. The CDCO holders were the cheapest available, and they are better quality than the Phase II holders, IMO. The Aloris holders have a keyway and a tabbed I.D. washer on the height adjusting stud, which keeps the height and locking nuts from interacting with each other. It is like bicycle axles for adjusting the cone bearings, maddening without the tab washers. The elevating screw sets are available for purchase separately from Aloris, but cost well more than the CDCO holders complete. I have thought about ways of making those screw sets, I could make the keyed studs with a fixture, but the real stumbling block for cheap and easy is a nice fitting internally tabbed washer.
 
I have the shars and other cheapo AXA holders, they do just fine.
i even found an oversize 5/8" (16mm) from shars that is an excellent addition too!
the only issue i had was that i purchased an inexpensive Hess AXA Piston toolpost that was machined faulty
i hand scraped the dovetail that was not cut square to vertical .
i used it until i came about an import AXA Wedge that is the bees knees.
 
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The less expensive ones are o.k.,but be prepared to buy a box full of decent set screws to replace the ones in your Asian tool holders. Hollow Chrome is a good brand. I would NOT try buying them from the local hardware store,as they may be no better than what you have. The hex holes will wallow out soon if they are not made of good,properly hardened steel.

If you have a Fastenal store near you,they will probably have good brands on hand.

Dovetail not cut square? I have never seen that! Anything is possible with Asian stuff!
 
A few weeks back I purchased a set of 7 BXA holders and post branded as Bostar from CDCO via eBay. I am very pleased with the quality and fit.
 
Are the clamp screws on the CDCO holders US or metric? The Phase II holders have US clamp screws and a metric adjusting screw; the ones that came from P-M were entirely metric.

The mix is annoying, to say the least.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 
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