So all spring I have been tinkering around with a combination of the original chatterbait, some locally made BSJ's and the jackhammer. I have to be honest and say that when it comes to the original chatterbait and locally made BSJ's in terms of performance they are about the same. The BSJ has a wider wobble but when you cast them they both sometimes get a little twisted and done always run right away. Sometimes (not always) you gotta give them a twitch to get them to start vibrating. I have found that the original chatterbait skips a lot better than a BSJ with a split ring. However, the line connection on the original chatterbait is suspect to say the least while most home made BSJ's use decent quality snaps.
So now I lead to the Jackhammer. Always runs as soon as you turn the handle, it skips a little better than the original chatterbait (likely because of the weight), and the connections are not a concern. The wire double keeper eliminates my need to put a dab of glue to hold the trailer. Does it justify the price tag? Eh. I plan on having a bunch on my boat, but do I feel that everyone needs a box full of these? No. Having 1 or 2 in your favorite color wouldnt hurt if you arent breaking the bank to get them.
As for trailers. I have been experimenting with a few different trailers. Mark Zona during a seminar stated that paddle trail swimbaits on a chatterbait "suck". Thats a bit strong as people have had a ton of success with those. However, I will say there are much better options. People are adapting and starting to rig paddle tails upside down or cutting the tail off. I think these options are better. The first is the cheapest, easiest and most versatile for other applications, and that is the zoom fluke. Super cheap, very effective, and odds are you already have some. Reacts well to the action of the head and doesnt work against the bait. The second is the Yamamoto Zako. A little pricier, and really serves one purpose as a chatterbait trailer. However, it allows for good side to side swimming acting and reacts ok to pulses, stop/go, and stroking/ripping. The best trailer IMO and its not even close is a bit more rare. It is a segmented swimbait with a tail that is horizontal. Originally from Japan it is a Imakatsu Javallon. In the fall I bought this mold and have been pouring my own and now Lake Fork Lures is now carrying these as the "Live Magic Shad". In terms of action, these things are money. They follow the lure remarkable well and will really react well to a pulse or twitch as the bait will react like a segmented swimbait with the body following the head. The one down side to these are that the plastic joining the segments is very thin and smaller fish tend to tear them in half quite a bit. So you go through a lot of these. However, they are a clear #1 in my opinion. I've felt this way for a while and spent a good portion of yesterday experimenting with different chatterbaits and different trailers. Just talking what the "best" combination is I feel its the jackhammer with the Javallon / Live Magic Shad / BHB Swimming Shad.
