There are some Nova chucks that are direct threaded (do not need/accept an insert for the spindle) but they are intended for very short bed lathes. As others have said, I would stick with the chucks that use a spindle insert adaptor.
For the chucks that use a key to open/close, righty-tighty is a question of viewpoint. Novas do righty-tighty by expanding into a mortise. Oneway does righty-tighty by contracting onto a tenon. Both brands can grip tenons or mortises, it is just a question of which way a clockwise turn of the key moves the jaws. I made the decision early one that I would not mix Nova and Oneway chucks in my shop. That way the muscle memory of which way to turn the key when snugging up after a break does not result in a bowl bouncing on the floor.
The jaws for the new Record chucks and the Nova chucks are interchangeable. So, you never have to put up with that stupid Nova 30mm dovetail jaw set.
Do be aware that there can be major differences between 4-jaw wood turning chucks and 3-jaw or 4-jaw metal turning chucks. One of the biggest is that many of the metal-turning chucks adjust each of their jaws in and out individually (not scrolling in and out in unison). That is something to watch out for with used chucks.
I standardized on the Nova chucks so there are 4 sizes of them in my chuck drawer plus a used Vicmarc 140 that came with a lathe. Of course, there are also more than 4 sizes of wood lathes in the shop and we used to have 4 turners in the family local. (Sadly for me, some of them have now moved.)
I would definitely skip the el cheapo chucks. Some of them work very well when new, but they tend to start slipping with age.
The Nova chucks with the quick-change jaws keep looking very impressive, but they kept getting pulled from the market due to quality control (bad steel) problems. I would definitely consider one of those or the Easy Wood chuck if I were starting over now and the QC problems are resolved. Sorry, but I have not been tracking the status on these over the last few years (and since Easy Wood got bought).
If you are considering doing pens, then the 2-jaw set for drilling pen blanks is useful for more than just pens. The plastic pieces for using the lathe as your pen assembly press are cheaper and take up less room than a bench top assembly press.
The 2-bar chucks do work well for me. The trick is to figure out which pair of holes to stick the bars in so that they squeeze like a pair of pliers. That way you work them with your left hand while holding the work piece in place with the right hand. I have to believe that the people that have problems with this style simply have not been shown that you can rotate the spindle until you have a pair of holes with the right spacing to do what you want to do (loosen or tighten) on the top of the chuck. If you do not learn that, then you need 3 hands to use that style chuck.
I would consider Nova, Oneway, Record, and Easy Wood to be main stream level chucks. Vicmarc and Axminster are generally premium chucks. I have nothing against premium level, but they are generally more money than I need to spend IMHO.
Also, going to the AAW site and looking for clubs local to you is a really god idea. You do not need to be an AAW member to access most of their site and most local clubs do not require AAW membership to join the local club. Membership in AAW gets you a decent magazine, though, and cheaper membership in the annual symposium.