They are like night and day! The Chief plays more like a traditional competition return top in that you use it through a combination of you pushing the return top and the return top pushing back, and the space between that give/take is where you build your tricks. With the Pickaxe, you're a conductor pushing air and string and the return top almost effortlessly goes where the slightest amount of effort puts it. It's a very different play experience, and the visual similarities between the two are pretty much the only similarities. -Steve