Originally Posted by
miamijim
I'd never use the 2 washer method....never. I couldnt tell you how many thousands of headsets I've removed and installed and nothing beats the proper tool.
The cheap 2 washer setup has 2 major flaws...at least in my trained mechanics eyes......
1: Sooner or later your going to mess up the edge of the cup
2. Because there's nothing to prevent the cup the cup rocking to side your much more likely to start a cup crooked. Nothing good comes from a crooked cup in a frame.
Either buy the proper tool or have your local shop do it.
+1
You can choose between cobbling something together for ~$10, or buying the right tool for ~$50.
I guess it really depends on what you're working on or how often you'll use it. If I were working on a gas-pipe bike, I'd just pound them in with a mallet and a block of wood and be done with it. For something I care about (De Rosa, Palo Alto, etc) I'll use the proper tool.
I've used the press enough times that it really has paid for itself. So smooth, so effortless.