It wasn't a completely random suggestion. Someone posted some photos of one on Bike Forums a while ago, I think at their co-op. But, yes, that price was a little over the top.

I actually bought on on E-Bay a while ago, for $350 + $100 shipping.

It is pretty sweet to use, and certainly helps me work out my hops and wobbles. And, while not exactly self centering, with a couple of flips, one can get very precise centering. The whole thing is quite rigidly built.



Of course, I think the latest thing is to simply add micrometer gauges to some of the high end stands. So, I'd probably modernize before dropping $1K on 50 year old truing stand, but the Var stands are really nice.