Pardon me, but I don't think anything is one step down from a king, maybe two or three. Just get whatever headset is cheapest from nashbar/performance,ebay, blah blah blah, and get a new one when it starts to get a bit grooved. You will still save money, even if you don't do the work yourself. On a side note, I have two kings, a dura ace, a campy record, a zeus, and two cane creeks, among others. they have all been fine. in the words of Digital Underground, "Dowatchyalike"