Originally Posted by
noglider
You don't need a cotter pin press to install or remove cotter pins. And presses don't always work. All you need is a punch, a hammer, some sort of support, and a glossary of sailor's terms, so you can curse adequately!
I had a bike shop try to remove some cotters and they did everything they possibly could to remove them, besides using a press. They severely damaged one of them and weren't able to remove either (I already had a rant thread about that,though).
I decided to buy the press, and it effortlessly did the job the professionals were unable to do (except the one they damaged that is).
No, you don't
need the press, but it makes a difficult job much easier.