I'm building up a bike for the first time, although I've done a bunch of maintenance over the years. I need to choose a headset, but despite reading a bunch of user review I'm not sure of the real-world advantages and disadvantages up what I'm seeing.

I'm using the Nashbar aluminum mountain bike frame and 1-1/8-inch threadless rigid fork: Nashbar 26" Mountain Bike Frame and Nashbar Rigid Mountain Bike Fork

The frame needs a standard 1-1/8-inch threadless headset. I verified that the ID of the head tube is 34 mm nominal. The bike will be used for all-weather commuting/utility cycling. It will be used with a front fender, which I expect will keep most of the crap out of the lower race. My goals for this bike are more durability and low-cost than low weight, but probably don't need the heaviest duty headset for how it will be used. I would like it to seal relatively well, but don't mind rebuilding the headset occasionally.

There are several choices in the $20-30 range. I would consider spending a bit more if it comes with a big jump in quality, but I have no idea if there is a meaningful difference.

I have a Ritchey Logic Comp on a road bike, and it's been perfectly fine through 4,300 miles or so. It takes some sort of cartridge bearings, which might be hard to find or expensive when the time comes: https://www.amazon.com/Ritchey-Logic-...c+comp+headset

The FSA "Pig" is cheap, has glowing reviews, and is reportedly very strongly built, but it's also much heavier than the competition. It appears to take standard bearing balls. Maybe overkill for me? Amazon.com: FSA The Pig Headset

And then there are a bunch of other choices.... Anyone have a favorite?

A headset is one of those rare parts on a bicycle that quickly reaches the point of diminishing returns as the price tag increases. In fact, my first criteria for a headset is usually color/finish. All other considerations are more or less irrelevant in terms of performance.

However, I will say that I greatly prefer cartridge bearings to loose or caged ball, and I'm a big fan of split crown races.

I like the Cane Creek 40 series for mid-priced, cartridge bearing headset.

cane creek and origin have both worked well for me.

Yes

+1. All the benefits of the 110 series with very little weight penalty, meaning for 99.9% of us the 40 is all we need.

Cartridge bearings by all means and a split "crown race" if you can find one. The Cane Creek 40 or the FSA Orbit II work well and are reasonably priced. There is an FSA "Pig" model that does have cartridge bearing but, as you note, it is heavy. The next real step up is a Chris King but the cost difference is huge.

Ird

I'm not saying this is the right approach, but in the past I've generally just bought the cheapest Cane Creek/Ritchey/name brand loose-ball headset I could find. Sometimes they are ugly and not the smoothest but functionally they've all been fine.

I've shyed away from cartridge bearings due to fear of the hassle of replacing them. But if you know where you can get replacements for cheap then go for it. I rebuild my loose ball headsets about once every two years and even on all-weather commuters (with a front fender) they seem to hold up fine. And if they die, break down and drop $10-15 for a new one.

drop it of at the LBS say 'put a new headest on' then pick it up when they finish the job .

it will spare you all your overthinking and wasting your time on that.

I doubt you will have trouble finding Ritchey bearing

Another vote for Cane Creek.

Cane Creek and FSA bearings are readily available and Cane Creek keeps their bearings backward compatible so a 40 series is a good option, with an FSA Orbit as an alternative. I know the Cane Creek because I used 40 series bearings to repair an S3 headset.

It's a mixed bag. I swore off the nearest LBS a few years ago when I finally concluded that I was a better mechanic than theirs. And I'm not saying I'm good, just that he was very bad. Enough time has passed that he has probably moved on, and maybe it's safe to go there again. There are great bike mechanics and not-so-good ones out there, and I don't know which are which at the moment.

But the real issue is that I want to do this myself. Since the time mentioned above, I haven't found any bike maintenance I wasn't able to do just fine. Slow, but it's always turned out well.

Thanks for all the advice. I think I'm going to go a bit above my price range and buy a Cane Creek 40 Series. Currently $43 on Amazon. It appears that the cartridge bearings are fairly well-sealed, and therefore should last a long time. But when their time is done, replacements should be available for a reasonable price.

I've got a Chris King on one bike with 31,000 miles and absolutely no problems at all but, for the price, it should last that long. However, I also have an FSA Orbit X on another bike with 35,000 miles and it's just as good as the King at 1/3 the price. So, cartridge bearings don't need replacing very often and replacement cost and availability aren't an issue to worry about.