miasanchez•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Bought a cheap headset press online and it bent on the first job

I was trying to save some cash and got a no-name press for about $35. It looked fine out of the box, but when I went to press a headset into a steel frame, the main shaft just bent. Had to stop the whole job, order a proper Park Tool one, and eat the cost of the first one. Anyone have a good budget brand that actually holds up?

4 comments

4 Comments

evan_davis1mo ago

Oh man, that's rough but honestly, steel frames are the real test. Even a decent press can struggle with them. The problem might be less about the brand and more about the material you're working with. Aluminum is way more forgiving. For a steel frame, you really do need that heavy duty tool, so maybe the Park Tool was the right call anyway. A cheap press is often only meant for the softer stuff.

kellygrant20d ago

Whoa, a cheap press held up on steel? That's some luck right there.

the_mia1mo ago

Steel frames are the real test" is right. I learned that the hard way too, with a press that folded like a cheap lawn chair. My wallet still hasn't forgiven me.

nathan_palmer1mo ago

Actually had the opposite experience with a cheap press on a steel frame. It held up fine for a few builds, so maybe it's a quality control lottery. Sometimes you just get lucky with the bargain tools.