Toughest headset???

Check out FSA headsets as well... but to give you an idea of how tough the Chris King headset is.... I've had one on my bmx bike for the past couple years which has been beatin, thrown around, crashed on... well no problems.

The Chris King is worth the money.

Chris King headsets are expensive for a good reason. If you're going to be a long way from replacement parts, it's worth the extra money.

While I do not doubt that a King headset is excellent, my 15 y.o. DeRosa C-Record headset is not causing trouble. Neither is the Record headset on my 2 y.o. De Rosa. 😄

In other words, if correctly mounted and taken care of, there is no reason why a mid-range (in comparing price to a King) headset will not suit you absolutely fine. Then again, if you NEED to have the King, just do it. :p

Powerful Pete said:

While I do not doubt that a King headset is excellent, my 15 y.o. DeRosa C-Record headset is not causing trouble. Neither is the Record headset on my 2 y.o. De Rosa. 😄

In other words, if correctly mounted and taken care of, there is no reason why a mid-range (in comparing price to a King) headset will not suit you absolutely fine. Then again, if you NEED to have the King, just do it. :p

I agree it has been a rare for me to have any headset problems. That said it might be better to stick to a conventional (Shimano) headset. If it does fail it can be easily replaced where ever you are.