I have both the VAR and Hozan tools. Both work fine and the jaws are interchangeable. But AFAIK, Hozan offers only a couple of jaw sizes, so for stuff like old Stronglight, you need the more expensive VAR jaw. I agree these tools are worth the money for removing stubborn fixed cups.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
> From: earle.young tds.net <earle.young@tds.net>
\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] Stronglight bottom bracket fixed cup tool
\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Date: Friday, December 4, 2009, 11:27 AM
\r?\n> Bob Hanson questioned whether the VAR
\r?\n> #30 is worth the cost. I have to weigh
\r?\n> in with an enthusiastic YES.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Mine was stolen along with a box of cool but little used
\r?\n> tools about a
\r?\n> decade ago.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> I did not use the VAR tool that often, but each and every
\r?\n> time I did I told
\r?\n> myself that it was worth the expense. I would rather leave
\r?\n> a fixed cup in
\r?\n> place than pull it with some other tool. Clean it through
\r?\n> the shell and the
\r?\n> spindle hole and use parts that fit it. If it isn't worth
\r?\n> keeping in place,
\r?\n> then I don't have a problem with pulling it with whatever
\r?\n> can get it out of
\r?\n> the frame. OTOH, if it is a fixed cup worth keeping, then
\r?\n> do whatever it
\r?\n> takes to find somebody with the VAR tool or the Hozan copy
\r?\n> and use that.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Earle Young
\r?\n> Madison, Wisconsin, where new snow and old Mercedes decided
\r?\n> they do not play
\r?\n> well together.