VAR levers: $20
Postage: $10
Not spending 2 hours on the side of the road struggling with a tyre: Priceless
:-)

For those who have tried the VAR levers, are they super solid?
I've had my VAR lever since 1980-something. By now it should have turned into a brittle hunk of plastic, but it continues to work for me the once or twice a year i call on it when I flat. I'm using it on 700x23-28's, Panaracer Duros or Conti Gatorskins (both tight-ish fitting tires).

When assembling my S&S coupled bike, I use the Koolstop because it makes light work of things, never grumbles; the VAR is a little more work and distorts a little.

[[No, you normally don't need to remove the tires to pack an S&S bike, but my frame is rather tall and removing the tires makes fitting it all into the case a little easier. The Koolstop gives me the confidence that I can get tires on when I arrive.]]