I've always been the type of guy to spend the money on the BEST tool for the job. I can't even imagine trying to build quality ARs without the tools I've accumulated over the years. If you are just going to build one and done, and looking to do it as cheaply as possible, then Yankee ingenuity might be the way to get by. I just knew from the get go I wasn't only going to build one rifle, so I made the investment. Recently I bought a receiver set from a well known, considered higher quality manufacturer frequently mentioned on this forum. The price for an assembled upper was about the same as buying a stripped upper and the parts to do it myself. I figured I'd save myself the little time and effort it would have taken me to install the forward assist and dust cover assembly, and I ordered the assembled upper receiver. The upper had finish damage that was touched up around the roll pin hole for the forward assist. I couldn't believe they sent it to me that way, but maybe they figured I wouldn't notice it. I'll never make that mistake again...