Making do with substandard/cheap stuff is OK by veterans. I remember when starting, the frustration experienced with cheap stuff... I initially thought it was my incompetence. I'm surprised I didn't throw in the towel long ago. Newbies need all the help they can get. Pointing them to cheap shit is asking for trouble... at least make them aware of what is out there. If they can't afford the tools, go on on overseas trip/cruise/buy a Lamborghini.
Cheap and woodworking in the same sentence is an oxymoron!
We go back to the same old adage... it's OK to see what you can do, but I will only learn from how you did it... I can't tell people how others do it, but at least I get off my arse and try to tell how/what I did... albeit not the best way... they can always use me as a bad example.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD