You don't have to rent the tools from Apple. Apple will happily sell you just the battery and rent or sell as many or as few of the tools as you like. If you wa

You don't have to rent the tools from Apple. Apple will happily sell you just the battery and rent or sell as many or as few of the tools as you like. If you want to use the tools the professionals are going to use, you have that option. If you want to "shade tree mechanic" it, you're welcome to buy just the parts and follow their teardown process with your own tools, or follow someone like iFixit's teardown process with your tools and Apple's battery. And there's nothing wrong with doing it with "non-professional" tools. DIY car enthusiasts have been working with make shift alternatives to professional multi thousand dollar tools forever. Surely the DIY tech enthusiast isn't above the equivalent of tensioning your alternator with a 2x4 right?