My life in this hobby has been soiled with ARFs a few times...but never again. They are what Budweiser is to craft/homebrew beer, what Velveeta is to real cheese, what Wonderbread is to San Francisco Sour Dough.
There are limited production ARFs that are high quality but the "dime store" stuff is just exactly what you pay for.....a box full of "question marks..??????????".........
The most expensive way to do this hobby is to do it cheaply.
There are exceptions to this "rule" and I am always on the prowl to find reliable ways to save money.