Over the past 30 years I've gone through a lot of router tables and fences, each one a bit more advanced than the previous one. I built my own for years and got along fine. Eventually I upgraded to the Incra LS 17 fence system. From an accuracy standpoint, the table and fence probably weren't significantly more accurate or easy to use than previous ones I'd built. HOWEVER...the notion of repeatability and the companion joinery system were well worth the price. Bottom line, IMHO, you can get excellent results from a shop-built router table and fence without a lot of expense and can do nearly anything (not all) on the shop-built that you might do on an Incra. It won't "Tell" as good but you can save a lot of money to buy bits going that route. I would also recommend a lift but that's often a function of budget. Routers like the Milwaukee 5625, Freud 3000 and others allow above the table adjustments without the added expense of a lift and I sure find it darned handy.