I don't think fish care much what's below the lure above so I've come up with a few ideas for you wt that won't affect the technique.

1. Why spend a lot on special d.s. wts.?

Why not use worm wts. and fix them with these methods?:
a. tie on a swivel below the wt. -or/and -
b. fix them on the leader using a tooth pick which allows you to vary the length of the line and therefore the distance of the lure to the bottom. You can still use the swivel if you like at the lines end. I also use the t/p on my mojo cylinder wts.

Drop shot weights are easier and faster to put on and they aren't expensive if you buy the right ones. However, if I run out of dropshot weights, I use a splitshot as a dropshot weight.

Just posted another alternative in the forum, "Bass Tactics & Techniques", which you might be interested in looking at. Posted under the thread, "Drop Shotting with a New Twist".