I've got a couple military surplus (Swedish, I think) Trangias, and the comments from others about thier durability are spot on. They only have one problem, and that is cold weather- alcohol doesn't vaporize very well when it is cold, so you need to keep your fuel and stove warm (easy- they are little enough to carry in your jacket) and you need a baseplate of some kind to keep them insulated.

For fuel, I like the methenol HEET antifreeze (yellow bottle). Good long shelf life, multipurpose, and easy to handle. I've also tried various brands of painters denatured ethanol, pure ethanol of a couple of proofs (vodkas, I wasn't wasting good stuff :P ), and a couple others. Some might have had slightly faster boil times, but transfering to an aluminum or plastic fuel bottle was a pain in the butt. Just don't try isopropyle (sp)- it has water in it, doesn't burn worth beans.

As for the home made jobbies, I've made a few. Some were good, some were in different, some were just bad. A lot of it depends on the state of mind you had while making it, and the cans used. They work, but quality control just isn't as consistant.