See post #17 for pics of homemade spring compressors.
I only bought a made in china spring compressor out of curiosity and I found one that was $18 for the set. previous to that I used either of the homemade spring compressors.
The one I made with the 1 inch threaded rod and the hooks also worked well when I compressed the front springs on my Chevy Van. And my intent when I made it was that it could be used on a Mercedes and for other vehicles.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/295717-123-ch-coil-spring-compressor-2.html