I have been around a ton of homemade cans over the last several years and have yet to see one in person that is better than the mid level cans. Maybe there are some out there, but I haven't been around one. I have seen some that would meter well, but they end up as bigger/heavier cans due to needing additional volume to make up for marginal designs. You can buy a nice rifle can in the $500 dollar range, which isn't that bad once you realize the manufacturer/distributor/dealer all have to make their margin. I agree that the $1000 suppressors are pushing it, but nobody has to buy one. Anyone that thinks the prices are too crazy can buy a mill, lathe, tooling, material, etc. and start machining. I still don't think the prices on the mid level suppressors are that out of line.
I guess it's all subjective regarding what you consider both "hard" and "effective". Certainly, homemade ones aren't going to be as polished or aesthetic as many commercial products. Can easily be made without lathe, mill or major machining equipment. Buying parts, modifying and assembling is a shadetree mechanic kind of skill, not a highly technical thing that requires 10s of thousands of dollars in machinery.