I've been reading those sites and many others over the past few weeks. Anodizing can't be all that difficult, judging from some of the stuff out there. I realize those guys are having production quality (repeatable) results, but they also have lots invested, and do it for money. Many of the forums on the subject (and there are quite a few) tend to dismiss a lot of what they say as hype to get you to buy their stuff. For instance, many DIYers have had astounding success with little more than a battery charger, some acid from the auto parts store and clothing dye from the supermarket. Cheap, simple, and no $200+ kits to buy. Basically, safety around the acid seems to be the #1 thing to keep in mind.
Another hint: I once bought food grade buckets (like included in the kits) through the web for my workplace. More than half the cost was shipping the damn things. Supermarkets with bulk food sections throw out buckets (or recycle them) everyday. Go ask at night (when they're stocking the shelves), and you're likely to get an offer to take as many as you want.
I intend to anodize the parts for my current project, and do it the cheap way. I'll be sure to post the results and my observations at that time.