the monroe quik strut is a tad pricy but when you consider all your getting its pretty good value. New strut, new spring as well as new mounts and you dont need to bother with a spring compressor. A good, stout ballpeen hammer is a good option to have to get the lower bolts out (and back in)

I also found that if you have the car up on stands, place your floor jack under the ball joint and raise it just slightly...you can help the angle and the bolts will go in much easier (still gonna have to whack 'em)