armature is pretty good. I've tried using wires in the past, but I find that once I bend the armature's joints too much, the strain is too much for the solder and the joints seperate from the armature.
If you've found a good way to make armatures using wire, stick with it, it'll save you more in the long run as most ball and socket armatures cost 70 quid and up.
One way of thinking about it is, how many wire armatures could you make for 70 pounds?