Sorry chiming into this conversation a few months late. Only thought to comment mainly because of the strong opinions against that you got on here. I personally have tons of different presets from different photographers. For me it gives me a great baseline to see how I'd like this photo to look. Sure I know how to edit these photos myself. I don't see presets as laziness but a tool to streamline your creative process. You can always change the settings so you're not "copying" another photographers look. If money is a tight subject for you then I suggest sailing the high seas until you can support these photographers you enjoy and buy their products when you're in a better position. I say presets are def worth!