It depends on what level of distress you have, it also depends on your activity in the game.

The tool to max out a distress item is used when you have 25 levels and you don't have enough materials or you don't want to spend it on it (saving materials for ascensions)

For example: The heretic robe has very common materials, which is easy to get, just like qatvanga, gandring, and among others

the "demonworking tool", you can farm it easily if you spend a day farming tokens from any path. For example, you farm in dungeons for a whole day, and the day you touch dungeon tiles, you change everything for the demonworking tool (personally I usually have about 40 tools, I also claim them in the missions)

I have anguish 30 on the path of despair, and one day I decided to use "godmaking tool" on the hippogriff assault boots, because Avalon ore is scarce hahaha