hi-
I have only used my Arduino Duemilanove 2009 dev board.. for almost my needs.
I use it to flash my blank ATmega328P chips...(set-up on a breadboard standalone style.. 2 caps & crystal)
I have also done the generic/DIY FTDI cable mentioned here.. (heres my old thread)
while I couldnt find a DTR/RESET pad on mine.. I manually pressed the reset button on my standalone/breadboard to reset it for uploading a sketch each time.. worked every time.
the cell phone data cable (DIY FTDI)... cost me like $3.00 or something..(ebay)
you can get it from dealexteme (free shipping but long shipping times) for about same price I think..
sometimes it just easier to pop out my 328P dip chip in the Arduino and use that to upload sketches on boards that may be custom or not breadboard or no reset switch..etc