A quick update:

I spent some time this weekend measuring out all the runs I'll need and making decisions about which fittings to use, etc.

After much consideration, I've decided that I'm going to give the Sharkbite push-fit connectors a try. While they're much more expensive than the other fittings, the difference is more than made up by the fact that the other connections require specialized tools that cost a minimum of $150 and possibly up to $300. Sure, I can turn around and sell the tool afterwards, but what about when I need to redo a joint or fix a piece of PEX that's leaking? Really, I'd need to keep the tool around just in case, and that pretty much negates the cost savings of the traditional fittings.

Factor in the time that can potentially be saved, and I think I should at least give the Sharkbite fittings a try. If worst comes to worse, I'll return them and go another direction. The ability to join PEX to copper without touching a blow torch or solder really seals the deal here.

The other big change is that, due to some space constraints in my wall where the riser goes to the 2nd floor, I've decided to branch the hot/cold supply lines and send them upstairs to a second manifold, rather than serving them with home runs to the manifold in the basement. This way, I only need to send two 3/4" pipes up to the 2nd floor instead of 10 1/2" pipes. The cost ends up being a wash, basically (save money on tubing, spend it on another manifold) but will save me a lot of install hassle.

I'm just about ready to place my order, and will be taking pictures as I go through the process. The materials list I have right now clocks in a little bit over $1000, but I just found another online store that has the Sharkbite fittings cheaper, so I'll probably squeeze that number down a bit.