I'm afraid I tend to use anything going because that's what I got used to. I couldn't afford much equipment when I started turning; in fact I only had a cheap set of spindle gouges, a skew, a parting tool and a round nose scraper. I still use a lot of these original tools and I find them just as good as the more expensive chisels, although they may wear down slightly quicker.
I think if you are new to turning then it is better to buy a reasonably priced set of chisels and see if you want to continue with it before investing heavily.
