Use sh404sef. It is the one most people recommend if you do not want to deal with changing the htaccess file. Here is the link :LINK
Use artio, it has the same base code as sh404sef but wins over it in custom urls, and many nifty features. Go here - http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/1063/details
this would really help you configure that Sh404sef component in the right way. http://tutorials.jm-experts.com/joo...seo-search-engine-optimization-in-joomla.html
Do the built in furls not work with various 3rd party components or something? I am cobbling something together with joomla as we speak and simply turning that stuff on seems to work fine. Nigel