I actually use and prefer make + kustomize -- unfortunately the version of kustomize that is bundled with kubectl now is a bit behind on features sometimes but still it does "just enough" and I manage the rest with make.

Redistribution is important (and harder with a simple setup like make + kustomize) but I think obscuring the resources you need to run an application (custom or otherwise) is actually a bad thing for everyone in the ecosystem. If you're going to run something in your cluster, intimate knowledge of the resources required, the ways it changes your system is important.