> Writing your own parser generator is actually much easier than writing a parser by-hand
Surely to write your own parser generator you will need to write a parser for your grammar language? So you are now writing that parser, and then your actual parser using your new grammar language? That can't be easier than writing one by hand.
I have written a parser generator to generate a parser for a compiler project for a class. It is indeed the easier route. Your parser specification language is usually a lot simpler than your target language. Your parser generator also just needs the features required for your particular grammar, which means that dirty hacks and regex parsing are a viable route.
Surely to write your own parser generator you will need to write a parser for your grammar language? So you are now writing that parser, and then your actual parser using your new grammar language? That can't be easier than writing one by hand.