im talkin basic tools here, file and all that other crap.

Yes you can, people that have enough experience use files instead of ''specialty tools because they offer more flexibility than specialty tools. But as l said before those are people that have enough experience, because they know at which angle they should file and how much pressure they should use. If you are confident enough that you can do this there is no problem using files.

Special tools give you a specific angle. If you think you can achieve the correct angle with regular tools, go for it.
Personally, l would not try it. l do not want to mess up my edges.