I've been assembling my own desktop PCs since I was about 15, but I have never gotten comfortable with just how much pressure it takes to affix some heat sinks. I think it was my Thunderbird 1200 where you had to press a slotted-head screwdriver on the lever to force it down and under the clasp.
I'm pretty sure I had exactly that heat sink and man was the pressure crazy (Thermalright IIRC). I'm pretty sure my screwdriver slipped and gashed the board, luckily I didn't notice damage.