Get some plastic levers, I've found the blue Park levers to be the best. They're plenty stiff, but still have the forgiving characteristics of plastic on your rims. Just be very careful with the tube when using levers, make sure not to pinch it. This nonsense about "never use tire levers" is ridiculous. There are tire/rim combinations that give you the choice of either using levers or not using the tire/rim combo. You'll find some combinations allow you to install the tires without levers, but some definitely don't-