the K kit from Edsyn has some pliers and cutters that they have surplus and can basically give away. EdsynNick and I aren't crazy about the hand tools, but they will get the job done for one or two jobs. in the MD kit, we've paired the cl1481 with the best nippers money can buy at a very heavy discount (but not free, which is basically what's going on with the K kit).
as for the solder, i'm actually not sure what brand of solder they have in the K kits. i do know that it's very old, though, as those dispensers are old stock and, again, basically free with the kit. the MD kit comes with new stock Kester 44 on an ESD spool.
The K kit comes with a much smaller soldapullt than the DS017LS that comes with the MD kit. i've evaluated pretty much all the soldapullt designs with an eye on trying to save people money, and the original DS017 is so much better than the other designs that i decided it would be silly to try to save a few bucks on the smaller designs.
if you're budget limited and simply can't afford the MD kit, then i think the K kit is a great compromise. if you can stretch for the MD highest tier, i obviously recommend that one -- edsynnick, massdrop and i put a HUGE amount of though and effort into piecing together that kit based on all the previous kits i've vended, lowest possible pricing on everything, etc. etc. i'm incredibly proud of what we've put together, and i really really want it to get out there to as many potential world-changing-budding-electronics-hobbyists as possible, but i do realize that our price point will exclude some buyers (i wish we could sell it significantly below cost.. :[ ).
I'm also the worst salesman in the world, as i'll write 20 pages on thermodynamics instead of trying to sell you on something i've put together. so, buy good tools that are within your budget. i can guarantee to you that the MD kit is 100% fantastic tooling that i will stand by until the end of time, but if it's outside of your budget, then focus on anything that gets you a cl1481 iron and some leaded solder.
