Hey!
Some comments, from someone who's fundamentally also a buy-for-lifer. I think yours is fundamentally a sound list to start with. (If I don't say anything, assume I agree with either your suggestion, or the comments by someone before me.) Unless specified otherwise, when I say to look for another product, I mean look on Amazon.
- DMM: I haven't used that model but it looks great. Also grab a few cheapies (like the Aneng models that have been discussed here at length recently) so you can take several measurements at once. It's really common to need 2-3 meters at once, but they don't need to be expensive since they're not gonna be used on mains AC. (Have one meter that's safe for mains AC, which the EEVblog meter fulfills.)
- Oscilloscope: Good choice. I assume you know to, um, unlock its full potential. (I have that one.)
- PSU: Forget AC, you don't need it to get started. What you do want is a DC lab power supply
with current limiting. If you're not in a hurry, see if you can find an HP/Agilent one used. (I have a Korad KA3005P, which isn't bad, but also an Agilent U8001A that I picked up used. Loud but really nice.) Having a settable current limit will save you from frying circuits.
- Wall wart: Only if you have a specific need. Don't buy it "just in case".
- Wire stripper: Look for the Hakko wire strippers. They're cheaper, and verifiably awesome. For electronics (as opposed to electrical) use, I suggest (and own) the CSP-30-1 model. Forget crimping for now.
- Holding hands: look at the options from Panavise and/or Hobby Creek. Not high priority IMHO. I've got some, but rarely use them.
- Pliers: Forget those and get smaller ones specifically for electronics. If you're looking to buy for life, forget stanley and buy Knipex. You want to have one round-nose (I have the Knipex 34 32 130 ESD) and flat-jaw (35 12 115 ESD), so you can bend round and square bends in component legs. Ordinary pliers with serrated jaws cause damage to many electronic components. Granted, the Knipex are really, really expensive in USA (like double what Amazon Germany charges). Maybe someone can suggest a quality brand that's more affordable in USA.
- Soldering station: look at the Pace ADS200 that's been a huge topic of discussion on the forums. It's double the cost the FX888, but it's also much, much nicer, and more future-proof.
- Flux pen: it's a matter of taste, but I prefer to use flux paste (I have MG Chemicals 8341-10ML), since it helps hold SMD components in place. I have that flux pen, too, but if I don't want paste, I prefer to apply liquid flux using a brush pen (Bonkote; real ones are not cheap, if it's under about $20 bucks it's a guaranteed fake).
- Fine solder: you don't need anything this fine.
- Medium-ish solder: either the .020 you've listed, or the .031 (Kester 24-6337-0027) which is appreciably cheaper and is my go-to standard size. I only very, very, VERY rarely use anything finer. (.020 might be too thin for everyday use, but you can always unreel some and twist a double strand of it to double it up — but you've paid a mighty premium for the privilege.)
- Solder wick: go for MG Chemicals wick instead. Not only is it cheaper, it's superior IMHO. (Somewhere on the forums I posted a comparison of a bunch of brands. The MG is woven of far finer wire, which I find much easier to work with.)
- Breadboards: 1. you can't have enough breadboards. I mean, like… buy a dozen. (Depending on what you do, you might be like me who's better off with more small breadboards, vs a few larger ones.) 2. If you want to buy for life, forget chinesium ones. Buy 3M breadboards which, as I found out, are actually made by a company called Assembly Specialist, who
sell them on their own website for 1/3 the cost (!) of the 3M via any reputable distributor. They still cost a lot more than the chinese cheapies, but they're reliable. I still am using mostly chinese cheapies and they're a pain in the ass. Save your ass, buy the good stuff.
- Breadboard wires: 1. Buy the bent solid wire ones from Assembly Specialist. The cheap ones are crap, they're too soft 2. Those 65-wire kits are great. But trust me, one kit isn't enough. You will want at least 4 sets. Also buy various "40pcs dupont" ribbons in various lengths, in M-M, M-F, and F-F. They're invaluable.
- LEDs: look on ebay, you can find better kits with more colors and/or lower price. Or go on Aliexpress and buy LEDs from molesmell (how the fuck they came up with that name I can't fathom) and CHE LEAD. They carry fun colors like pink and cyan/"ice blue" at good prices.
What stands out to me as missing in your list:
- Tweezers. Fine tweezers are ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for today's minuscule components. (SMD is unavoidable!) My main tweezers are
these from Wiha, but again, a German product that's overpriced in USA, so maybe someone can suggest a cheaper alternative. To be honest, the 6-for-$10 tweezers from eBay aren't bad. (Just don't go for drugstore tweezers, they're too short for comfortable electronics use.)
- banana cables. You'll want a generous assortment of banana to: banana, micrograbber, alligator. (And to breadboard pins, like the jumpers. But you'll have to make these yourself, they're astoundingly expensive to buy premade.) I make a lot of these myself using banana plugs from Pomona, Hirschmann, and Stäubli, using silicone test lead wire from Pomona, Cal-Test, and Mueller, purchased from Digi-Key. But you could certainly use less expensive parts.
- hookup wire. You can get nice wire assortments on ebay/ali/amazon. They come in boxes of 5 or 6 reels in a cardboard dispenser box, for each wire type (solid, stranded, stranded silicone) and size you can get them in 2 different sets containing a different 5 or 6 colors (e.g. "A" might contain red, yellow, black, blue, green, while "B" might have orange, purple, brown, gray, and white). Sets like
this. Illustration only, didn't look at prices.
For sure, you want some 22 or 24ga solid core and 24ga stranded wire. Old ethernet cables can be a great source for these if you're on a budget: the cable that goes in walls is solid, while the patch cords are stranded.
- protoboards. go look on ebay, you can get awesome FR-4 boards for peanuts. Tip: look at various package sizes. Sometimes, it's actually cheaper to get a package of 20 than a pack of 10! (You want the ones that are green with plated through-holes.)
- Headers: get some assortments of male and female headers to put on your boards. I find them invaluable for connecting to/from prototypes and breadboards using the aforementioned "Dupont" jumpers. You'll use way more male than female headers. (Accordingly, get lots of M-F jumpers to connect protoboards to breadboards, and F-F to connect protoboards to protoboards.)
- cleanup supplies: commercial flux remover or high-% isopropyl alcohol, kimwipes, and acid brushes.
- Little component tester, the kind that has a ZIF socket into which you place a transistor or capacitor or whatever, and it not only tells you what it is, but measures it and identifies the pinout. They're under $20 and incredibly handy. There's a shockingly long thread about these things somewhere on here.
- Antistatic work mat. Get one that's rubber (not PVC) so that it won't melt when your soldering iron touches it.
- Chinese Arduino clones. Get a bunch of Arduino Uno boards for a buck or two a pop. They're great for experimenting. Consider spending an extra $25 on a sensor/accessory kit that has a bunch of parts to play with.
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