Got some downtime while waiting for some parts, and since I had made this list for a friend after giving it all a lot of thought, I figured that I might share with you my findings...
In general, the focus here was to get the best bang for the buck. There are more expensive options, and less expensive options, but I wanted a good balance while keeping a close eye on the total expenditure.
The raw list consists of (and I will go into detail for each in the next section):
1. Oscilloscope
12. 170 Side Cutters
Let's look at these one by one:
1. Oscilloscope
I like to recommend the Tektronix 465B, as Tek sold more of these than pretty much any other scope in history. It is reliable, rugged, repairable, and easy to use, and can be bought in perfect working condition for under $500 ($200~$275 is not uncommon, even for a nice one). There are tons of spare parts around, and any scope repair guy knows this one, if he knows any at all. There are other options, but for someone who simply doesn't know where to start, you won't go wrong here.
12. 170 Side Cutters
Why 170? I dunno...they don't measure 170-anything in any dimension that I know of, but yet 170 cutters are an industry standard, and nearly every electronics tool maker has a version or two.
Here's a version from Swanstrom Tools at Digikey (#232-1025-ND).
.BUT, if you have constructive criticism to add, or other options that I have not included, you are welcome, nay,
encouraged to add your thoughts.