I know I wouldn't buy a starter kit.
They come with a solid bottom board and I'd want a Screened bottom board. They come with plastic large cell foundation and I'd want wax small cell. They come with deeps for the brood and I'd want mediums. They come with shallows for the supers and I'd want mediums. They come with a queen excluder, and I can live fine without one, plus the excluder is the plastic ones, and I prefer the wood bound metal ones if I use them at all. They come with a little hive tool that ok but I'd rather have the Italian one from Brushy Mt. They come with a smoker, but it's really too small. I'd rather have a bigger one and make an insert or, if I don't mind spending the money, get a Rauchboy. They come with a veil. I never use a veil by itself. I usually use a jacket with a zip on veil. I don't mind the gloves, but I prefer a simple pair of leather gloves that I can stuff under the elestic on the sleeves of my jacket if I want to put them on. They are easier to get on and off and work fine for me. They usually come with an entrace feeder and I hate entrance feeders. All in all, there is really not ONE piece of equipent in the kit that I would have bought execpt MAYBE the lid. Since I got tired of the skunks and mice and closed off the bottom entrance and started buying migratory covers and shims to make a top entrance, I don't even want the cover or inner cover. So now we have a starter kit that has not one piece of equipment that I would have bought.