I wouldn't buy used cable cutters unless they were looking real new and still sharp... same with crank pullers, easy enough of a tool to ruin in the wrong hands. I jumped right in and bought a filzer kit in a box. I've since used every one of the tools but and they've held up well, but I try to be gentle on my tools and avoid using them for working on rusty old crap.

I also own high-quality wrenches, allen head sockets, etc. for my "real" job but unless you're stripping lots of crappy low-end bikes at a co-op or a flipping operation, I think the basic tools work well enough. One thing I wished I'd bought off the get-go was a grease *** with a couple of interchangeable heads, a fine point and slightly bigger one; way less contamination and mess and cartridges are available everywhere cheap. Same goes for a nice little oil can or plastic dripper, you can just motor oil or ATF to lube chains and stuff.