1. If you go with a Hakko, the FX-951 is worth the extra cost, especially for commercial use (stand controlled sleep function will help reduce tip costs). That said, like others, I'd recommend seriously looking into JBC instead, if you can swing it financially (they do come up used from time to time on eBay at decent prices, which might be a viable alternative).
2. Should be fine IMHO, but again, the used market might be worth a serious look, and can extend your budget (things like hand tools, consumables, parts, .... types of things you may not have accounted for yet, but add up fast). Look for 10 turn pots with both adjustable voltage and current limiting.
3. Wick and pump will still be needed, even with a desoldering gun or station. For a dedicated unit however, you might want to take a look at the
Hakko FR-300 that's just come out (seller offers EEVBlog members a 6% discount; email or call for the code). There's a nice thread on it
here (some impressions and links on pg. 5 to review videos by a few members that bought one).
4. Never used it. There's plenty of good quality 5.5 digit bench meters available in the used market though, and would be less expensive ( i.e. HP/Agilent, Fluke, Keithley).
5. For commercial stuff that will actually work, you might want to take a look at
Panavise. Not exactly inexpensive, but well worth it IMHO (
Panavise 350 +
Panavise 315 will make a very nice & flexible configuration that will hold most anything you'd need IMHO). You can also DIY some really decent ones (thread or two on them in here;
example,
example 2). Perhaps a bit of both would be even better (
DIY probe holders,
wire holder for tinning that works better than the
Panavise 358, ...).
6. You mean a
5x Magnification Clamp-on Lamp?
7. No simple answer IMHO. Small drawer units are popular, as are bags & envelopes (many other ideas/solutions). There's at least a couple of threads on this, and PTH or SMD complicate matters (SMD seems easier to me, and doesn't take up as much space). For commercial products that might be of use to you as a business, might be
turntables or portable racks that hold plastic storage boxes (
Durham Manufacturing is another company to look into). The commercial stuff won't be cheap, but may be worth it to you, particularly if seen by customers (gives a more professional impression).
8. Rigol would make for a nice scope IMHO, and offer more value than Agilent or Tektronix before even hacking it to permanently enable all of it's features (4 channels can be nice to have, and isn't that horrible on the wallet either with Rigol; i.e.
DS1074Z is the entry 4ch. model).
Hope this helps, and good luck.