In the soldering workshops, we use iFixit FixHub tools for the most part. If you would like to replicate the setup you see in the workshops, we recommend purchasing the two items on the iFixit kit list and all of the consumable items. This will give you a professional-grade toolkit that is very portable. Alternatively, if you are looking for a kit you can keep at home or you are looking to save some money, you can piece together a kit based on the Pinecil kit. We have tested both kits extensively and would rank them close to equal in terms of quality.
The recommended knife tips for the soldering irons are optional, and ultimately come down to preference. I will say that just about everyone I know who has spent any amount of time doing complex repair work or microsoldering has preferred the knife tip, but YMMV. I’d also like to point out that for long-term at-home use, the Hakko 599B tip cleaner is much better than the portable tip cleaner that ships with the iFixit kit.
A note on solder wire selection: You will see recommendations for leaded and unleaded solder wire. Unleaded solder has a higher melting point and can be more difficult for beginners to contend with; however, I would not use that as an excuse to only use leaded solder. I would encourage you to use whichever you prefer based on the type of work you are doing. Unleaded solder is typically recommended for first-pass assembly. This is what factories are going to use when doing PCB assembly. Leaded solder is incredible for repair work because it allows you to selectively lower the melting temperature of solder joints on the board you’re working with. Personally, I tend to use leaded solder for almost everything.