Welcome to the cult....lol. I think for a first year player the starter kits are great. Most important is to make sure the equipment fits well so it won't get in his way. Any of the sticks you mentioned will do fine. If you are going to spend extra $$ I would put it towards getting the pocket strung at your local shop, pre strung heads tend to stink. When my son first started I would let him pick out his own upgrades as the equipment wore out or he outgrew it.