MB, I am in very much the same boat as you. Myself and a friend are looking to start up a small operation in the next few months and in all honesty, for my own $...I would not go less than a 4 col setup. Unless you are absolutely sure you will never use more than 1-2 cols.
Even then, it can be kinda handy & a bit of a time saver, to have extra heads to work with in case you want to leave a job setup or need set up another job very quickly and don't want to have to take down any screen that you might still be using.
I've been in the printing business since the mid-80's and in the T-Shirt biz for the last 3+yrs....and to this day, I am constantly amazed how often people will come back and re order or add onto orders immediately after you've finished their order. Much of that deals with company politics & how you're dealing with your customers...but bottom line is that most small/startup level companies are not in the position of turning away add ons when they come walking through the door.
Depending on you own overall approach & how hard your going to push your business, I would opt for more (within your budget of course) versus less, when it comes to the quality & features of your press. Your press and how it functions (or doesn't) is what's going to make money for you. added expenses like 4-6 or more heads, good solid construction and little things like micro-registration might seem inconsequential now.....but the cons of not opting for them will add up if your production slows and your enthusiasm wanes because of shoddy equipment holding you back. If this is more of an added income/hobby, that's one scenario where maybe you'd hold back....but if it's going to be your main source, don't short change yourself.
As far as those complete kits....I was really taken by them at first, but the more that I eyeball them, the less of a bargain they seem to be. I haven't bought any of them yet....so I won't outright dog any of it. But some of the presses seem a little on the wimpy side.....those sheet metal ones just don't look too reliable to me. Take into account, that being a start up business...it make take awhile before your press finds it's "home". You may out grow your space & need to move right away....or you may just need to go through numerous floor plans before you find one that works efficiently for you. Either way, good solid tubular construction with hold up much better over the long haul, than any of those with the flimsy sheet metal bases will.
The rest of the stuff...I've been browsing Ebay for several weeks now and I'm almost positive that you could piece together a kit for your self that is comparable in price and better in quality. Things like brand new heat presses are selling for about 1/3 the cost of buying them from any of the retailers that I've been searching through. I'm basically using those kits as a check list of everything that I'm looking for and then hunting for them individually & comparing prices...for now at least. LOL
BTW, I don't mean to come off as some know-it-all, because I certainly am not. But in the last 20yrs, I have worked in several companies where corners where constantly cut in the equipment end of things.....and there is no doubt that quality/productivity/profit takes the hit when you do that. I would honestly recommend putting your hands on anything that you plan to buy, whenever possible....or at least be sure that it can be returned if it is not of the quality that you had anticipated.
Anyway sorry for the wordy-ness here. LOL This is the same process that we are currently going through...so I guess I got to rambling quite a bit here.
As I am looking for myself, I will be sure to pass along any info/deals I come across, that might be useful to you.
Best of luck,
Don