Based on the input here, chatting with other knowledgeable people, reading reviews and making lunch-time runs to Lowe's and Home Depot, I ended up with this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-ULTIMATE-Combo-Kit-6-Tool-P884/203466936 at $ 325 out the door.
For the price point I was looking for, this kit gave me the largest number of acceptable-quality tools, two of the latest-generation batteries, an intelligent charger, and at a savings compared to buying the tools piecemeal. A bonus was the large number of other power and lawn tools that take the same battery pack. The Rigid did not have the tools I was looking for and the Ryobi seemed better quality than the Kobalt and Porter-Cable sets. I lusted after the DeWalt large combo set, but could not justify my needs as needing a $ 600 tool kit.
I have much better hopes for the lithium battery packs as opposed to the NiCad packs that go bad just sitting there, even with periodic charging.
PS: The HD associate told me that Ryobi is a sister company of Rigid and makes the cordless power tools under that name as well. I was surprised that Rigid had so little in the way of combo kits, then.