I agree with Cjw, the Scout (either model) may be a bit more than the Chinese frames on initial appearance, but if you consider flexibility of use and durability it is far and away cheaper
Nothing wrong with Chinese frames, I have a lot of them but when starting out you need to be able to experiment and try that "new" thing that you just read about on the forums
As far as band and tube material, if you get a mid thickness band you can cut it in different ways to suit the thing you are using it for and tubes like the 1632/1636 and the 2040 are very versatile. Just my opinion, YMMV 