I did laminate for the first time. I have a router, so only needed a flush trimming bit. Lowes/Home Depot stock a limited selection. So for one I got a really neat one that cost a bit more from a lumberyard that carried Wilsonart. Laminate was a significant portion of the speaker cost...
If you click on the Adire banner at the top of the forum page you'd see something about getting 5% off drivers. I don't know if they also do it on kits, but it might be worth asking.
I got by with shielded woofer and unshielded tweeter. The magnet is much smaller, so has less field. I thought I'd save a few bucks for each tweeter and see if it worked. Could always add a bucking magnet if needed, but it wasn't for me at least.
You could always try it and see if it works for...