If this is something that you plan to use everyday, invest a little money into it and make your life that much easier. Good tools are a god send on your arms, mind and knowing your are doing things properly.
If this is a one off project and it will eind up in a drawer never to be used again, get the cheapest thing at walmart, kmart or harbor freight.
Tools that I use are one thing I am picky about. Soldering Iron, Volt meter and a screwdriver set.
I have never had a problem with it. I use a 1/8 inch chisel tip and it solders everything I want to.
You have to remember I went through 5 or 6 radio shack irons prior to buying this one in the same time frame.
They are not inexpensive. I want to say it is more a moderate priced item for a hobby type use. I purchased it for my use in my profession of repairing office machines but use it daily for my hobby.
I was led to think in hunters safety coarse that the lead shot falls into the water or surrounding area where migratory birds are and are consumed with bugs, grasses and normal food on accident.
I have no idea if it is true or not but that is what I was told about the new law at the time about the non-lead shotgun cartridges.
What do I need to get to program these hardware wise?
I have an adafruit AVRisp but have read rumors of not being able to program larger chips with it. Will this work or what programmer would you recommend?
If you could post the code you are trying to use and the schematic you are trying to use the members would probably bend over backwards to assist you in finding the faults in both.
Saying it does not work without something to go on is kind of vague at best.
do i have to download the library to my computer or is writing the code#include "LibraryName,h" enough to include it in my sketch??/
For most of us beginers yes, you will need to download them and install them on your local PC.
Here is a link from lady ada's web site at her tutorial. Take a look and see if it helps you understand what they are, what their function is and how to implement them.