Item Vendor Est Price

Dental pick set Harbor Freight $4.00
Tweezer set Harbor Freight $6.00
Cotton balls Supermarket $4.00
Cleaning rod (x2), pistol* Pro-Shot Products $32.00
Cleaning rod, short rifle Pro-Shot Products $22.00
Spear tip jag .22-6mm Pro-Shot Products $4.00
Slotted tip jag .22-.45 Pro-Shot Products $4.00
Spear tip jag .40 Pro-Shot Products $4.00
Slotted tip patch holder .22-.45 Pro-Shot Products $2.50
Rifle length .223 bronze wire brush Pro-Shot Products $2.50
Pistol length 10mm/.40 bronze wire brush Pro-Shot Products $2.50
5.56/.223 AR Chamber brush Pro-Shot Products $5.00
Action/Chamber cleaning kit Pro-Shot Products $20.00
.38-.45 Caliber Flannel patches Pro-Shot Products $7.00
.22-.270 Caliber Flannel patches Pro-Shot Products $6.00
Double-end nylon gun brush Pro-Shot Products $3.50
Double-end steel gun brush** Pro-Shot Products $3.50
Bronze gun brush (like a metal toothbrush) Pro-Shot Products $3.50
0000 steel wool** Hardware store/Wal-Mart $4.00
Break Free CLP Gun Store/Wal-Mart $10.00
Break Free LP*** Gun Store/Wal-Mart $10.00
White cotton cloths (or old t-shirts) Hardware store/Wal-Mart $8.00

Total (all prices approximate and from 2/2012) $168.00

*Only one pistol rod is actually required. The second pistol rod is for convenience so time is not spent unscrewing the jag to put the brush on. Price indicated is for two rods.
**If you choose to add this to your kit, be very careful what it gets used on. The steel brush/wool should not be used on non-steel surfaces (of which there are many on our weapons) because of the damage they can cause. There are exceptions, but caution must be used.
***Break Free LP is a lubricant designed specifically for fully automatic weapons and will say so on the bottle. It has no carbon solvent in it and is a different product than standard Break Free we are all used to. Both will be needed.

This kit could be replicated for less money by buying products in kit form or using lesser quality vendors (Pro-Shot makes great stuff, but it is costly).

Other things to consider:
Bore brushes should only be used a few times before being replaced. They wear out quickly.
A chamber brush is an absolute necessity for the AR platform, as is an appropriate rod to turn it with.
A single piece cleaning rod is better than a segmented one.
The handle of the cleaning rod should turn freely to allow the brush to follow the rifling.
Holding a cotton ball in a pair of large tweezers can generate a lot of scrubbing force and put that force in a specific place.