Beyond piping bags and tips (a separate category), the core decorating toolkit is a turntable, an offset spatula, and something to scrape clean sides, either a comb or a bench scraper. Buy these as single well-made tools rather than a giant bundled kit if you decorate often.
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Wilton
An affordable rotating stand that makes smoothing icing and piping borders far easier than turning a stationary cake. The plastic base wobbles a bit more than a metal turntable under a heavy sheet cake.
Ateco
A straightforward stainless offset spatula and the single most-used tool in a decorator's kit. Buying the wrong length for your cake size is the main mistake; an 8-inch blade works for most home cakes.
Wilton
A plastic comb and scraper set that gives clean vertical lines and textured buttercream finishes cheaply. The thin plastic can warp or crack after years of use, unlike a metal scraper.
Ateco
A rigid metal scraper smooths fondant and buttercream sides more cleanly than plastic combs, and it doubles as a dough scraper. The rigidity means it won't hug a slightly uneven cake the way a flexible plastic smoother will.
Kootek
Bundles a turntable, spatulas, scrapers and piping basics in one kit, cheaper than buying every tool separately. Individual tool quality is a step below single-purpose Ateco or Wilton pieces.