Slight tangent: I always found it to be an added plus/bonus to a tool if it can survive being scrutinized by well-formed and long-lasting groups.

What would be my preferred VPN/Mail/Payment/Storage/Encryption tools?

The one that has been scrutinized by TLA to catch these groups. On a long enough time scale, it can expose if they truly are "no logs", "fully encrypted", "privacy-conscious" or if it's just marketing buzzwords when they actually face a warrant.