I disagree completely.
1) I think hardware does have an influence in how the kit looks. eg: you wanna look vintage with heavy-duty DW9000 or Pearl high-end stands? mmm.. I don't think so. You'd better go with some thin, straight, flat based stands if you wanna achieve that look. On the other hand, a metal drummer with a 9 piece Starclassic with 12 Zildjian cymbals hangin onto $20 chinese stands??... Ugh... :/
2) The weakest part of any kit is hardware. Chances are you're stripping a lot of wingnuts before you can break a shell or even a cymbal.
3) There's nothing more unconfortable than failing hardware. Tom arms that fatigue so your toms end up resting on the bass drum in the middle of the song.. cymbals that get tilted every time you hit them.. worn snare baskets that make your snare wobble randomly with each hit..
And that's nothing. Try playing on a drum riser and a cymbal stand starts "walking" until it finally falls smashing your $300 cymbal on the guitar amp (or the guitarist's head..). :l
Anyway.. Hardware is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. I don't say that you have to buy all DW9000 brutally over-priced pro stuff. But I certainly wouldn't reccomend the cheapest stands on the store.
Cheers.