Vanilla beans definitely add flavor ... Recently did a vanilla porter with beans from Tahiti and Madagascar 2 each and it was amazing. I've done oak cubes before in another porter and used vanilla extract and captain Morgan private stock soak instead of bourbon and it was a really tasty as well...
Keggle for sure because they are a lot cheaper, work just the same, and there's nothing like the satisfaction of making something yourself that does the job.... Sure buying a kettle looks nicer but last time I checked what really matters is how good the beer turns out and my Keggle has sure...