Equipment Help

Hello all. Lately I have become very interested in brewing. I have been lingering around for the past two weeks. Before I go out and buy my equipment I just want to make sure I don't waste any money. I'm not sure if this will be a passing fad or something I will really really enjoy. So I don't want to get equipment that will be excessive, but I don't want to get equipment that I just have to upgrade later. So here goes (should note that I only plan to start with cider/mead).

*Cleaning-star san
*fermenting-6 gallon better bottle (possible second for secondary fermenting), yeast, yeast nutrient, spoon, sugar, airlock with cork (or bung or whatever it is).
*Racking-autosiphon, tubing.
*Bottling-bottles and corks. Do I really need a special tool to put the cork on?

I know some of you will say that I should have a hydrometer, but how important is it really? Also is it just cheaper to get a starter kit or buy the stuff individually? I'm trying to avoid the buckets as they look kind of silly.

Thanks for helping a nub.

Edit-Is getting the plastic carboy with the spout capability worth the expense?

i would definitely get a kit if i were you... and i'd also say there's probably at least a 90% chance you'll be hooked immediately, so it will be a good investment. where in minnesota are you? if you're near the twin cities, you are lucky, hell, even if you're within an hour or two, go to Northern Brewer (St. Paul) or Midwest Brewing Supplies (Minne - St. Louis park area). they will have all the kits there and you can get better bottles instead of buckets...

a hydrometer is more important than you think... you might think "i don't really care about the ABV", but more important than that, it tells you when the fermented beverage is done fermenting.

you can get a cheap wine bottle corker for around $15, i own one and it worked fine for the mead i did.

i'd get some oxy-clean FREE for cleaning, star san is only for sanitizing, it doesn't actually clean...

if you get a kit, all the above stuff comes with it and all you'll need extra are corks and a corker.

A bit north of Brainerd, MN if you are familiar with the state. So I should just bypass getting the stuff individually and just get the kit? There's a local hobby shop that can order whatever I need (no shipping costs).

The kit would be a good idea it will usually save you some money and have everything needed to get started. Midwest is not that far from you and they can help you with every thing to get started.
here is their link http://www.midwestsupplies.com/

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/star...ent-kit-with-double-lever-corker-upgrade.html

That looks to have everything I need. Any thoughts?

if you've got a local shop, that's great. isn't Brainerd like 2.5 hours from the cities? you should be able to get a decent kit for around $100.\

edit: just missed your last post, that looks great if wine/mead/cider will be your gig, you will even be able to do beer with all that stuff (you'll just need a few other things). the only thing i'd recommend upgrading to is an autosiphon, they are worth their weight in gold IMHO. you should be able to get the upgrade on the website.

+1 on the autosiphon
That kit has all the basics you will need

Thanks for the help. After looking at the site further I found a package that has more for the same approx price.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-starter-kit-w-better-bottle.html

Will go with that. Can't wait to get my cider going.

Just so you know there is more that you are going to need like bottles, a kit, a pot, etc. I recently picked up this hobby and all my research pointed me to this kit.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits/basic-starter-kit.html

This price is actually cheaper and has a lot of the same stuff. Plus they are in Minnesota and you'd have it in prolly 2 days.

ALSO:

If your curious, I've got a pretty comprehensive list of what I needed and probably most of what you need, even aside from what the kit has, plus a description of why you need it. Check it out.

Getting Started Brewing My Own Beer

Let me know how it goes!