Just my 2 cents here. Due to inflation, virtually worthless.
If you have OCD or just plain enjoy this type of hobby, buy the best all grain brewing starting kit you can afford and a boiling kettle larger than you think you need. Dive into the deep end and learn to swim. It will save you cash in the long run and you can then immediately begin to worry about the expenses of kegging and, eventually, totally upgrading that exotic kit you started with. It is not a hobby, it is an obsession of sorts.
Looking back, I wish I would have done this. I started with a mid-level, extract kit and a 5 gallon SS pot. After the two recipes that came with the kit turned out pretty good, I started doing a little research and realized that I could be brewing all grain for at least a third or less cost.
So, being constrained by equipment I tried BIAB and had great results. Bought some bulk grain and hops and began brewing on a regular basis. All during that time I was buying extra stuff: bags, lab thermometer, flask, SS long handled spoon, extra fermenter, Big Mouth Bubbler, more bottles, caps, bigger bottles, more caps, and so on. BIAB has some great benefits but neatness is not one. For one thing, I was having to re-grind my grist I got in kits to get the efficiency I wanted. Since I brew in my kitchen, it became a real hassle to brew.
I finally bought a cooler style mash tun with a false bottom and could not be happier brewing in my kitchen. It is actually much faster for me than BIAB and a lot less messy. I am as happy as a pig in mud. Had I bought a top end all grain kit and a decent sized boiling kettle to start with I would be money ahead right now. Money I could have spent on ingredients.
Once a good system is in place, only the ingredients and the consumables need to be replaced regularly. Next thing you know, you are paying less that a dollar a beer for stuff you have paid five dollars or more to enjoy. And, best yet, you brewed it yourself.
Do yourself a favor. If you really think you want to do this, start out right. Get good equipment up front. A kit with a bunch of seemingly useless stuff actually has things you will eventually buy. Upgrade that kit when you are buying it. It will save you in freight costs. I wish I had ordered all of my stuff at once. I could have had it sent by truck freight with a one time charge of less than two hundred dollars.
Again, just my two cents. This is an addictive hobby that has great rewards. You will surprise yourself with your ability to brew on-point beers and beer styles. You will finding yourself adjusting beers to your taste and being rewarded with results. Eventually, you will brew something special for someone. The look in their eyes will give you all the satisfaction you will ever need. That special, extremely light pilsner they cherish will give you more pride than all of the hoppy IPAs you made for yourself.
After all, it is the style that counts.
