Of the few key pieces of equipment I'll be purchasing once back in Australia next year, this is the key item for me for sure!! And that kettle looks excellent!
I agree, it's a really good deal....with one caveat.
When I decided to try BIAB, I realized my 8-gallon megapot wasn't large enough to do that. So I sold that and bought a 10-gallon Spike kettle.
Morebeer has a terrific beginner's brewing kit that includes virtually everything one needs, hydrometer, chiller, even the 8.5-gallon kettle.
But, IMO, that kettle is just on the small side for BIAB (brew in a bag). The best solution is a 10-gallon kettle. Now, there are ways around this, but I hate buying something only to have to make compromises and produce workarounds.
If one is using a traditional mash tun, and never will do BIAB, then that kettle is perfect. And if one is limited by budget, then it's also a great deal.
*****
For OP: I've gone from a newbie brewer to a pretty high-level setup over 4 years. I look back over the money I wasted early-on, wishing I'd made better purchases. My megapot kettle, for instance. Sold it for a fraction of what I paid. And that hasn't been the only time. There have been several times I've bought something I ended up replacing with something better. I have a Blichmann Hellfire propane burner and a Jaded Hydra chiller just....chillin' in my brew cabinet. They've been replaced by electric brewing and a counterflow stainless chiller. I'll sell 'em here at some point, but I won't recover my costs. Had I known where i'd end up.....
....but in fairness, at the beginning, it's almost impossible to know where one will top out with brewing. Who wants to invest more money only to find it's not worth continuing? There are lots of different setups, at lots of different price points--virtually all of which can be used to produce excellent beer. So money doesn't necessarily equal quality.
And also in fairness, money doesn't grow on trees. I'm an empty-nester, have more disposable income than I had, say, 15 years ago. What I have now would have been impossible 15 years ago, kids came first. So budget concerns are always legitimate concerns.
BUT--having said that--you might try to aim higher if you can. There are ways to supplement a budget for brewing equipment. Have anything you can sell on Craigslist? Or the local Facebook marketplace? Or can you give up something for a week, a month, and pocket the savings? Pack a lunch instead of buy it, a regular coffee instead of a latte? Something like that?
I wouldn't normally suggest something like this, but you are obviously thinking more carefully about this than some might do. If you ever think you might try BIAB, think carefully about whether you'll wish you had a 10-gallon kettle. You *can* do BIAB with an 8.5, but it's a close thing. I always used 7.25 or 7.5 gallons of strike water, then I had to dough-in the grain. If it's a bigger beer...well, as you're stirring it in you get pretty close to the top.
Anyway, something to consider. Good luck, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it--because if you're not enjoying it, you're doing it wrong.
