Thank you. The reason the brew pot is swaying my opinion is because I do not have a pot/pan even close to suitable for brewing beer. The biggest pot I have is pretty full at a gallon and I gave that to the dog so I wouldn't have to fill her water 3x a day - lol. So yes, I do need it anyway.
I'll be totally honest, the reason I want a plastic carboy is so I can watch it. I don't know why, but I like watching the fermentation and it's a lot safer to do that than it is to pop the top of the plastic bucket and look inside! It's kind of like when you are smoking bbq meats like a pork butt or ribs and you want to see it frequently. A clear fermentation vessel calms my little OCD!