I actually got into brewing with the PicoBrew Zymatic. I had never brewed a beer before getting my Zymatic a little over a year ago. I wouldn't say this is common way to enter the hobby but I had spent a few months researching different systems in this general market segment. I looked at the Brewie, Grainfather and Zymatic before settling on the Zymatic. I watched all the PicoBrew how-to YouTube videos a few times before I received my unit. The learning curve was fairly short if you did your homework. From the looks of the Z, it will likely be very similar in operation to the Zymatic though I expect it to be even easier/more refined. I actually ended up putting together a 10g eBIAB setup after brewing on the Zymatic for a year so I could be more involved in the process and produce more beer each session. I did end up preordering the Z1 because its nice to be able to brew 2.5-3.5g of beer pretty much hands off during those times I cant brew on my other setup. I also love gadgets and thought it worth trading in my Zymatic to have the piece of mind of support priority in the future. If you decide to go with the Z, you will not be disappointed with the customer service and support from PicoBrew, they are very responsive though email....even on the weekends. Oh yeah, it can make some awesome beer as well. If you end up deciding to go with the Z and want to save fifty bucks here is a referral code you can use KYT5W