I get excellent efficiency with BIAB in my boiler, it's just the time spent to get clearer wort that's a PITA. One day I'll install a recirculation pump, but if I had the cash to do it I'd get an all in one for sure.
Efficiency though usually comes down to process, NOT equipment, imho. My first BIAB my efficiency stank (about 60%), then I learned that my water was too alkaline, so started diluting it with water filtered with my reverse osmosis filter, and also I learned how to properly dough in and stir during the mash. I now get really rather high efficiency (usually well above 80%). When I tried less RO, my efficiency dropped again because my mash pH wasn't right once again. It's less about your equipment, more how you use it. :nod:
I have to ask myself though, what's fun about repeatedly filling a jug from the boiler tap, and slowly pouring it back into the top of your grain bag? That's what I have to do right now to get clearer wort. If I just drain the boiler, or lift the bag, it's grain flour soup in there! That's the point of the recirculation pump, it does this for you. You still need to dough in, stir the mash, drain the grain, sparge, bring to the boil, add hops etc etc. The machines don't do any of this for you, they just make a couple of the steps a bit less labour intensive.
