The Northern Brewer pump will get done what you need it to get done, and the biggest perk is that you have your gift card.
I will say, I upgraded from a similar pump to the Riptide, and I thought it was worth every dollar.
This write up does a good job highlighting the perks of where the pump shines.
My biggest highlights include...which are written more in depth in the linked article:
- Easy tri clamp breakdown for disassembly and cleaning - compared to bolts needing to be unscrewed each time.
- A PRV style valve for easy priming
- It's silent compared to the ~$100 pumps...which to me is a big deal.
- The linear flow valve allows for precise flow control. Which isn't a big deal to me anymore...but when I was fly sparging it helped a ton compared to a regular ball valve.
- On/Off switch which is nice if you're plugged directly into an outlet instead of a control panel.
Either choice will get the job done, but consider those bullet points if they extra cost would be worth those perks.
If you do get the riptide, get a back up set up O-rings as well. I had the bad luck of the one coming with my pump being broken on arrival, so I needed to wait in order to use it for a replacement. Nice to have on hand in case of a broken one.