Took my time to pick an amp after getting my General ticket.
Went with a tube amp. Has its own power supply. Lots of info for them. Many guys run them and there is an abundance of parts. Dangerous to work on - compared to a solid-state amp. Yes. But I think that nothing sounds as nice as a tube amp.
Decided that I was going to choose an amp from either Heathkit, Swan, Drake, or Henry. The RF decks on those four amps are all built to last. Anything other than the ones I listed were just too expensive. The Henry was the most expensive of the bunch; but perhaps the best built of that lot. Then, I thought that the 872B tube or the 3-500Z tube would be better than the 811 tube. I've heard the 811 amp on air before, just sounded funny and made strange noises. Understand that this is common with the Amertron amps with the 811 tubes. Passed on the Kenwood, Dentron, or Yaesu amps too; their track record is a bit flakey.
Finally waited and passed on more than a few amps before a Swan Mk II popped up with two 3-500Z tubes. Got it for a very fair price. I think that waiting for the right amp was useful; it gave me time to find out what they are made of and how they work. Gave me time to research and learn. Read a lot; I'm learning more still. Figured that I was better off with an amp that had either two 3-500Z's or four 872B's. But there is a lot more to amps than just the tubes alone.
The Swan can do legal limit/1500 watts SSB, because it has a custom transformer in it with greater output than the OEM transformer. Since this amp has so much power, it gives me the option to fold back power to a 500 watt output level and let the amp just cruise there with plenty of headroom to spare (greater duty cycle while other amps may be straining for it). Does a kilowatt without straining much too.
Sweep tube amps weren't even in the running. Sure, a pair of 3-500Z tubes aren't cheap. But there is no future in the 6LF6 tubes and the like. Unless the Russians and the Chinese start making/selling them cheap. Four sweep tubes are the same price as two new 3-500Z's and cannot offer the one-half of output power. I though the best choice for a sweep tube amp was the Palomar. But so many CBers have ran these into the ground. Just didn't want to mess with one.
Ceramic tube amps are very fussy and a little too easy to damage. Some can be very expensive because they are no longer made. Some amps that run these have been converted to other tube types. They just don't sound like real glass does - either. Since I am a beginner too, just don't need that kind of trouble.
BTW; already had a dedicated 220VAC line in the shack.
Most of what I wrote was based on research before I spent one single dime.
$700-$800 should be a working price for a used decent brand of amp, in decent shape, with decent tubes - IMO. For a Henry amp, $200 more would be quite fair too.
Just my two cents worth.
Didn't buy the first thing that popped up; I waited.
Got it for a better price that way too; patience wins . . .
I love mine and use it more than my tube amplifiers because its a simple running bulletproof amplifier. 
