I just use a siphoning tube. I let it sit in either boiling water for a minute or a sanitizer solution for a few minutes, then fill it with said liquid. It's way easier with sanisanitizer than boiling water, since sanisanitizer doesn't boil your hands...
As long as the "from" container is higher than the "to" container - for example, kettle on the counter, carboy on the floor - it's pretty easy to statstart the siphon.
I pinch the "to" side of the siphon, get a cup ready to grab the water, and put the "from" part in the originating container. Once it's in, release the pinch, drain the siphoning liquid into the prepared cup, and then quickly put the "to" end of the tube in the receiving container.
Just keep an eye on the originating tube end to make sure it stays below the level of the liquid, without sticking it into the trub and clogging it / getting all the trub.
This solution is cheap. It's just the cost of the tubing. It can be messy, but after a few tries you get pretty good at it. Helps to have a friend too. Extra hands and you don't need a long wingspan.
I'd advise about 3-4' of tubing.
