Indeed - that's the thing. I'm new to slow cookers so it's probably wiser to get a $50-80 model rather than anything more fancy. Choice magazine recommends the Sunbeam one which has a searing option but it comes in at $169 - but who know, cheaper ones probably do just as good a job...
If I told you the KSC100 was $150, you would probably believe me. It's a solid unit IRL and seems to be a popular model (a few other mates have them, before I even got mine ).
If you drop into a Myer or Harris Scarfe they should have a bunch of slow cookers on display. Is nice to have a look and check out the build quality/materials .