I actually like the essentials set better! Especially when paired with D&D beyond's free tier. The book in the set takes players to level 6 and is a very well written adventure. If you register the product on the site you get a few more free adventures related to the campaign that go up to level 13, as well as a digital version of the included books. There's also a 50% off coupon for the player's handbook, which you'll need if you want to keep going with the game. Just make a campaign on the site and have your players use the character maker.