I'm not saying they don't work; I'm just suggesting that they aren't for everyone and for a beginner who is trying to figure out a lot at once, a simple stove that is virtually foolproof may be a better idea.

I go winter camping, so my priorities are different. I take two stoves-a liquid fuel and my canister stove as a day hike and backup stove. I can assemble my stove and canister in about a minute and don't have to worry about spilling fuel, waiting for the stove to warm up or dealing with it not working for some reason.