[Finnster]

^^^

That's all well and good, but my general point is that I don't think they are a good option as a first intro into large scale BL conversions.

For a beginner, its better to get something proven, reliable and more common. All with good customer support. You don't want to be fighting your setup because you bought it too cheaply, or such a strange setup there are few people availble to help you when trouble arises.

The Castle system fits all those specs, plus a low price. If the OP is in the US, I can't see any reason why you'd want to get something different. Repair service is quick and shipping is fast and cheap. Once somebody gets experienced with electrics, then they may want to try something different and more unique (not that its better neccessarily.) Last thing you want to do is get something strange and overly complicated as a beginner, have problems few know how to fix, get frustrated and quit electrics altogether.