yeah I didn't read your note fully when I responded - s9 is a better comparison for sure.

"All I argue is that they are hardly the most economical method for gaining this educational experience, despite often being marketed as such." - this, this is my gripe. If you ordered the parts yourself from aliexpress and PCBexpress, you'd be paying 200 in total including shipping for about 5 units. Now you'd still have to fabricate it but still...