Plenty of non-rookies are using Behringer gear these days, and plenty of Behringer gear has been built just fine; I have a Behringer mixer from the late 90s that is still in use and 100% functional, and I've got a new XR18 digital mixer that can't be beat for bang-for-buck.

Want to help rookies? Steer them away from the $500 tube-screamer or dual-blues-breaker clones that you need to be on a waiting list for 2 years before you can even buy one! :)

I've always been happy with Behringer products. I especially love my Deepmind 12- no mistakes were made buying any of their stuff