The truth of the matter is - if you so called experts were honest, and would steer new hams in the proper direction - right off the bat, you would explain to them that a handheld radio is a piss poor substitute for a real transceiver.
You do not make hams out of novices by supplying them with a hand held radio - because it doesn't do anything.
When I first got my Ham ticket, my first radio was Alinco, 2 meter hand held, model DJF1T.
I loved it, I worked Repeaters all over the San Joaquin Valley At time`s this was machines that were 40 or 50 miles away, running 5 watts, with a Similey super stick II antenna screwed right on top of the hand held.
If you are in an area that has mountain`s around you, and active Repeaters placed on ridges above the valley, you will be amazed by the line of sight coverage you have.
Later I bought a Cushcraft Ringo ranger ARX2B, and using it allowed me to work machines that covered the entire valley, and it is a big valley.
The last 2 meter antenna I purchased Is a HyGain VB214FM, a 14 Ele Yagi.
I still have this antenna today, it can be had for less than $100 dollars. and from where I was living in Madera County at the time, I was able to work machines easily over 100 miles away.
Not bad for a hand held radio, running 5 watts.
Maybe I was lucky have lived in the ideal spot to take advantage of High level
Repeaters, but the point I am trying to make here is that 2 meter hand held `s are far from " worthless " as you seem to continually describe them, you can not lump all hand held radios into one category just because you have had little luck with them in your area.
Each person has to look at what he wants to do with the radio, where it will be used, the type of terrain it will be asked to preform in and decide if it will work for them.
73
Jeff