Okay, somebody has got to dissent. So here I go.

There are many good reasons to use an on-board glow driver, in order of importance:

1. Safety.
2. Cowled engine.
3. Convenience of no glow clip.
4. Slower reliable idle.
5. Higher top-end power (in cases where fuel has too much oil or too little nitro for the given conditions, having the glow driver on acts as ignition advance and produce more RPM than without).

Okay, #5 is little iffy, but for completeness I included it. It should only be used if you know what you're doing. Otherwise, you'll blow plugs left and right.

I DO NOT like flipping an airplane over with the meat grinder, ur... propeller, spinning. Small airplane might be alright, but with the bigger ones you're just asking for trouble.

I use an OBG driver on some of my un-cowled airplanes just for the convenience and safety of it. To me, it's a luxury to walk up to my airplane, flip a switch on my TX, and start the engine. I agree that simplicity is good, but I rather prefer simplicity in operation than in equipment.

And if you really think about it. The modern RC system, as a whole, is a very complex system - all to make it easier for us RCers to operate. The OBG driver is nothing more than a tool. If you need one - it's an essential piece of equipment not unlike a servo or a receiver. If you don't - then yes, it's just another gadget.

I would say this: you shouldn't use an OBG driver to try to cure an ill-running engine, even though sometime it does do a good job of it while nothing else seem to help.

As to which brand, I build my own electronic OBG so I can't be of much help there. I do recommend you go with one that turns on at a throttle setpoint, which you can vary. The automatic ones that sense glow plug temp are good but they take a little more time to set up properly.

My $0.02.