I started with a Blade CP and after mastering the fine art of crashing, I decided to go with the 450 SE. While it is a great flying heli, for the beginner, I think it would be a little too much. I've got about 70 flights with one minor crash on it.
yeah your right it is a good choice to go with the HDE version for two reasons. one its easy to setup and repair is cheap. two the SE is way more expensive, plus the all metal head like you said makes response very touchy which is not good for a begginer. if its your first heli i would suggest getting the ccpm version as the highest. not the SA or SE.