For the first few flights, when it is pretty likely that you're going to put the airplane in a "dangerous" attitude, I think the buddy box is much better than the "pass the radio" bit.

As a recent student, just the thought that the guy was going to knock me down and grab the radio added greatly to the tension.

After the six flight or so, I "pulled the cord" because I was confident enough that I could keep the plane flying enough that there wasn't an ever present sense of danger. When it came time to land, I could do a calm hand off and breath a sign of relief.

Anyway, my thoughts