have to dissagree with you da Rock on 2 things here in regards to Chineese ARFs.
1 is CG, i have seen a few ARFs other than Horizon's or Great Planes where the reccomended CG was too far aft, and a couple that were grossly nose heavy.
2 is the throw thoery of "get it close".............if it's spelled out as "5/8", and with some CG's not being perfect as said above, the throw can have a major roll in getting the plane up and down from the first flight safely.
not saying that the throw meters will save the day here, but for a beginner who doesn't have the skills to use a ruler in the traditional sense would indeed benefit from have a meter as they do make setup a lot more accurate, not to mention they do save time by freeing ones hand for making the adjustment with the Tx during setup.
we are only talking about $10.00 here right?.....................