He's not talking about a hand-crank pump. He's talking about using a syringe. Much like a fuel bulb. I keep a fuel bulb handy, but they're not as delightful to use as a pump is. I can't think of a time when I've used a bulb where I didn't make a bit of a mess.

Hand-crank pumps are cheap and reliable. Electric starters are nice to have. This is a hobby that requires a bit of support equipment. As a person progresses, they tend to take more and more stuff to the field with them. Why? Because of the time that they lost a day of flying because they didn't have item X or item Y with them. Time is precious.