When I first got a set of decks, I went with the best deal I could find. I'm the kind of person that loves somethin one minute, then doesnt touch it for months. so i got a Numark battle pak
It's real basic, but does the job for the beginner. It actually helps you in the long run, because you gotta have light hands on the platter(which is stronger than most other budget decks I've used). The mixer is RRRREAL basic tho, so mos def you gotta upgrade that ish.
I've ordered several records from turntablelab.com and have nothin bad to say about em. If you're in the chicago area you can hit up grammaphone on north clark, they have decks in store that you can preview records on. PEACE!