I agree for you to do some reading. There are many types out there, and run a full range of prices.
For years I used the Ortovox F1......pure analog. It was the first beacon I started with. Analog is a lot harder to use, but with lots of practice, you can get very proficient with it. They are on the lower end of the price range, but if it's something you get, you definitely need to practice (more so than with one of the digitals).
A couple of years ago I got a Tracker. Nice beacon, fairly easy to use (you still need to practice). One thing I didn't like about it was the size, but I think that's because my previous beacon fit *me* so much better and was smaller.
Last year I took the plunge and purchased Mamut Pulse beacons for the hubby and I. These are spendy, but I absolutely love them. Multiple burials were much easier to find (for me). I like the Pulse feature (which only will work with other beacons that have that same feature)......it shows if the other folks wearing Pulse are still alive, and how long they've been buried (whether deceased or alive). This beacon you calibrate to your body. The other nice feature is that while using it on search, every 5 minutes it'll beep to warn it will turn back to send if you don't hit the button. That is important to me in case another avy were to hit and bury the search crew.
The important thing is to get one and wear it (with the accompanying backpack, probe & shovel, and take a class or two).......as well as practice. Each fall the hubby and I will hide our other 3 beacons in the yard, then send the other out to find them. We then re-hide them after we find, and do this several times. A good timing trick for this is to send the other out when the commercials come on tv, and be back inside before they are over. We also take our other beacons out riding on occasion, and will hide them and have the others we are riding with find them. Typically lunchtime is a good time to do this (we make sure we are in a nice safe flat area). It keeps everyone fresh. I know I'm good with my beacon, but I want those I ride with to be able to find me if I ever get in a bad situation (which I hope never to do by using my brain in choosing terrain/rides for existing conditions).
You can check in the avy links thread, and there is a link for a site that does beacon reviews.....so you can get even more info than just what is on here.
I hope this helps you out!
Sandy