Regardless if your first time rider or not, all pedals work virtually the same, some are little stiffer then others, obviously they all look different. This is strictly a personal opinion and not saying that anyone else's opinion is wrong or mine is right, just different. These pedals were my first foray into the world of clipless design, I'm old school and have lots of old school bikes all with cleats and straps, so I did a bunch of research when I got a 07 Mercian Vincitore and thought I would try clipless pedals. I like them. Do I prefer them? ehh, half dozen of one, half a dozen of another, it really doesn't matter to me, I'm so use to riding with clips and straps for the last 40+ years it's no big deal to ride with them, but clipless is cool too.
I decided on SpeedPlays after much research and I like them, and what follows is why I preferred them over others. I put a set of SpeedPlay Frogs on my road bike...I know their for MTB's, but this was for a touring bike and wanted a recessed cleat on the shoe so I could walk in the same shoes without putting a cover over the cleat and feeling that cleat bump as I walk, it makes my riding more versatile. Their not bad priced, the CroMoly pedals start at around $105 which is all you would need, I got the stainless because I didn't want them to rust prematurely and those are around at $135. Their overall probably the lightest pedal on the market; they offer dual sided entry so your not fumbling with the pedal to get one side up so you can hook in; they offer relaxed float so your foot will naturally find the most comfortable angle and your knees aren't as stressed, they call it non-centering free float; they got the lowest stack height of any pedal which is supposedly to give you a tad better power transfer, not sure how that works in the real world though! they also have the best cornering clearance, which isn't an issue on a touring bike anyway, but normal road bikes it could be; and the non Frog versions some have different colors so if your into matching your bike you might find a color to do that with.
The lowest cost non MTB pedal SpeedPlay is the the X/5, these cost $115. Keep in mind too that if you buy another bike and sell your current one you can transfer the pedals to the new bike and put some other cheaper pedals on the old bike.
And best of all...drum roll please...THEIR MADE IN THE USA!!! Oh my God, will miracles ever cease?