Practice is right! In our CERT fire suppression training, it was amazing how hard it was to get the fire out at times. Sometimes the fire flared UP big time when we thought we were giving good coverage with the PASS technique. Then there was the time someone attacked the fire too low to the ground and managed to blow the flaming liquid right out of the pan and onto the ground. Even if you aren't practicing with a real fire, it's good to know what the powder is going to do when you squeeze the lever. IMO it is worth the $10 for the practice extinguisher.