I agree with everyone saying to avoid them. But, that really depends on what you want to use it for. I pretty much use it for the same reason you were discussing (to run multiple pieces of gear into a soundcard). My soundcard is a M-Audio Delta-44 so I have a bit more stereo gear than stereo ins. However, when I play live, I need the mixer. I almost consider the Behringer mixers kinda like Gemini DJ mixers. They are often cheap as hell in comparrison to some other brands but you are truly getting what you pay for. I'm a bit of a clutz so my gear often gets abused which is why, when it comes to mixers and such, I prefer to go the cheapo route so when I **** it up, it's not quite as painful and I'll hopefully be able to fix it myself. Avoid the FX units. They'll be much pricier but just as brittle. If you need FX for your outboard gear, look into picking up a separate FX unit. That way, if the board goes, you don't lose the FX with it.