I am not a big fan of egg shakers in general, because usually I don't like their sound..it can be very pitchy and brisk. Nevertheles I like egg maracas more beacuse they are easy to handle I do not know why, maybe it's because of the handle that I found them more stabile in my hand...in my opinion they have a better sound than an ordinary egg has (I practically never use them as maracas, really holding the hanlde, it is because when I cover the most of the egg with my hand they achieve a better sound, so they get more dims). For a begginer that is in the process of learning different kinds od rhythm, maracas are perfect.