Me, i would start with the hand press. It uses standard dies, which can be of any brand. When trying to create new loads, i used to take my pick-up camper with a scale, bullets, powder, dies, and the hand press out shooting with me. It worked good. It wasn't my first press, but it could have been. My first press was a simple Jr press, and it still works after so many many years.

We first reloaded with the old Lyman Tong Tool, and that worked, but i like using a simple press much better..

The nice thing about the hand press, is you can reload just about anywhere, without needing a 'bench'. One can load on the kitchen counter if need be, or the dining table, or a desk. My first bench, was a surplus school desk that i screwed the press and powder drop to, and also the desk was screwed to the floor.

If one starts with a hand press without a real reloading area, all the same necessary accessories can be used in the future with a bench mounted press in a reloading room, if that comes to be.

Starting with a simple bench mounted press would work just fine. However, in my opinion, it would be a mistake to start with a progressive.