As with most things related to knifemaking, the view of a product is going to depend on one's experience/knowledge. That being said, I have worked with most of the Atlas forges, and based on the fact that I've had many years experience with using and building forges, I would rate the Atlas mini as a soft "OK" as a starter forge. It's obvious to me that the Atlas forges are designed and built in order to keep the cost down, yet maintain a profit margin, which is necessary if one is building forges for sale.
There are a number of things that I would personally do differently, in order to make the forges "optimum" for use, mainly re-positioning the burner holder to reduce/minimize the "hot spot" that seems to be present in all of them. Most who are just starting out with a forge would likely encounter some issues, but over time/experience, would likely learn to deal with the issues. Many beginners find them attractive because of the price, but I think it bears mentioning that the price listed for the Mini Forge is without a burner....so consider that additional cost when making your decision. I would NOT purchase the "Budget" forge, simply because of the corners that were cut to make it a "Budget" model. (burner placement/angle, and liner type),
My final recommendation is to go larger, both in the forge size and the burner size then what you THINK you need. You can always "dial down" a larger forge/burner, but once you reach the max output of a smaller model, there's nothing you can do to increase it's output.