Read the scientific research, this will help you make an informed and objective decision.
Yes they do work, so does the taser as used by the police.
Nearly everything you can read these days is biased.
Comes down to the old saying, that old school trainers use to justify their brutal old ways… ‘do you want a dog trained in 3 months or 3 years’.
As you have highlighted, yes they work, they work so well that it is the primary means of training the Americans use for military labradors, and the Belgians use for their malinois that are purchased by the forces all over the world.
Quick, easy, effective…. If the dog is nothing but a tool to you, with no motions, ideal.
For everything else consideration and balance is needed.
Personally I used one on my first ever dog, because I made mistakes in his initial training, and it was a seriously easy correction with a collar. He was at the stage of accept the dog would be a useless and never be able to work, or try something I would otherwise have never considered. The impact was immediate, because he knew what to do better than almost any dog I’ve ever known, but is hard headed and chooses not to.
Every dog since has been exceptional, and each one an improvement time and time again. Because now I know what I’m doing. Now the only time a dog fails is genetics, one dog is exceptional in every way but sadly just hasn’t got the nose some of my other dogs have.