Ozone Access and HQ Apex are popular kites with beginers.

^^this^^
even older used ones

The Flysurfer Peak 3 kites are great beginner kites. They have less lift than the HQ Apex which can get a little scary for beginners in gusty conditions.

I agree that the Peaks are great, I want one myself.

But Apex are still one of the gentlest kites on the market. In years of flying them, I've only been lofted a couple times, gently, and only due to ridge lift incidents on high wind days. Landed safely every time. Be conservative with your kite selection, stay away from ridgelines, and the Apex are very safe kites.

I would warn though that if you have short arms like myself, be prepared to be annoyed at the Apex's long bar throw. It can be managed but it's still annoying.

I have not flown an apex. So I can't comment. But...I would cast my vote for either the Access or the peak. I have owned the peak 3. Very stable, very predictable, not real fast. AND you can dump almost all load from the kite by letting it flutter. Which I think would be a huge selling point for a beginner. Also the Reefline set up on the P3 is excellent. Not just for safety but for landing and packing up. As for the access. I don't own one. But I have spent some time attached to one. I like to compare it to flying a giant pillow. Haha. Slow, stable, predictable, great first kite IMO. Although...I will say this. As you progress in your flying skills and you will. Both kites will eventually leave you wanting more. BUT...only one of them would I keep simply as a stable high wind kite. I would probably eventually pass the peak on to someone else. The Access, however especially a newer model with the reride setup would probably stay in my quiver permanently. That's my 2 cents for what it's worth