My wife has two beardies now. While her male, Kilroy, is getting a bit grumpy (I think it's hormones), he's still easy to handle. Her little female, Leila, is very mellow and no problem to handle at all. They get to be a reasonable size, smaller than iguanas but larger than most geckos, so they tend to be fairly sturdy but not so big as to be a problem.

If you contact a breeder, you can often get captive bred juveniles for as little as about $35. Pet shops tend to charge closer to $60 to $70 for the same size.