I registered just to answer your question! (I've been lurking for a while.)
I love my hot rollers, and use them all the time. I have a relatively cheap Clairol set, nothing fancy. My hair is straight and thick, and doesn't hold a curl particularly well. What I like about the hot rollers is that my hair is a lot fuller, and as you mentioned, it's fast. It will probably take you a bit to learn how to use them, but once you do, you can have your head rolled in pretty short order. Then you can do other things (brush teeth, put on clothes, etc.) while your hair curls. Very handy!
Gwynn F.