Salamandrine 

I can respect that opinion and Zefal HP/HPx pumps are great. I still have the one I got when I was 12 or 13.

In fairness to Silca, I feel like I should explain why they were most popular with racer types. First, they were light. That really was the main thing. I don't have the grams in front of me but it was something like half as much as a zefal. Secondly, they pumped up your tires really fast. Third of course was that they came in colors that blended in with your frame and looked cooler the an HP.

Silca frame pumps did have a learning curve for sure, and you needed to be taught how to use them correctly. By contrast Zefal were more user friendly and didn't require 'training'. Silcas also took more arm strength.

If used properly, silcas work reliably and last a long time. I used the same one for 25 years until it got stolen. For much of that time it was my main pump.

Oh, FWIW the same pump I used to defend myself from more than a few dogs. Granted I never gave one a full whack. If a water bottle squirt doesn't deter, I always found I light touch or tap on the nose with the pump will. I've never needed to actually whack a dog.