I had similar experiences to the OP when I first used them, swore them off for a while and gave them a shot again a few years ago. Only one puncture since and that piece of flint would have flatted any tube. I've found the most important trick being to stuff the tube well into the tire before rolling the tire onto the rim. They're otherwise super easy to pinch and can lead to the blowouts described.
Once sorted, I feel they really do roll better and have them on all of my bikes now, except for tubeless on the gravel ride.