There's a big advantage to a smorgasbord approach of adding as many basic methods as possible to your kit over the years.
I
posted an infographic here (prepare to scroll a lot) that shows most of the popular methods, and seems to be kind of right about most of 'em.
Some methods have more variants than others -- and it's worth experimenting with the variants because you'll understand the fundamental method better by becoming familiar with what's essential to it (consistent across variants) and what's not (accounted for in the variants). Nowhere is this more true than in the case of manual pourover methods -- which, regardless of hardware, often vary further depending on the user's
technique. That's key. Method + technique -- two different things.
For example, I could probably use a French press to do a bizarre pourover (inverted? ;-) ) if I set my mind to it.
Start your collection with inexpensive but well-attested methods that will give you the most bang for your buck and plenty of room to play with the variables. When you read threads (here, Coffeegeek, etc.) that don't distill to some ideal technique with a given method, don't worry. Often the same results in the cup are achievable with very different techniques. And different methods.
Learn to enjoy the variation and learn from years of trying various things -- your brain will do much of the work almost subconsciously. You'll find yourself making judgments that aren't always informed by rational appraisal of multivariate analyses, so much as they are by a growing awareness over time about what makes a cup good (to you) and why this one in front of you is how it is.
That's what's great about this and similar crafts: reason informs practice and aesthetics grades the paper. Science and art in a relationship of utter inter-reliance.
Variety is the spice of life.
