I really like mine, I have several. One thing to watch out for, I've dragged stuff over mine (one is on the cutting board) and it caused the pins to pop over the edge so they were stuck on the side with Pointy End Up! And then I reached over to move it and got seriously stuck.
I've never had it automatically put the heads on the outside, they can go either way depending on how you drop them. Normally I make sure to re-arrange them so the points are all in. it's always fun when one balances straight up!
I also have several of the automotive type, they don't work near as well for straight pins, but they work great for safety pins and clips.