I can’t comment on whether CalyxOS should or shouldn’t be recommended, but @Breeze7846 still has a good point on affordability. Buying used Google Pixels are cheap-ish upfront, but if you account for how long they’re guaranteed to last you still run into an affordability issue because you’ll continuously need to play catch-up in buying phones more regularly. I wrote a more in-depth price comparison for anyone interested.
There was a thread on budget android hardware that didn’t reach an ideal conclusion. If Pixels are too expensive you were left with choosing between a Samsung Galaxy or DivestOS. Seeing that it’s now dead, maybe CalyxOS could take it’s place?