If you’re new to fireworks then you’re probably shopping for roman candles because this is a traditional and well-known type of firework.
However, for aerial and multishot effects you would normally start with cakes and barrages, since these offer a greater range of effects, greater duration and better value for money.
That said, candles are useful for low noise effects (their small bore size is ideal for coloured star effects and crackling comets) and they’re easy to set up in a V shape for something visually different.
For those that are curious, the main technical difference between candles and cakes is simply this: In a candle you would have a tube with multiple shots stacked vertically in that tube, with an internal fuse running down that ignites them in turn. But in a cake, you would have just one shot per tube. So an eight shot candle would have one tube with eight shots in it. An eight shot cake would have eight tubes, each with one shot. In terms of actual effects, both of these configurations could create an identical looking display.