Hah yes pine is pretty infamous for denting easily. I actually received a pine desk surface today that I'm staining/oiling. It's nicer quality pine than what I used for the skirting boards by far and seems pretty tough so far. I could probably give it a properly tough surface by using a two-part plastic finish (like the sort of stuff they use for bar-tops), but I've never used it so I'm sticking with Danish oil for this, as I can always sand it back and refinish it if it gets truly dire.

I like working with pine, particularly because it's cheap enough that you can make mistakes when learning and not feel too bad. But it is much more variable than other woods, I find, and the species vary by country.