Help me decide on a display calibration tool

I think my next purchase needs to be a display calibration tool, but I'm having trouble finding a good comparison of the different brands and models. Even Spyder's website doesn't seem to have an easy-to-read chart of the differences in features in their models. I see a lot of posts about "I bought ABC and it's good" and "I bought XYZ and I like it" but rarely do people elaborate on the specific reasons for their choice.

My only must-have requirement is that it must work on multiple computers: I have a MBP laptop (no external monitor yet, though one is on my wish list), and my wife has a Mac Pro with two Cinema displays. We also have a rarely-used iMac. I'd like one device that will work on all my Mac displays.

I probably SHOULD have something that will auto adjust screen brightness based on ambient light levels, as I have big windows near my workspace. I think the MBP laptop will already sort-of do this - maybe using the built-in camera at the top of the display?

I'd like to keep it under $100 or maybe $150. I'm OK with used gear or last year's model.

Thanks.

i went with spider4 pro...
and too use a laptop and found out that laptops (while some can) are not really setup to be calibrated for photo editing..

i ran through the entire process and i think it looks worse now.. however my desktop looks peachy...

I went with the i1Display Pro by X-Rite and it worked awesome

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …EODIS3_i1Displa​y_Pro.html

I have tried spyder and xrite. I prefer the xrite and hate the spyder. Just a preference.

I calibrated my new monitor for the first time yesterday. I used the Colormunki Display. It took about 10 minutes and was very easy.
I had 2 displays (each took 10 minutes) to calibrate. One is a standard 24 inch Dell display, the the other was a 24 inch TN display. They are not exactly 100% the same, what I did notice is they have a lower luminosity. It took me until today to become used to it, now I do not even notice it.
It does seem to be easier on my eyes as well.
I plan on doing some printing, and I wanted to have as easy a time of it as is possible, hence the calibrating.

I went with the Spyder3 Elite because it could adjust the luminance of the iMac screen to a specified setting. Color was seldom a problem with the Spyder2 I have but the luminance was a PITA. Seems to be well under control now although my screen brightness is down to well under 50%.

cameronrad wrote in post #14546539
I went with the i1Display Pro by X-Rite and it worked awesome

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …EODIS3_i1Displa​y_Pro.html

I went with this one as well. It's pretty simple to use and has quite a few features and youtube videos on how to calibrate your equipment as needed.

Thank you for all the input. Haven't decided yet.

It seems that everyone who replied is pretty satisfied with what they chose. Is anyone out there NOT satisfied with their choice of calibration tool?

I'm thinking one of the kits with the X-Rite ColorChecker and either the ColorMunki or the i1Display Pro might be a good idea, for precise calibration of not only the display, but the images themselves. I'm working towards specializing in product photos, so I'll need accurate colors for every step of the way. Not just balancing between the monitor and the printer, but beginning before I even take the first photo of the subject.

That's going a bit over my intended budget, though.

A color guru recommended the Spyder 4 to me for use with my Dell LED monitor, it works well and it's cheap.

I just purchased the Spyder Pro 4 after having used the Spyder 3. Both work well for making accurate calibrations, although the Spyder 4 clearly has incorporated major changes into the process (no more adjusting RGB sliders with LCD displays), as well as providing some interesting info (analysis of your monitor vs various standards such as sRGB, Adobe RGB).