Colorimeter Recommendation

Spyders always had a somewhat bad reputation in some circles, I don't really know why. It's probably a holdover from the Spyder 1 and 2, but from 3 on it has been consistently good. I've used dozens of different colorimeters over the years, Spyder and x-rite, and they have all performed well.

The one that was decidedly off compared to others was a unit from a Spyder Express edition. I suspect that they "dump" units that don't meet specs in this inexpensive range.

Personally I prefer the i1 Display Pro, which I'm using with Eizo ColorNavigator software. The i1 has dichroic glass filters that don't fade, and also a lens system that makes it less vulnerable to stray light and leakage. It is also known to have very high inter-unit consistency.

I haven't used the software from Datacolor or x-rite in a long time. DisplayCAL is generally highly regarded. I tried it a while ago, and was impressed by the wealth of options - although it's easy to get lost.

These are Colorimeters and thus measure through Red, green and blue filters.  One of the key things to note using this method to calibrate a diaplay is that those filters must coorespond with the filters in the LCD or OLED colors etc depending on display type. 

That said both do a great job on commercial high end 21bit LCD displays.  There are differences in features that may or may not apply to your specific circumstances.  For Example Datacolor can calibrate all monitors to match a standard monitor.  Where that can fail is if you have displays that can achieve a higher white point than an older display.  Well then All displays must go th the lowest display. 

X-rites system is the one I have used in the past but today I use an i1Pro2 because I have those for print calibration.  No real winners here, just two companies that make very good solutions.  Choose based on the price/ features that fit your needs.