Durametric vs PIWIS vs PST2: Which one is the best value?

[99 Boxcutter]

I'm trying to decide which diagnostic tool to get.

Is the factory Porsche tool worth the price? I hear that you can do just as much and even more with a Windows computer and a cable. I've also heard about these $40 Chinese knock-offs, but I've never actually seen one, so I wonder it they even exist.

In addition to diagnostics, I need the feature where you can dissable things like the spoiler going up and down.

[JFP in PA]

Let's put it this way:

PIWIS - There are no legitimate PIWIS units for sale, Porsche only leases them, starting at around $18K for the first year, and even at that has some features disabled. Most of the oriental knock-offs are not even remotely a PIWIS, but rather a clone of an old and no longer supported Durametric software system.

PSTII - Somewhat out of date, it cannot access systems on newer cars that did not exist when it was in use, and runs on a now dead operating system. Even at that, you will still lay out a couple grand to get an old computer with the system on it.

Durametric - Not as capable as the PIWIS, but one Hell of a lot cheaper at less than $300. Still under active development, updates come out regularly which add new features and correct bugs. Comes in two versions, the Enthusiast will only work with three VIN's and cannot do everything that the Pro version does (coding, activating systems), and the Pro version has no car numbers limitations, but at more than twice the price.

And as for the spoiler, you really don't need any of these, just disconnect the damned thing.