Thumper
Autocross Champion
Details as to why? Or just, "Ferraris are better than Corollas... even though they both get you from location A to location B"?
Well, the cheapo cables don't have software, the software in Lite version from Ross-tech costs $99 bucks. So, you're already at about $150 for an eBay cable and the software.
Then you have the issue about SOME knockoff cables burning out the USB port on your laptop. That's always nice.
Then the additional issue of the Lite software only being registered for 1 computer. The real cable has the activation inside it, so you can use it on any computer and all you want. The Lite software holds the activation because the cable can't so it's computer specific.
So, if your laptop dies or Windows corrupts (that'll NEVER happen! LMAO) then you get ONE more activation for free, after that, buy new software again.
There are lots of parts you can use replicas, or non-OEM solutions. in this case, the original deal is the ONLY real choice.