I do not have any real-world scanner knowledge except to plug in a basic reader which is not getting the job done. I have looked at many scanner types from device specific, phone types and laptop types. These run the gamut from $50 into the $1,000s. I want to keep the cost to a minimum and get all features. I have a laptop and like the idea of using it because of the larger screen size. That is a plus in my book. I've come across 2 and there may be others that have a good price/features. The first is not what I want but seems to check the boxes for cost and features. It is Topdon, Topscan and has bidirectional with quite a few tests. It is for a phone but the price is super low. The one I'm leaning towards is Appcar, DiagFCA and is licensed per vehicle. I don't mind this as much because I don't work on a lot of different makes and models. It requires an ELm device, and I purchased one to use with Fords FORSCAN. I cannot find many YouTube videos that use DiagFCA. Their website brags that this is as close to a dealership product as you can get. That is the same thing I found about the Ford, FORSAN. I guess I'm asking if these would be worth the $50-$100 cost or is there something even better. I need to learn how to open and close circuits and valves, graph, bleed ABS, all the good stuff.

 

Another option is OBDLink MX+ and AlfaOBD. Here's my experience. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...ogramming.html

Considering the diagnostics ability and the tweaks that I have made to my truck without having to go to a stealership, I would say that it was worth the money and that it has paid for itself.