I have three different chronos, now.
When I first started, I bought an F1 Shooting Chrony (green box, no frills). Very much the lowest-cost chronograph out there at the time. All I cared about were approximate velocities, because I basically only wanted to check to make sure my reloads weren't going to kill me. This was prior to any competition shooting. On the good side, it was cheap and fairly reliable. On the downside, the readout was hard to read, the framework not particularly solid or stable, and the accuracy decent but not top-notch.
Several years later, I got a CE ProChrono Digital off a prize table. MUCH better about picking up shots in all sorts of light conditions, easiler to put together, much more stable on a tripod. Accuracy relative to chronograph data officially taken at competition matches MUCH better than the F1. After using this for awhile, and shooting the same round over both chronos at the same time (and then comparing it to match chrono data), the ProChrono was simply more accurate...and these days, those two both cost similar amounts.
That being said, currently I'm using a CED M2 setup, which comparatively speaking, is AMAZING. The M2 is what is used at pretty much every single major USPSA match to record bullet velocity data (from state-level up to Nationals), and its accuracy and sensitivity is second to none. The ability to shoot an entire string, then go back and pick up all the numbers without having to leave the bench, the ability to run calculations for quick checks immediately, the simplicity and ease of setup.....it is just easier to use, records bullet data under all sorts of light conditions, and is consistently the most accurate. (You can also connect it to various electronics for data recording and transfer, if you want.)
It also costs a lot more. I got lucky and won one in a random drawing at a match, and I love this thing.
For someone just starting out and needing a budget chrono to start with, I'd definitely suggest the ProChrono over the F1. If you KNOW you are going to use it a lot and the precise accuracy of the velocity reading is important (and you have the money), the M2 really is the way to go.
