i asked on a different photography site for recommendations and wound up buying the Colormunki as a result. I can't compare it to the Spyder, but like others above, this device has not failed me and it has been easy to use, calibrating my monitor and profiling a series of papers on my printer.
One nice job it did for me was to profile a matte paper I picked up at the liquidation sale of a professional print shop. The paper was loose and carried no brand name, but it is a very nice, warm, substantial paper. It is now my go-to paper for B&W prints. I don't know what I'll do after my substantial supply runs out (I must have about 300 sheets), but the Colormunki made this paper for me.