The only dev board you need is a breadboard and some parts. Much more versitile and you can many different projects laying around that you are working on for minimal cost.

I have a serious programmer, a PicStart+, at least it is in the price range of a serious programmer. I got tired of the ZIF thing and the adapters for ICSP. Maybe if I did production work I would look at if differently.

With the basic PicKit2 all you need is a 6 pin header that can be plugged into a breadboard or made into the finished PCB if you want to tweak things later.

We all have different ways of doing things or different needs. In the end you have to figure out what works best for you.