Yes, you can buy cheap used PLC's or cheap off brands maybe. But last time we bought third party programming software for a Siemens PLC, it cost my company $899. And last time we bought Rockwell A/B software, it cost a couple grand. I would not say either is easier to use than PicBasic, but maybe PLC Direct or some other brand is cheaper and easier to use, I just never have been exposed to them.
But if you really like ladder logic, you might like this. It is free. I never got around to trying it, but for anyone familiar with ladder logic, it might be just what they need.
http://cq.cx/ladder.pl
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