both will work. What's the best... mmm, it's up to you to decide. I often use The PIC as a pass-thru device and find it really handy.

But it's me. Nobody work the same way

If you have the budget and if you plan to use different EEPROM (and / or microcontroller) brands and model, an 'universal device' programmer always worth it's price... at least IMHO.