I've only had one programmer, the AVR Dragon. Works fine, USB, under $50, programs most 8-bit chips under 32k. Does ISP, HV, JTAG, and Debug. Seemed like the best value.
What you get in the box... Just the basic circuit board. You get no cables, jumpers, Ziff socket, only the minimum of headers installed, no manual or documentation. Keeps the cost and clutter down, you configure it to best suit your needs. Most of the stuff is easy to find, might have on hand. Documentation comes with AVR Studio, a free download, and the programming software.
There are some USB ISP programmers I've seen on the web, that look good, and can be built cheap, if price is a concern. Can dig up a link or two.