One other point. Some have suggested that a JR counter might be used along side of electronic counters for verification purposes, but with a Protege counter, that might pose a problem. The Protege counters require an extra revolution each time they are zeroed, to prime the counter, so to speak. (The real reason is a bit more obscure.) Depending on how often the EC is zeroed, and an extra rotation added, the two methods might not seem to agree.
By the way, I dont think cost is the central issue in selecting a counter. The real cost is the opportunity cost, and that is going to be the same regardless.