DVDDecrypter will also permanently remove regional coding and copy protection, when you rip the dvd to your hard drive. And yes, rip it in File mode, not iso.
Don't think you need anydvd unless you're trying to play different region discs than your drive will play. (i dont use it anyway!!)
Personally I use Pinnacle's Instant Copy... very good quality results, dead easy to use, if a little slow. Ive tried CloneDVD2 and yes it is simple and very quick, but its only a one pass encoder as far as i'm aware so you're sacrificing quality a bit. It's very noticible on the longer movies.Haven't used DVDShrink, but my mate uses it and raves about it and he's a bit of a perfectionist, so I may give it a try.
Just my 1/2 penny's worth