I've had my 1080 clone (Zephyr PWS-1000TD) for almost two years now. Runs fine and is as accurate as any of the Davis systems around me. I am not knocking Davis, but $500+ is a lot for a hobby. I change the batteries (Lithium) once a year and it keeps working. The Ambient 2080 is the same basic system, so either will work.
There are a few of us out there that are not running Davis systems and I think most are just fine with it. I almost pulled the trigger on a VP2 earlier this year but could not justify the $$$ for a system that reports a little faster then the one I have. It is always a personal choice, so you have to choose the value for the dollar you want to spend.
T
I wouldn't be to shure. The PWS-1000TD or WS1080 is a great station for it's price. But in general the Vantage stations have every advantage over the cheaper units. It's not just accuracy, but reliability, durrability, and performance. The Vantage Pro2 you can add things like UV, solar radiation, leaf wetness, soil moisture, soil/water temperature, additional temperature and humidity. I mean not everyone needs those but it's nice to have the option. On screen graphing is another thing I and many like.
The forecasting of the Vantage stations is more advanced. The PWS-1000 only uses air pressure and trend. The Vantage stations use everything. Plus the VP2's ticker tape is cool.
Also, faster wind updates makes a big difference. If a wind gust suddenly hits the anemometer but comes back down before it's registered you lost that wind gust. Those PWS-1000 update every 40 something seconds in comparison with other stations on the market 40 seconds is pretty bad. That's why sometimes the Davis stations report higher winds is because they caught it while slower stations don't. Depending on budget the PWS-1000 is a great station for it's price. But if you can bite the 500$ bullet, do.