The long corded one is great for me, as I use 55 gallon drums with just 2 very small openings at the top. No way i could reach my hand let alone my arm in there with a pen to check it. I just drop the probe in, 5 seconds later I've got my reading. And then I use it to check the solution I'm giving my soil plants.
The Milwaukee also has a nice little lanyard on the unit u can slip on your wrist, so you wont drop it in your water!
Its also very very simple to calibrate. With the supplied solutions you just dial it in, takes about 3 minutes!
Also if your probe breaks, you can just get a new one as it simply plugs right into the main unit! No bumbling with small electrodes trying to replace them.
As for reading temperature, shouldn't be to hard to find a thermometer.