I am interested in hearing from anyone who has information about keyword research tools and really interested in opinions and any other information like an affordable easy to use UI, thanks,.
It really doesn't matter. Use your head, provide a needed service/product, have good content, and you are good to go. In the end, all of those tools use Google, so why not start with them?
There are many good ones, and most of them costs money (except for Google Keyword Tool). I have tested WordTracker and it was awesome, but I ended up with using Keyword Country (and so far I am very satisfied with the results).
If you just do careful research, you won't have to use paid keyword search tools. You can just Google AdWords, analyze which keywords are relevant for your site and also check on the keywords being used by your competitors. It is also important that you know how to play with the keywords that you have found suitable for your site. Be more specific with your keywords. Add your location. That way, you will have more targeted traffic coming in to your site.
Does Google Adwords cost? I had done some research and unless I am not reading correctly - there is a cost. Thank you,