Many professional photographers use Sandisk or Lexar cards and readers. I see both brands at places like Walmart.

I happen to have this Lexar Dual Card Reader which I bought at a photography store. I chose it because it has the best performance with the Sandisk card that is the fastest with my camera. I've only used it with SD cards, but I'm sure it's perfectly reliable with the Compact Flash cards as well.

So far, you've got roughly 2 times invested in bad readers and damaged cards as what I spent for a top line reader. Go figure.