I used a version of the alcohol based dyes in which you use the powder in combination with denatured alcohol, but I honestly couldn't tell you what brand he had. He said it came in a kit and he's had the same dyes for many years now. As far as colors, I have no idea, but his weren't named the same as the ones from Vermont Freehand. They have so many to choose from that you'd just have to pick some and roll with it. They worked really well though, just watch out for getting it on your fingers. Took like 3 weeks for it wear off mine.
Now the Fiebing liquid dye comes premixed, and from my understanding through a combination of watering it down a bit and/or sanding it down, you can make one color produce many different shades. You can also mix some to create you own color, but it would just take playing around with them to find something you liked. If I were going to buy some for my own pipe I was making, I would buy the Cordovan, and maybe one or two others, like maybe an oxblood, black, just for creating a contrast dye.
In the end, it's all about what you feel comfortable with. They don't cost too much to buy up several just to try.
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