I didn't care for ClassicStart from ClassicShell, because it looks and works differently from the Win7 Start Menu that I'm used to. Is there a skin to make it more authentic?
StartIsBack looks to be the only one in the list that looks authentic, but it will be a pay app and I didn't see in that link how much it will cost.
I had also tried another one called viStart which worked, but had many differences from the real Start Menu and also didn't uninstall cleanly, so I wouldn't recommend it. I had to use System Restore to get rid of it completely.
Start8 was great, seems 100% spot-on, it seems a pixel-perfect representation of the Start Menu. When I alt-tab between Win8VM and my Win7 desktop, I couldn't see any differences. However, I'd like to make sure there are no equally as good free options before I drop the cash because I have many PCs that would need it.