I've done a lot of ripping of my pretty vast DVD collection, for backups of DVDs that were getting beat up, and to have on my HD when I travel. I've used a number of programs, but the bulk have been with MacTheRipper (free) and RipIt. I got RipIt as part of a bundle, so I'm not sure of it's price, but it's very good. When MTR fails, RipIt has worked. It's become my default since MTR has gone out of circulation and development.
I've ripped several DVDs, labeled region 2, that I bought in Germany. But they've also worked in my laptop, so they might actually be region-less.
When I ordered a region 2 set of DVDs from the UK, I was unable to play them without the superdrive region change, which I shy away from. I WAS able to rip them with both MTR and RipIt. However, despite all the region stripping settings, and lots of varied attempts, I was NEVER able to rip a copy that was playable without that hard region code change to the drive.
So, in my experience, even successful rips do not always get rip of region limits. I've done a lot of online research and not found any definitive solutions. If you're successful, I'd love to hear about it. I have a big appetite for DVDs from the UK, especially, but region limits put me off.