I have a Sony Vaio right now and I would probably get another Sony Vaio laptop when this one is done.
For me its tough to say which i like the best... Ive own Dell, HP, Compaq, and my newest is Acer and so far believe it or not Acer is what I like the best out of all of them. It doesnt come with a lot of bullshit programs on it and its really decent specs on it for decent price. Dell I hated the worse dont ask why its just going to piss me off lol.
I had owned 2 Toshiba laptops..I guess I like them..(last one was stolen) The other trusted brand I would get is HP or Dell as I have their desktop computers. Sony to me seem a little over rated and over price. I would prefer a Mac one day, but it is not much needed at this point, logic gets in the way.
Sony Vaio is the laptop that I dream of having. I have had so many friends tell me that they were great when it comes to performance. I have used a Dell in the past, there isn't any complaints on them either.
That depends on your budget and the purpose for which you are going to use your laptop. I recommend Sony vaio, HP or Dell in the descending order...
Currently using Compaq Presario V3000 and thinking to buy Sony Vaio (yesterday visited one Sony Vaio Outlet ). DON.