There is really no BEST laptop brand from ANY company as these manufacturers all have produced "Gold" and "Lemons" in their time.
Most answers will tell you to buy "THIS" or "THAT" brand because it is the best, just remember that it is the best for THEM not for you.
Most people will tell you of a best "brand" but their actual answer is based on the MODEL they have not the entire brand and you should not judge a company by ONE model as they make hundreds of them.
This being said, here is how to do more precise research to find the best one for YOU:
The first step is to get information on the laptops that you are interested in and, as a second step, to search online at web stores (like Amazon or similar) or at retail shops (BestBuy, staples or similar) for the best deals on the ones you would really like to have based on your search.
This way, you get the best working laptops at the best prices.
As laptop specs change often, it is good to get non-vendor/non-partisan/non-groupie information so you should do some checking on these review/guide sites to help fine tune your search.
At each site, start by checking models and then compare them with others (or against each other) by choosing different options using boxes and drop down menus to customize the search and get what you want in your laptop ( there is even a way on some of those sites to look by inputting the price you are willing to pay to minimize the impact on your wallet ).
Your time will not be wasted (after all, you get all this from the comfort of your home) and you should find something to your liking and budget.
Stop 01 here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/?tag=hdr;snav">http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/?tag=hdr;snav</a><!-- m -->
Stop 02 here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/products/computers/laptops.html">http://www.pcworld.com/products/computers/laptops.html</a><!-- m -->
Stop 03 here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://review.zdnet.com/filter/laptops?categoryId=3121">http://review.zdnet.com/filter/laptops?categoryId=3121</a><!-- m -->
Stop 04 here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.notebookreview.com/">http://www.notebookreview.com/</a><!-- m -->
Good luck on your research.
P.S.: By the way, I own a Dell
but it's an older model (2002) on the way out soon (to be replaced by a still unknown brand as I will be doing research).