[RJ]

"The best" would be Plextor. It is also the most expensive, as already said.
LiteOn is the best bang for the buck. Very good quality and pretty cheap.
Sony wasn't the best (their drives didn't support bitsetting) and they don't make drives anymore. Sony branded drives are .. as far as I know they're currently rebadged LiteOns.
HP also doesn't manufacture their own burners. I own a HP and it is an excellent drive (rebadged Ricoh). The successor, a rebadged NEC, was bad. The current one, as well as the original NEC drive, is a good drive.

But I'd go for Plextor if you want to spend the money or choose the LiteOn.

RJ