I've always sworn by Toshiba. I still have one that is about 15 years old that would still work if I replace the hard drive. That was the last thing that went out on it about a few months ago, and it still ran Windows XP fine and a few versions of Linux. HP machines overheat, and I haven't seen any improvement. I haven't had good experience with Dell at all, but I've heard Sony is okay, but expensive, as you're buying the name rather than quality.
I have always sworn against Toshiba laptops. Over the last fifteen years, I have had to deal with the laptops of friends, family and colleagues where the majority of their laptops have a myriad of problems, even after only using them for about a year or so. For me, I have always stuck with Dell laptops. With the roughly 13 or so Dell laptops I've used, only one of them had hardware issues. As you said, Sony is okay. Their hardware is quite solid, but overpriced for what you're getting. Sony can price up their hardware because of their brand name. The unfortunate thing about laptops is that you can't build your own like you do with a desktop.
My first laptop was a Toshiba and I actually liked it quite a bit. Right now I would say the best name in laptops is Asus! In fact, I think my next laptop will be an Asus, they are great
Toshiba overall does have a very sturdy product that can last for a long time. From my experience though, after a point, they do start to slowly fall apart in small ways over time. For me, the CD/DVD drive went out on me after about a year or so. I never replaced it as I just really didn't want to invest in it. I have also owned a Compaq laptop that has lasted me for a very long time as well. Overall I would say that the Compaq lasted me a whole lot longer overall than my Toshiba. Also I loved the features of my Compaq Presario much more than the Toshiba.
I have heard a great deal about Toshiba laptops and there has nothing but good reviews for them. People have generally praised their build quality and the quality of their after-sales support. After Toshiba, Lenovo is the best bet when it comes to build quality and good customer support. I have been using their laptops for a while and I have to say that I have not faced any issues.
