I would go for a Toshiba, not the best looking things but they...

I would go for a Toshiba, not the best looking things but they are very reliable, I have had two for many years that have never needed to be fixed, Dell is also quite well regarded, avoid Sharp and Acer as they often have had problems such as screens flickering on and off (very annoying).

Finally don't be tricked into buying the lightest (most expensive) model unless you really need it.