I have 2 Son28's and very happy with them, one on my bike and one on my Extrawheel trailer.
My second choice would have been Shutter Precision which are getting a good reputation.
They also have a good warranty compared to most of the competition.
Their weight, finish and different model options bring them closer to Sons standard than the others and the price is very competitive.
Saying that, if on a very tight budget, a vintage Sturmey Archer is what I started with and it did a great job of powering my Edelux headlight.
I might have stuck with the Sturmey had I not also wanted to charge varies items via my e-werk/cache battery combo