Well the first thing to decide is if you want a stamped or milled receiver. I've owned a lot of AK's of both types and in my experience the way it breaks down is,
Stamped: appreciably lighter, generally more affordable, works fine
Milled: a little more accurate and over all build quality feels more solid and substantial
Veprs would be the major exception. They are stamped, heavy and the most accurate AK I've ever shot. They're also rare and expensive, at least here in the US.
With that out of the way AK aficionados generally end up with a Bulgarian, whether actually made in Bulgaria or by Arsenal in Las Vegas. Otherwise they buy a custom AK from a builder that specializes in putting together a high quality AK from a parts kit. Polytech Legends have a good following as well. Other AK's are good too though Romanians like the WASR series have always been the least examples of the AK.
