AKs are like sex--even with they're bad, they're still pretty good. As mentioned, most AKs will be functional and reliable from day one, regardless of how much you pay for them. What you pay for in an AK is fit and finish, and to a lesser extent, accuracy. No AK is ever going to be a varmint or target rifle. But the upper end ones like the Saiga conversions and Arsenals can get close to 2 MOA or better, while the cheaper ones will usually do about twice that, or a little more.
The
SARs and WASRs, as noted are all Romanian. The SAR was pre-ban and has the receiver dimples, because they were always manufactured to take standard capacity magazines. The WASR came out during the ban. The ban rifles do not have threaded barrels or dimples in the receiver because many were originally manufactured to accept single stack magazines, and converted to accept the standard capacity magazines. This can lead to mag wobble, which can be distracting but is rarely a reliability issue. Some of the earlier ones had canted front sight blocks and horrible trigger slap, but these issues are largely absent on newer rifles, many of which are being assembled with good-quality American made TAPCO G2 trigger groups. In general, these rifles are decent, reliable rifles, though fit and finish can leave much to be desired, and accuracy will not be quite what other rifles are capable of. My brother and I both bought WASRs during the AWB and have made them into project guns. We've dumped a lot of money into them learning the platform and figuring out what we like and don't like. Both rifles have been very reliable, and both have been 4 to 5 MOA guns. This will put rounds COM out to 300 yards, which is all the Kalashnikov was designed for, so we have no complaints. While the WASR is functional as is, I view it best as a project gun to be upgraded and accessorized. This doesn't sound like what you are looking for, so I might avoid the SAR and the WASR.
The
MAADI is Egyptian, as noted. They generally have good reputations, but I have no experience with them, so I'll leave that to those that do.
The
MAK-90 is a Chinese imported AK version, typically characterized by the thumbhole stock. They are usually very good rifles, though they may not accept all AK accessories because some critical dimensions are slightly off. They are, in my experience, a little more accurate than the Romanian guns, turning 3 to 4 MOA.
The
Saiga is the last of the Russian manufactured AKs. Very good quality barrels and actual Russian made receivers make them reportedly excellent rifles, esp for the money. Most have traditional style stocks, but builders such as Tromix will convert them to pistol grip configuration with your choice of furniture, or you can find instructions to do it yourself. A Saiga conversion is one way to an awesome semi-auto AK straight from the hands of Mr. Kalashnikov himself, but again, it involves some messing around to convert it, so if you just want to buy the rifle and shoot it, this may not be the best choice for you.
The
Yugos are also excellent AKs. Like their SKS rifles, the Yugo AKs are faithful and well-built reproductions of the Russian stuff, with the notable exception that they lack chrome lined barrels. Most Yugos come as kits or kit builds, and these are drying up, so the Yugos are getting harder to find and more expensive. I hear good things about them, but if you want one, you better leap on it before they disappear.
Other notable mentions would be
Vector, for a good upper/middle-class AK, or
Arsenal, for a top-tier reproduction, with the price to match. While we are on the subject of Arsenal, we should probably discuss stamped vs. milled receivers. While some milled MAK-90s and, IIRC, Yugos, exist on the market, the most popular examples of the milled receiver will be the Arsenals. When the Russians first began mass producing the Kalashnikov, it used a combination of stamped and machined parts. Later, they switched to fully machined rifles milled receivers. These rifles proved too spendy and complex to mass produce, so in the late 50s, the rifle was redesigned with a stamped receiver and adopted as the AKM, "M" standing for "Modernized." In addition to the stamped receiver, this rifle was given a simple, slanted muzzle compensator and some other small changes. It is this rifle that the Russians manufactured and exported by the millions, and this rifle that earned the AK its reputation for durability and reliability under adverse conditions. However, some feel that the milled receiver rifles, though heavier and more costly, are more durable and accurate than the stamped receiver rifles. The milled receiver was used for the Valmet and the Galil, and may be part of the reasons the Israelis have all but abandoned the Galil due to cost and weight concerns. I personally do not feel like the milled receiver rifles are worth the weight. Some of them tip the scales at over 9 lbs. If I am going to carry that much weight, I am going to carry an actual battle rifle like the FAL or M1A. However, if you are interested in a milled receiver rifle, the increase in weight may admittedly not be a concern for the typical range warrior, and Arsenal supposedly makes some of the very best. The milled receiver rifles are discernible by the large rectangular lightening cuts on the receiver above the magazine well.
Here's a pic of a milled receiver:
And a stamped receiver AKM:
Do not get a WSAR![sic] They are the worst of the AKs out there. They give AKs a bad name.
O horse pucky!
The WASR may be bottom of the barrel, so to speak, but they aren't crap and they are perfectly functional representations of the Kalashnikov capable of doing just about anything the AK was ever intended to do. And as a project gun for someone who wants to learn the intricacies of the platform, it represents an excellent opportunity to tinker, modify, and experiment. This is my WASR as I near completion with it. I have been strapped for cash lately, but it is "getting there," slowly but surely. I need only thread the barrel and Duracoat it. The rifle shoots gallon water jugs at 150 yards, easily, from field positions and chugs right along despite my best efforts to make it fail.
, once you own an ak and you like them , you'll want to own them all 
it happen to me... now i have 2 in different calibers..and i know it's not going to end there 
