I always liked Ludwig and Rogers, with Ludwig for the sound and Rogers for the build and quality. But lately I've come to appreciate Premier, I bought my first 60's Premier kit not long ago and I was going to sell it. Luckily, no one seems to want Premier, so I decided to keep them and I'm glad I did. I never realized how well built they are, I'd put them right up there with Rogers and the sound is incredible. The chroming is the best I've seen, I really love the push button floor tom legs and kick spurs.
I'd heard all the horror stores of owning a Premier kit because of the metric size heads and slotted tension rods. It's really not that big of a deal, regular heads fit on the 12,20, so the 16 is the only one I'd need to special order a head for if I ever needed one. I have a drum key that works on both the standard and slotted tension rods. I just wish that the previous owner hadn't drilled a few extra holes. I suggest if you can get your hands on one, don't let the negative talk influence your decision, they are great drums.