It's sort of like the UPS/FedEx debate. Whoever wronged you last is the worst supplier. For every brand, I could find someone who thinks they're junk and someone who thinks they are the best. Your better bet would be to research the technologies and see which one works best for you. All of the name brands make commercial quality printers but they all have pros and cons. See my opinion below although I invite anyone to criticize it.
Solvent Pros: Great outdoor durability, proven tech that has been used for decades, depending on use and maintenance they last 5 - 10+ years. Heads are meant to last and usually get 3-5 years out of them.
Solvent Cons: The inks are toxic, some jobs require out gassing before laminating, inks dry faster so are more susceptible to head clogging, the ink attacks the vinyl which can cause edge curling, limited to roll to roll although there are hybrid solvent flatbeds out there, they are bad.
Latex Pros: Non-toxic ink, heads are easy to replace, no out gassing so you can laminate immediately, relatively cheap machines, water based ink doesn't clog as much and is easier to recover.
Latex Cons: Color consistency seems to be an issue, heads fail much more often and are a consumable, uses a lot of heat and therefor a lot of power, more disposable than a solvent.
UV Pros: No heat or out gassing, no edge curling, can be setup in roll to roll or flatbed configurations, many more applications than solvent or latex roll to rolls, water based ink clogs less.
UV Cons: Raised/textured finish requires special laminate or heat assist laminator, inks have a short shelf life so must be used faster, new technology and therefor more expensive, parts and tech service tend to be more as well due to the nature of the machines
