My carb hierarchy:

Edelbrock: Good for drivability and around town. Down on horsepower when compared to other brands.

Holley: 3310 750cfm vacuum secondary used to be my default carb for a mild street 440. They make good power and get good mileage almost out of the box. I've gotten 14mpg on the highway at 70mph with 3.23's and ran 13.5's at 104mph with a VERY mild combo, stock intake and horrible 60 ft. time. 9.5:1 CR.

Demon: Yes, they had quality control issues there for a while when Barry Grant still owned them (metal shavings) but they are a good carb. I got ahold of a Speed Demon and it's starts and idles when cold much easier than the Holley. According to some of the dyno tests in the archives it flows better and makes more power than all but the best aftermarket carbs as well. I'm very happy with it and wished I'd tried one sooner!