Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols
Yep, there's no gettin' around that one. PFOG is absolutely correct, of course - there is no best. And for that matter, I'm not sure there's a "worst".
A Sabian HHX (good) is better than a Zildjian ZXT (bad), and a Zildjian K Custom (good) is better than a Sabian B8 (bad), which is nowhere near as good as a Paiste 2002 (good), despite that a 2002 is also made from B8. However Sabian APX (good) are also B8 and are arguably better than Sabian Xs20's (meh), which are B20. B20 is what the Zildjian K Customs (good) are made of. Then there's the B15 Paiste Signatures which sound like angels on crack, which is good if that's your thing. (kidding, they are very good)
Those are just a few of the lines from the Big 3: Zildjian (USA), Paiste (Switzerland), and Sabian (Canada). Maybe I should say Big 4 since Meinl (Germany) are getting more market share these days.
There are Chinese made cymbals (Dream, Silken, Wuhan). These can be found for good prices, but since untrained starving children bang them out in sweatshops 16 hours a day, there's some variation, so you'll want to hand select them (I'm pretty sure I'm joking!).
Then there are the real McCoy's: Bosphorus, Istanbul (Agop and Mehmet), Diril, and some others that are hand crafted by trained professionals in Turkey. These cymbals easily compete with the Big 4. They are more tailored to the jazz crowd, but that is changing as more rock players are using them.
All this to just repeat what PFOG already told you: the best are the one's that sound best to you. They all break given enough effort!
Oh, and not to be a jerk, but "symbols" are things that have symbolic value. "Cymbals" are what I think you're asking about. If not, disregard the last hundred words or so!