I use Linksys a lot, some DLink and Netgear. Besides the occasional fluke, they perform somewhat similarly on average. The only major differences are firmware options, price, and control panel features. (Of which Linksys has the best set of options)

I second Face's suggestion to not bother with range extenders if possible. Often times, loading a custom firmware (Linksys is great for this) for stronger broadcast, or getting better antennas, or trying better placement of the access point can get the range you need.