fotorelic
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I've gone through many, many flash brackets. Now, I use one of three different ones, as well as bracketless, depending upon what I am shooting. The main thing that determines which one (or none) I use is whether the cast shadows will be noticeable. This is partly dependent upon whether the flash is being used direct (flash head forward), although not always. Because if the cast shadows are not particularly noticeable (as in diffuse shadows from soft lighting such as from bouncing) you can use the flash on the camera hotshoe, which is lighter and less bulky--two important things to consider if you use two cameras at once.
Some things to consider. First, actual position of the flash in relation to the camera. At first, I thought the same way as 'conventional wisdom'--it should be high and centered over the lens axis. The idea was that the shadows from the flash would be cast downward, behind the subject, making them less noticeable. An additional idea was that red eye could be avoided. Also that the image would look more 'natural', since we are used to seeing shadows cast downward (since the sun is high). And, the coverage of the flash reflector would be efficiently spread over the intended area and not offset.
In reality I found some of the above to be true and others to be false--at least, for me and the way I like my images to look. True is the fact that the flash looks more natural when it is high above the camera if the flash is the key light. I found that if used as fill, it doesn't matter--in fact, a placement closer to the lens axis fills more areas of the subject. The rest of the statements above turned out to be not entirely true for me.
Take 'centered over the lens axis'. Just by itself, when the flash is used as fill, it is nice. When the flash is used as key, I hate the 'page boy hairdo' effect it gives to a subject's shadow--as in if the subject is standing somewhat close to a wall. If I am going to see a hard shadow on the wall, I'd rather see one that is offset (plus cast downward, even if just slightly).
I also found that 'centered' doesn't particularly matter re flash coverage of the scene. Unless you are talking about a lot of space to the right or left of the center line over the lens axis, coverage seems fairly unaffected. What did matter, oddly enough, was the orientation of the flash reflector to the frame/camera. With some flash brackets, particularly ones that turn the camera, the flash head is still in landscape orientation, while for verticals, the camera is in portrait orientation. I find that in some cases, you see flash coverage fall off. This is because when the flash angle of coverage is narrowed or widened, it does so on the landscape axis. You can prove this to yourself by manually changing the flash angle of view (zoom) and firing the flash, while observing, in a darkened room. So, to give a practical example, if you are using flash as key for a processional, you may see that the upper part of the subjects are lit, but the flash coverage falls off rapidly below the waist or chest. This may not be of concern for processional images, but what if you want more even coverage on a full length of a human?
As for red eye--if you look up the reason red eye occurs, you'll realize that with the typical 'cobra style' external flash, it doesn't happen with most subject distances. At an extreme, you can still get red eye while using a flash bracket if you are photographing something far enough away that the angle is right for red eye to occur.
So--the three I use are the Custom Bracket QRS-EV (new model is QRS-E2) without the wood handle, the Stratos 1035, used backward on my camera, with the standard on the right, and a simple L bracket that I cobbled together for my own needs, again, used so the flash is to my right. For weddings, the L bracket is keep available, so I can put it on when I need it. About the only time I use the L bracket is when I am photographing outside, when I use the flash head directly forward. Most of the time, it is against bright sunlight, for fill, and cast shadows are not noticeable. If everything (ceremony and reception) is outside, I might use the Stratos. If I have any parts of the wedding that are outside at night, I might use the Custom Bracket EV with a home made beauty dish, along with off camera flashes. Otherwise, indoors, when I can bounce, I go bracketless, using the flash head the way such modifier outfits as Demb and Lightsphere recommend. I'll put the bracket on only for the parts I need it for.
Contrary to popular belief, the QRS-EV is very comfortable to use, despite being heavy. The weight actually helps steady things, and the flipping of the camera is extremely smooth and fast.
Other things to be aware of. The kind of mount that you use to attach the flash can make a difference in flash health. With flip brackets (that flip the flash), the constant flipping and weight of the flash can cause the foot to break--either the foot of the flash or the foot of the off camera shoe cord, particularly with clamp style mounts. It is better to use the 1/4 20 screw, if you can, or get the Manfrotto false foot to 'save' the flash or OCSC foot.
If you have Canon gear, and if you offset the flash, the focus assist will be off. Nikon's off camera shoe cord has the focus assist in the part that goes in the hotshoe. In situations where it matters, I use an ST-E2 so the focus assist is in the hotshoe (I have Canon gear).
I realize you're asking for reocmmendations but one thing is for sure--what others use may not be (in fact, probably won't be) what will work for you. This is definitely one of those things where you have to experiment for yourself. My best recommendation is to identify likely candidates based on how you intend to use a flash bracket and why, and then order from a place that allows returns. Use the bracket (gently) enough to know whether it is for you, and then decide.
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