I think this is a huge factor in the encrapification of appliance markets. People can’t trust the more expensive model to not be a slightly re-skinned version of the cheapest one, so the risk is too high in investing.
Reliable information is also a problem. Most reviews are now from hours after a purchase, and can say nothing of durability, and old reviews may be for a thing that was once well-built, but after a restructuring of the company are now a visually indistinguishable copy but the guts and supply chain are totally different (Pyrex/PYREX as mentioned, etc…)
These shenanigans have tainted the market and hurt trust in the very concept of premium quality I think.
I run into this with earbuds and humidifiers most directly. I am afraid to buy more expensive earbuds because I break them so much, but I just don’t trust myself in buying more expensive ones because its very hard to find reliable information of durability, and models appear and disappear so quickly.
I must say though, when someone stole my 16" Ryobi “starter” chainsaw out of my car, it was a world of difference just stepping up to a Husqvarna for only like $200 more bucks. Gas goes further, chains last longer, fewer stalls. But the differences were immediately apparent.
