Unpopular opinion: I picked the $8 thrift store rice cooker over the $180 one and I'd do it again
Everyone told me the cheap nonstick one would burn within a month, but it's been 7 months of rice 4 times a week and it's still perfect. What's the cheapest thing you bought that outperformed the fancy version?
Seven months is decent but does that really prove anything? A cheap cooker working for a while doesn't mean it beats the $180 one, it just means it hasn't died yet. Take it from someone who's burned through a few "bargain" appliances, the test is year three, not month seven.