There may be premium versions that are high quality, but too often the premium version is made with planned obsolescence as well these days. There’s generally no way of knowing if you’re paying extra for quality of for the privilege of showing off the money you spent
Looking for commercial type products and checking the website for parts/manuals can go a long way. Doesn’t always guarantee that those parts will still be available in a decade or two, but it shows the company at least making an effort to support those products. You’re paying up front though, that commercial product can be 5-10x the cost of the equivalent consumer model. Heck, sometimes people still buy those consumer models because it’s a lot easier to justify a $100-$200 price tag every, even if you expect to replace it every few years than $1000+ up front.
Exactly. As an aquarium hobbyist there is a massive price difference between pumps. Something with the same specs on paper can cost €50 for a cheap brand vs €250 voor a top brand. But the top brand sells parts online and has manuals listing all the parts and serial numbers . They are also available after 20 years and run more quiet and reliable overall. The cheap or nameless pumps are made to throw away when they malfunction, which they do in a few years.
The nasty part is that there are brands which charge top dollar and pretend to be top but sell you crap anyway
