How can you beat that kind of value? My roommate left a cheap one when he moved out five years ago and I use it at least twice a week. It feels like it will never die. My go-to is just dumping in rice, a can of black beans, some salsa, and water, then hitting cook. It makes a huge amount of food for almost no money. What kind of beans do you usually use with yours?
My old rice cooker actually died after three years of light use. The nonstick coating started flaking into my food, which felt pretty gross. I switched to just using a regular pot on the stove because I got tired of another appliance taking up space. It takes a bit more watching, but I don't miss having a single-use gadget.