Heatpump water heater will save energy, but more parts to break. I'm sure it can be engineered to be reliable, just not sure by whom...
My big open source work has to do with 3D printed robotics and computer vision. I designed this robot which is CC0 open source. I am using it for computer vision research:
There’s also countries all over the world who don’t have these regulations, and would appreciate good quality plans for useful appliances.
A lawyer told me once that open source code used in a nuclear project could maintain liability for the original author, but I can't find any evidence to support that. The Paris Convention seems to place strict liability on the nuclear operator with no mention of such an exception.
My router- I'm using an Asus NT-16[1] with EasyTomato for several years, and it's working flawlessly. I know others are using Pfsense also, which seems to work great for geeks.
I have an old iPod 5.5 gen running rockbox, an open source firmware.
I also use OpenVix[2] firmware, flashed onto a set-top box capable of DVB-T2, DVB-S and more (this model[3]) which also works great. The interface is similar to Sky commercial STBs, and there are ways to reorder and group TV stations with external editors. Therefore, its UI is on a par with commercial providers, and it's extensibility and flexibility is way ahead.
My experience with open source firmware is great, it's stable, secure, you potentially avoid unnecessary e-waste, and you're not locked into a manufacturer that might discontinue support for the device, so it would be very exciting to see this extended to white-goods appliances also.
[1] https://www.asus.com/Networking/RTN16/
There are only four manufacturers who sell hybrid heat pump / electric water heaters in the US. Other brands are rebadged.
Namely:
Rheem, AO Smith, Bradford White, and Stiebel Eltron
All four brands offer 10 year warranties.
Heat pump water heaters have very slow recovery rates compared to gas, so I would buy the largest unit you can fit. That's usually 80 gallons, but they are very tall (due to the heat pump) so it depends on the space.
UEF varies from 3.3 to 3.7, and prices range from $1700 to $2400. The lowest TCO is a Rheem unit at an estimated $3310 over 10 years (purchase price + electricity).
Rheem is currently ahead of the others on efficiency and Stiebel Eltron is probably going to be difficult to find service for in the US. The other two are middle of the pack.
There were more robust consumer appliances on the market, and they were mostly pushed out of the mainstream as consumers greatly preferred to buy value engineered products at a fraction of the price. You still can buy more robust products, but they don't exist at the value-engineered prices people now expect.
Look up the prices of mid-century appliances and adjust for inflation. Let's use a simple toaster for example, because they haven't changed much in design or function:
https://www.atticpaper.com/proddetail.php?prod=1957-ge-toast...
That's $280 in today's dollars.
If you look at similarly priced toasters today, you probably get a better toaster now than you did then:
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/avatoast-thd27240-heavy-dut...
But nobody buys these for home use because the ROI will never pay off. A series of $20 toasters over a lifetime will never catch up to the initial investment of a more robust toaster. Plus, people like having new stylish appliances as trends change.
TL;DR: people say they want reliable appliances, but they actually don't.