What are your thoughts on sprinkler and nozzle quality?

I have been thinking about this issue for a while, and was wondering if any of you would add your input.

We all know that watering products range from cheap junk to expensive all-metal  products. Would you prefer to buy one expensive product that is guaranteed to last at least 10 years, or rather buy a cheap, all-plastic product that probably will not last more than one year? If I knew the expensive product would work for 10 years, and wouldn't have to use the warranty, then I might consider going that route.  Using the warranty can be a huge hassle.  Do you usually trust products that have a longer warranty? 

For me, it would depend on the price of the products relative to their quality. At what price would you say the product is top-quality and meant to last, or do you not even look at price and just look at whether the product appears to be made well? I would say a price of $40 designates top-quality, but I wouldn't be surprised to find expensive sprinklers that fail after the first use.

I want to figure out how to tell if a product will last a long time, and if it is worthwhile to buy the more expensive sprinklers and nozzles. Thanks for your help!