The spectacular failures in these products that I've seen in the last decade were all skimping.

In the case of a refrigerator, the manufacturer undersized the motor, probably to meet some efficiency standard. The previous years model had an adequate motor, which worked much better.

I've also seen cases (Whirlpool refrigerators) where they included a rubber nipple that was too narrow, and would either freeze up and clog with biofilm. End result was icing of the condenser and evaporator. (Here's a description of the problem: https://partsdr.com/blog/w10619951-updated-drain-tube-fix-ki... )

I know that weight makes a big difference when shipping parts or complete machines. So the cost of shipping magnifies when you use heavier materials.

Perhaps when we buy applicances we should just choose the heaviest one.

I remember when I disassembled a VCR I was suprised to find a lead weight in it.

Presumably to help dampen vibrations from all the spinning parts?

Definitely, you'd have bits rattling around otherwise, and maybe even some harmonic issues. Even if it wasn't a noise issue, it would probably wear out the tapes a lot faster, and lead to more jams.

Then of course, you have Beatz headphones, which really are the next best thing to a scam.

You're probably correct. At the time I thought it was done to make it feel higher quality.

If that becomes a popular rule then unfortunately it's fantastically easily gamed.