Our oven toaster recently retired by refusing to light up. When I insinuated that I would bring it to the repair shop, my wife said that small appliances are not worthy to be repaired because they seem to be disposable. Oven toaster, microwave oven, pressure cooker, rice cooker, including flat iron and electric fan (as I had poste in another thread). The issue in the repair is the cost of the parts and labor such that when it breaks down again, it is like buying a brand new with the cost of the 2 repairs. This comes the idea of buying a good brand of appliance next time.
It's sad but true. Many companies make disposable products these days. They are for the short term profits, and they want repeat business more often. They used to make a quality product, and sure you'd return for the quality. They just don't want to wait so long for your return business now. Now, you'll need to replace everything sooner. It's true of small appliances, but also for larger ones. When I bought a dryer a couple of years ago, the delivery man asked how old my old one was. He laughed, and said, "Don't expect this one to last that long. They're made to be replaced in five years or less now." So, I tend to look for the best value. Not high end, but not low end. I usually find the best value in the mid range. I know I'll have to replace the item anyway, even if I spend the most. So, I pick the one that I think will last the longest that has the best price.
It depends though if you can have the item repaired at a lower cost. My aunt has just gotten her flat iron repaired by a technician on his "sideline" mode, where you don't have to bring the item to the shop directly and he will just repair the item directly by going to your house. The service fee is a lot cheaper than if you were to take the item to the shop. So in that case I think it will still be worth it to have those small items repaired.
Comparing the cost of repairs to the actual cost of the the appliance I would agree that in many cases they are actually not worth repairing. I bought an electric cooker and sadly just after two days it went bad. When I plug it the filaments won't go hot or red. I didn't keep the invoice because I didn't think I'll have any reason to return it. Then I decided to fix it to my surprise the amount to repair was 80℅ of the cost of the item. What I finally did was go for another new one a different and better brand.
