I love my Zojirushi. I got it at Costco last month.

We have a basic 3-cup model that we love. It has a non-stick insert that makes it very easy to clean. Takes 20 minutes, so rice is done by the time I'm done cooking the other parts of dinner. Cost about $30.

I think Zojirushi is the top of the line brand, but I have an Aroma that I bought at Costco probably 15 years ago and it still works great!!

Love my rice cooker. It is a cheapo from Marshall's. It's still going strong after two years.

Zojirushi -- can't go wrong with any of their models (even the basic ones).

love it! Ours has a delay start, so I can fill it in the AM and come home to cooked rice. Since we prefer brown rice and wild rice, this is huge. A friend has the same one and uses it almost daily in the winter to make steel cut oatmeal.

Ours is no longer available, but it is an Aroma 6 cup. Probably most similar to this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-ARC-914D-Cooked-Digital-Steamer/dp/B007WQ9YNE/ref=sr_1_20?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1340036178&sr=1-20

I'd look for a delay timer and white rice /brown rice setting. And then the right size. A lot of them are huge (20 cups of rice???). We rarely make more than two cups. But that obviously depends on what their dietary habits are.

If so, which brand?

Buying one as a gift for someone who's requested it, but no experience myself, so any recommendations appreciated. Thanks.