This one is just a GOOD hardware story - they're getting rarer.
Recently a machine with some drive problems was given to me to fix, and it had a failing Quantum Fireball CX in it. I was a bit worried about the nature of any warranty as I knew that Quantum had been absorbed by Maxtor but they were excellent about it - they honored the warranty replacing the drive with an improved model and it was delivered in a few days. It couldn't have been any smoother.