$50 for a glorified water boiler is a bit steep. With low end Zojis, you're paying for the name and snobbery that come along with it.
Why would someone who isn't a regular rice user, want a 6 cup uncooked (12 cups cooked) machine?
Is the way to go, if you're looking for new, cheap, entry level cooker for a single person or small group / family.
Every model using the cook/keep warm switch functions by the same mechanism. There is no functional benefit to paying for a brand name, at that level. There may be some "quality of components" value, but nothing near worth doubling the price of whatever is the baseline.
If a "brand name" model is what they're looking for, this Black & Decker might be a step up in quality, and worth looking at.