I've had half dozen Kobos and I still have one of them. The others are still being used by my neigbhors and friends. I've also had about a dozen Kindles, 4 of which I still own and the rest are being used by neighbors and friends. None has ever broken or become defective in any way. All are still in regular use.
Also a number of my neighbors have Kindles and Kobos they've bought themselves and all are still just fine. Most are many years old.
I have no doubt they can be broken but it sure ain't common around here. Maybe it's something about the quality of the Arkansas air.
Barry