There was (maybe still is) a website that gives percentage failures per some-number-of-units-in-operation for HDs. I'll see if I can find it again.
When I last looked, Maxtor had awful ratings (like 700-ish whatevers). Most of the others were around 200, and LaCie around 60. So I bought a LaCie external on eBay, and it went on the blink inside a few weeks. When I opened the case, it was a Maxtor HD inside. I don't know if that's cos LaCie use Maxtor, or some rogue swapped them out.
My laptop has a Fujitsu and it's never missed a beat. Home is a selection of allsorts, and none have missed - but the WD one has gone a bit noisy so it's been retired. It's also the oldest HD there, so maybe age has got to it.
Addendum:
this chap doesn't seem enamoured of Maxtor.