I bought Gembird cooler for my laptop and I am not satisfied. It doesn't decrease the temperature more than 2-3 degrees Celsius. A friend of mine bought a cooler from Cooler Master and his cooler broke in a week. Can you recommend a brand and possibly a model for a laptop cooler?
Personally I like to go with Cooler Master but that's just my preference and experience. Sounds like your friend just had a bad unit or maybe installed it wrong, most people swear by Cooler Master.
I don't really think there's a "best brand" in terms of coolers. Either you'll get lucky and get one for cheap that's working great or you'll end up buying something expensive that breaks in a day or two. I personally own a Cooler Master one and I'm satisfied with it. It works pretty good and wasn't too expensive. I think he should try to get another one by Cooler Master, he most likely just had bad luck.