I generally use "appliance" for everyday domestic machines like clothes washers,

etc. "Gadget" is an informal word I use to describe many different devices, often
ones that I'm unfamiliar with or wish to disparage slightly. For some reason, I tend
to use "gadget" for small, complicated things. "Device" is the most neutral of these
terms to me, and it's a word I would use for almost any machine or piece of
electronic equipment. "Device" sounds pretty formal to me, and I generally use it in
formal contexts.