Mine last and last. I have one Joye 510 from E-SmokeyTreats that I got in Sept '09, and its still in rotation, although its resistance has increased some so its best on my 5V. Most of mine that I no longer use much are because at some point I permanently clogged them by hard-vaping on them when they were starting to clog, overheating and thus warping the coil-bed so that the airholes become blocked, and cleaning does not help. So now when they start getting boggy, they go into a container for eventual cleaning (polydent method).
I only use Joye 2.5 ohm 510 attys, no LR or other brands. At one point in late '09 I bought a bunch of attys from Totally Wicked. And here it is half way through '11 and the vast majority of them are still in their wrappers. I will likely never have to buy more ever.
I think the biggest danger to attys, save for LRs on HV, is noobs obsessively poking and prodding them, using high-pressure water or air to clean them, carelessly dewicking or debridging them (killed several that way myself, delicate surgery!), or otherwise abusing them. The less you do with them the better.
I vape only VG juices, and some are rather thick. Thick does not per se clog attys, but some dark juices will over time, especially tobacco juices, due to high particulate content of some of them. I have some unthinned juices that I drip with and no clogging issues at all. I have some tobacco juices that clog no matter how thin I make them.
I also think that 3.7 - 5V under load is actually much healthier for a standard atty than the original 510 battery 3.2V. More heat will vaporize the juice better, less gurgling and floods, as long as if it starts to get sluggish you set it aside for cleaning.
And BTW, my Boge cartos last a very long time too.
