Does the Sony Vtc5 last longer than the Vtc4?stick with reputable batteries from known suppliers, do a forum search for Baditude, he has lots of great info posted on batteries and battery safety. My personal favorites are the Sony Vtc4 but there are a lot of clones on the market. I also like the Lg He2's .
As far as rewicking or coil changing, that will depend on what tank you get, but all tanks will require that type of maintenance....this is one reason most have suggested tanks that use premade coils (like the tfv4), much easier to maintain, when the coil is done, just unscrew it, and screw in a new one, prime (allow the liquid to saturate the wick) and you are ready to go. Some of the tanks mentioned above are RTA's that require you to make your own coil and wick.
I will be purchasing the Joyetech Cuboid mod and Smok tfv4.