Durability of Slimline Laptop Burners?

[TastyNutz]

I have an Inspiron 5150 notebook which I love. It's fast, stable and dependable (it even survived a major water spill a few months ago). I added an NEC ND-6650A to complete the package, and life was good... Until I started reading the forum and saw Chewy recommending that this burner be used sparingly to avoid wear. Now I'm paranoid.

So, I'm wondering, how fragile is my drive? Did Chewy mean ALL slim drives, or this burner in particular?

I paid around $75 shipped for my 6650A, which is half again what a good USB burner costs. But I have enough stuff plugged into my notebook and paid more to help avoid more clutter. Now I'm concerned whenever I use it. It kinda feels like having new tires on your car, but letting it sit in the driveway to avoid wearing them out.

[Chewy]

That's probably the top rated laptop burner, very dangerous to flash.
I have never seen anyone get a lot of use out of any laptop optical drive tho.
Of course I am prejudiced against using laptops for digital video work, desktops make a lot more sense.