I get gel shorts everytime.
I find the shorts do last a long time, but that comes from washing in cold, then hanging dry. If I wash in warm or hot, and/or if I use the dryer to dry them, they don't last as long. I always get the Performance gel shorts. They do the job.
The downside is when they do go bad, the gel bunches up in one place, and it's a pain in the butt until you get off your butt and get some more!
Koffee