Coil or air fork?
 

I ride an 06 Fisher Piranha hardtail. The left spring on the Manitou Axel fork blew out(leaving a nice scar on my ribs). That being a coil, i've heard of air shocks failing as well. The Manitou that blew out was put back together and is still ridable. I need to upgrade. I am looking into the Fox Vanilla(coil) or Talas(air) fork. Which is more durable: air or coil forks and any other fork suggestions(not a new bike either)?

I have the Vanilla RLC and my wife has a Talas Float RLC...she likes the adjustable travel, I like keeping it simple...no pump, checking pressure, adjusting sag

Both are great forks...durable, plush, Vanilla sqeaks occassionally, though, especialy with a slower rebound

In theory a coil fork should prove more durable as there is one less seal involved.

In practice, either of those forks should be just fine.

It all really depends on what you prefer the feel of. Personally I prefer the feel of a coil sprung fork. I also think that coil is a bit more durable.

Some please correct me if I am wrong. A coil for is for more rougher stuff, such as DH/FR. An air fork is more used to save weight so XC, and the stronger ones maybe DJ/AM.