[Joe Sr.]

I have a couple better bottles and one of them is over 10 years old.  I've had no issues with it at all, although in that time I have cracked at least one glass carboy (maybe only one).

I don't use PBW but rather Oxyclean and Cascade to clean all my carboys.  A long soak in either of these does not appear to have degraded the plastic over time.

FWIW, the milk crate suggestion is a very good one.  While you're far less likely to crack BB than glass, I found the main benefit to be that you don't get the distortion of the plastic when you pick it up, so it doesn't suck in anything from the airlock.

Glass is sounding better all the time.

Glass has it's advantages, but I'm not sure I'd buy glass carboys again based on all the accidents I've heard about on-line.  I've had no issues of my own, but the BB has worked great for me so why take an unnecessary risk.

[morticaixavier]

A guy in my club found a way to reduce the likelyhood of a broken glass carboy, and to reduce the danger when one does break.

He buys the spray on plastic coating stuff and coats the bottom 3/4 of the carboy with the plastic stuff. This way little clinks are less likely to crack the glass and, as he recently foudn out, if one does break it holds together well enough to transfer the beer to another vessel

Ahh the lonely corpuscle, It may labor in vein but at least it vessels vhile it vorks.

[richardt]

If you can get over not being able to see the hypnotic fermentation process through a glass carboy or Better Bottle, then consider using plastic buckets (w/ or w/o spigots).  
I prefer w/ spigots for all bucket fermenters as it makes transfers ridiculously easy (no siphoning).
Very easy to clean (12+ inch hole vs 1.5 inch hole) w/o special equipment.
Cheap to buy and replace.
Safe--you'll never maim yourself (or worse) with plastic buckets--something to seriously consider.

Spray-on plastic coatings may cushion minor bumps and prevent cracks from developing, but I wouldn't considered it safety glass (like you have in your car's front windshield)--a dropped glass carboy full of liquid will likely shatter and cut through the spray-on coating, or break around the neck of the carboy and slice through your wrist on the way down (read somewhere where that actually happened to someone).  If you spray the whole exterior of the carboy--you might as well be using a bucket since you won't be seeing what's going on inside the carboy.

Besides, I like to tell myself that using a bucket (and being unable to see the hypnotic fermentation processs) and having faith in the process brings me one step closer to brewing like the pros (using SS conicals).

[morticaixavier]

If you spray the whole exterior of the carboy--you might as well be using a bucket since you won't be seeing what's going on inside the carboy.

Besides, I like to tell myself that using a bucket (and being unable to see the hypnotic fermentation processs) and having faith in the process brings me one step closer to brewing like the pros (using SS conicals).

One item to consider when comparing plastic v. glass is O2 permeability. Not a problem with short fermentations (< 1 month or so) but for long term bulk aging of a big beer it can be a problem. Also if you ferment in an area with unpleasant smells (garage or basement with chemicals, mold etc) the plastic can let some of that un-goodness into your beer.

The pro's don't worry about that stuff as SS is also not O2 permeable.