Rear Shock - Air or Coil??

[C.P.]

Please respond if you ride aggressively, and like the challenge of doing drops and the "freeride" thing.
I have formed my own opinions regarding choice of rear shock, and they are based on my riding style (see above), and that I have owned both types (air and coil) of full susension bikes.
I'm trying to get more real life feedback for a friend who is shopping for his first full suspensiion bike and can do 6' drops with his hard-tail. My personal opinion, go coil, only b/c I have blown two fox float r/c shocks, and LOVE my new Heckler with the 5th Element - a combo air/coil shock. But I am 220lbs, and my friend is around 160 (Ithink). Right now it's in his opinion that the reason I blew air shocks was my weight - that's probable, but I need feedback to identify whether an air shock with a 160lb rider will hold up to drops regularly. What about the new air shocks coming out, anyone have a new Giant VT with the new Manitou Swinger rear shock? It's supposed to have 5th Element technology but packaged in an air only shock. Any other riders out there with air shocks doing drops regularly with no problems?
My friend is considering a Specialized Enduro with an fox air shock, and considers this bike and shock would be the ticket. His reason - frame is warrantied for LIFE, good point I think, but he is forgetting about the shock. Send me better advice - IE riders who have owned and ridden both air shocks and coil shocks, and tell me if my thinking is on the right track.
Please, let's not compare the"feel" and adjustment differences between air and coil, I know them, and my friend knows them, this is just a reliability question.
Give examples - real life experiences etc.
So what is it; Air or Coil???

[CouchingTiger]

If you are looking to drops and whatnot, coil, no doubt. Air is only superior for XC racing, becuase the only benefit is weight (or lack of comparatively). Modern air shocks are good but a coil will work better for bigger hits.

The Fox Vanilla is the mainstay, though the Progressive 5th element is coming on strong and is supposed to be considerably better. I had a Vanilla RC (remote rez w/ adj comp and reb) on my Bullit and my M1 came with one also. They are OK. I upgraded the Bullit to a Risse and the M1 has an Avalanche. No comparison, but they are not cheap either.

-Couch

[AGENTGRAPE]

for doing big drops and really pounding your bike coil is the way. i have a bullitt w 5th element this is awesome. i also have a gt xcr 2000 with a fox float rl i dont do real big stuff on this but in over 3 years of beating i havent had to do anything to it. it does not lose air, i weigh about 200 and have not had any problems with either. the 5th element is a far superior shock, go big go coil

[radair]

If he's going to be doing big drops regularly, coil is the way to go.

Rob (150# and an air shock owner)

[C.P.]

Thanks for your input, it is just helping to confirm my thought that my friend should be looking at a coil...