I used to go through joystick like... socks. The average joystick lasted 6 months of active use with me (maybe because most of them were crap); I gave up on a bunch of makers including Logitech.
I stopped on Saitek. Saitek is great! I have two working Saiteks right now; both are very durable, largely thanks to that great little steel spring they have (squeaky as heck, but in fact I sort of like that effect).
My Saitek Cyborg Evo
Eventually I hope to get a HOTAS cougar, but it's been out of my immediate financial reach for most of the time (plus higher on my list as far as sim peripherals is a TrackIR - maybe for my birthday...)