A good dvd burner?

[noob]

Originally posted by Warlock
I just got a Lite-on LDW-411S. It is a 4x dvd+-r burner. It also burns cd-r's at 40x. Comes with Sonic RNDX. Only $99.99. so far it has yet to burn a coaster.

I was going to get this from Dabs.com today for £84,but the 4 customer reviews there said it was crap at burning dvd-r's,only good for dvd+r's.
I really liked the look of it otherwise,how do you find it with cdr's and dvd-r's mate?Haven't got much cash for a dearer drive,so don't want to waste money on a "dog" if I can help it.
Also is it true that using a dvd drive to burn cd's more than dvd's is detrimental to it's lifespan?Doesn't make sense to me but I read it on a review site somewhere...
Thanks.