The age-old debate

So both my laptops are old and it is now officially time to upgrade so I have been looking into switching to a Mac because I hear that they are infinitely better and also I just love the way they look (not a good reason I know)n I've been spending some time researching the pros and cons and plan on actually going to the store to talk to real, live, breathing, people about it but I just wondered does anyone have any input? Also, am I the only one who's a little freaked out by the MacBook Air? I am pretty rough with my machinery and though it looks absolutely amazing I am afraid I'd snap that puppy in half withing hours of purchasing it. Is this a legitimate fear, should I go with the more durable looking (and slightly more hefty) plain old MacBook? TELL ME PEOPLE I NEED TO KNOW!