Seems like a thread better placed on the main ODD forum.

Is it external USB or IEEE 1394 or internal slim that you want? A DVD burner specifically for laptops mean an internal drive, not half-height but slim (about 9mm thick.) If you want external that has one's own power supply, there are basically two options:

1. slim external
2. external case + HH internal drive

Slim external drives are the most expensive because they are like internal notebook ODDs + portable case and power supply. Matsushita, Toshiba, LG, Samsung, etc. make notebook DVD burners. For HH form-factor external, visit the great external enclosure thread. There's no DVD burner that can withstand any punishment. If any, they are all fragile because they rotate very fast and the disks themselves are very large.