I've had a regular Intellimouse for three years now, and it's had no problems.
I've also had a Wheelmouse Optical for two years now, and no problems with it either.
I'm currently semi-looking for a black corded optical mouse now. The two options I'm considering are the MS Intellimouse Explorer and the Logitech MX500. The one that fits my hand best, is the one I'll purchase.
In the past, I've always found Logitech mouses to be too narrow to be comfortable, but the MX500 seems to have a good design.