I'm curious about the durability thing I see come up with many can-buyers...

How is this measured, and how is that measurement applied to one's actual use?

I suppose the irony is that the perceived tradeoff of "durable" is light weight,and that those who might actually need increased lifespan are also those that are likely to benefit from the reduced weight.

for the VAST majority of can buyers they buy the can, do a few round dumps when it shows up, realize it is heavier than they thought, louder than they thought, dirtier than they thought, and hotter than they thought, and stick the whole thing back in the safe until they decide to trot it out to impress someone on the range.

There are a VERY few people that shoot/train with a can on the gun all the time, and I know of several that have Ti cans that they haven't had issue with. Then there are another VERY few that hunt with the can (where legal) wherein I suppose the added weight/length/bulk/heat/etc. aren't a big deal.