I have a 120 GB external from them (had it for almost 2 years) and it works great. Only complaint I have is that I hate having to plug it into an outlet and then plug it into my computer in order to power the thing up. I'd much rather have an external that just plugs into the computer and can go
brand doesn't matter it's the individual unit. there are companies which sell good units of one variety but bad units of another. Quality can even vary based on revision. as for your question I have no idea since you failed to include a model number.
lacie is typically extremely reliable. as far as i can tell, it's the standard (as long as its not cheapo).