When you check the weight and quality (heavy aluminium coated steel, spring loaded ball and socket expansion joint at the front) of Honda original exhaust against the normal ones supplied by Quik-Quid (sorry quikfix) and their like you can see why they last so long, another thing is that the CAT has made the exhaust fumes and condensate less corrosive than they were in pre-cat days. Cheap ones tend to have a swivelly joint at the front (to allow it to line up) that goes solid once bolted up, and is normally bedded in with some kind of cement to stop exhaust gas leaking out.
Only comparable ones are stuff like Bosal, just like car batteries if you buy by weight you can't go wrong.
what kind of exhaust you fit when one does break is normally down to how much warning you had (they sometimes sound a bit blowy or 'chuffy' for a while before they finally let go and you have time to get it looked at and order a decent one, otherwise if you get caught out away from home or if you don't intend to keep the car you end up with quick / cheap 2 year guarantee one.
The one on my first Civic broke on a weld between pipe and first back box because of a pothole shocking it at about 8 years, don't know how long it would have lasted otherwise. My wifes first Jazz exhaust went at about 10 years, but only the back section.