We record onto a solid-state drive then transfer the files to an external drive back in the studio. Works fine.
If we could just get a firewire cable with a good firm connection that is rock solid. 
That would be nice. 
Are you sure the cable is the problem? Some laptops have poor firewire ports (HP at least). My problems ended when I started using a firewire card with 6-conductor, not the crappy 4-conductor.
That is another story. We use a firewire express card. The connectors are just not secure. If you bump the cable the whole system goes down.
Remember VGA monitors and big connector they used with two hand-tightened screws on either side? Bulky but reliable.
That was back in the day when computer manufacturers were trying to be helpful! [Am I getting cynical I wonder?] 
Oh yes. 6 pin. 
I see your point about the VGA cables, but with firewire I guess it depends on gear. If I plug off the FW-cable, all I have to do to recover is to plug it back and restart audio interface (MR816). No need to restart Cubase or even click anything.
PS. I once had a “strange” problem with firewire. Everything was setup right, but no signal. Ultimately I found out I had plugged the FW-cable to MR incorrectly, in backwards. I thought that was not possible, because it’s not symmetrical. But apparently it is possible with certain amount of force! 
Working in a dimly lit club (or in confined space in the studio) it can be hard to see detail. To reduce the risk of inserting the firewire cable backwards place coloured tape on one side of the plug and another on the matching side of the connector on the interface chassis. We also carry a small torch!
This is also helpful when using roadies or inexperienced people who may misjudge the force required to connect a cable!
The build-quality of the connector is also an issue. The connector on our STLab Express Card is a firm snug fit while the connector on our desktop PCI card is sloppy and loose. So really we cannot blame the cable. Nevertheless a firmer connector would be better.