Many millions of people are perfectly happy with Hollowtech 2 and the competitors versions. You do get failures, that's life, but it's very small if you exclude the Ultegra/Dura Ace issue on the crank arms.
You've had a failure. Yeh the bearings don't last as long, but they are cheap and easy to replace. But, your opinion alone doesn't mean they are crap, nor is it some religion of people wanting things faster etc etc.
I've had no issues with hollowtech and SRAM and FSA's version. The FSA and SRAM have had a much harder life - both fitted to the bikes that get covered in mud. The SRAM equipped bike get's ridden in horrendous conditions (MTB) and that does suffer bearings wear from ingress of mud and dirt. Costs me about £10 a side to replace the bearings (and they aren't SRAM) - I use Enduro and it's a Praxis BB shell.
I've had no axel's failing, and 99.9% of others haven't. The OP has gone out and replaced it with the same part.
I'll agree, Octalink wasn't particularly great on the axel/crank interface, but if you fitted it correctly and to the correct torque, you'd be OK - ride it with loose or badly fitted cranks, then you are stuffed - that will happen with square taper - you'll knacker the crank first.
Everyone is entitled to a view, and we/you should respect other's opinions, so please be aware 99.9% of people using these cranks don't thing they are crap. In your opinion they are crap, in the majority of opinions they are reliable.
Many Many Many people were and still are perfectly happy with Square Taper, especially those who went to the Hollow Light Church, returned with less in their wallet, to then be struck with a Lightning from the Hollow Light God, including me and the one of this topics creation.
You state here that I should respect other's opinion, as like I criticized someones choice, while the opposite is true, my experience and my findings were treated with no respect.
About your 99.9% Shiny Happy People from Rolling Eyes Movement, also mentioned earlier here in another fashion, 99.9(feel free to add 9's) % people do NOT die while riding the road, yet, the remainder that DOES die, IS used for rules, for the 100%.
Your last sentence then, it wasn't my "opinion", it was my "experience".
The only plus I experienced, also already said here and elsewhere on the forum, from Hollow Technology, was the chainring centering of Hollow Technology version Hollow Technology 2: on the bike used before my avatar bike, and used while the latter was on repair, the tension variation of the chain was near to nil (remember, case singlespeed). But its bearings failed after 5 years, and the Octalink version of Hollow Technology, failed for me due to that loosening crank, that inflicted me near accidents upon (re)discovery, and dozens if not hundred of stops along the road to check the -*--bolt.
There's only one word for such: CRAP, and I used it, Mister fossyant.
What OTHER people do, is THEIR trade-off choice, since THEIR wallet end THEIR risk.
MY trade-off Square Taper choice makes my bicycle gain 130 gram, and a square taper fail due to design as such I never had, the cranks of my Stronglight crankset broke out there pedal eye, just because there was too less alu around them, which very likely delivered the "light" in "Stronglight".
Also never had that before, so you can understand MY attitude to "light" wherever.
What's 130 gram, when the "Tarra" (that is, no luggage other than default) weight of my fixed gear avatar bicyle is E-bike grade 30 kilo, and I sometimes carry a loudspeaker of 20 kilo on my back, plus, 1 of 20 kilo on my rear rack, and, in the pocket of my T-shirt, an apple of 130 gram?
It would be ridiculous, for MY use of a bike, to join the Light Religion, let alone after the ugly experiences I had with it, in this usage.
