hard drives dont last "long", its a fact. it'll be sooner than later that it needs to be replaced.
No doubt, and Sound Devices will continue to be the best in class vendor that i have dealt with in this industry. Everytime the 722 has had a problem, they have gone to lengths to fix it at their cost (even when doing feature enhancements)...not something you see from every company
i think a lot of 722 owners try to justify their purchase somehow, clouding their judgement. (im not saying thats what youre doing nick, just sayin')
and the folks that dont own a 722 like to bash it based on price point, pile on the preamps, etc, because they want to justify not spending the $$$ to get one...just saying...I have never been one to criticize people for spending what their ears say they should (and the wallet obviously has to agree), regardless of it is in the low $$s or the high $$s....so you wont see me do that here. But that said, of the tapes I have heard made with the other HD recorders on the market, to my ears, the sound of the AD is different...not bad necessarily, but different. And of the options on the market, there is no doubt in my mind that of all the options under $3K (to exclude the way upper end gear), none of them sound close to the 722. That said, they sound great...it isnt like it used to be...MD to DAT to MP3 recorder, but the difference is there.
And I dont know about other 722 owners, but I will speak for myself...I dont throw money around just to have a "cool piece of gear" and if it didnt sound better than other options I wouldnt have it.
As always ymmv, and to each their own.