I also have had more maxtor drive fail then any other (that's why i will not buy or recommend them). I have been using Seagate with a few Samsung and WD HDD for the last 10 years and have had only 6 (4 of them were early SATA 1 Drives fail) out of about 150 - 200 drive that i have purchased.
It basicaly comes down to you get what you pay for i rather spend $50 - $100 extra on a drive and know that it will last longer than go for a cheaper drive.
EDITED:
Back on topic i have had 5 2.5" drive fail over the last 4 weeks and a 3.5" scsi as well, they where all 15yr+. They were the cheaper brands so you really do get what you pay for since i have plenty of seagates, quantium and fujitsu drive working.
