Yes... I too have questioned the validity of the "death stem" label. While hunting for a replacement for mine, I've come across bike shop websites selling AVA stems that they specifically state are "NOT THE DEATH STEM!" I have no idea how they know this or if they even know at all or are just trying to unload crappy stems on people. But, I don't imagine every stem that AVA ever made is faulty. Maybe a contaminated batch of metal that produced a few thousand stems or something? If they're so bad, why are they so common on all these old bikes? Shouldn't decades of riding have snapped them all off by now?

On the other hand, I really, really don't want my stem to break while I'm riding - for my sake and the sake of whoever is riding/walking/driving near me when it happens. That picture is unsettling...