Yup, same thread; my opinion hasn't really changed since last week... (Imagine that!)
As for hoods though, I totally get where you're coming from- I dealt with the same situation when I needed replacement hoods for a set of 6400 STIs I picked up at a bike swap a few years ago. I paid only $20 for the shifters (which work great since I cleaned all the little bits of frayed cable out of the mechs) but $45 for new(ish) hoods.