Originally Posted by
FBinNY
Personally I hate allen key only pedals (if any are still made).
Shimano's XT and XTR pedals are allen key only. Crank Brothers too (for their full range).
Originally Posted by
FBinNY
From a shop standpoint it's far better to risk struggling a bit to remove a pedal than to deal with an angry customer who's pedal fell off, or the potential consequences if he got injured in the process.
Yup. 25 ft. lbs. is nothing for a heat treated 9/16" fastener and unless the crank arm had prior damage, those threads are barely stressed by that torque too. I don't see any good reason to avoid a properly torqued pedal.