ok, so I wrote the original post in a heat of anger at the hubs earller this morning. still: the pitting issue is legit, and speaks poorly for quality control. the only spinning the hubs got before I took them apart was in building them up. this sort of spinning can't possibly result in pitting unless maybe the hub is really really tight, which it wasn't. I do admit that it wasn't so smart to build before looking inside them.
Second, the bearings just aren't as precise as they should be. In order to remove wiggle, they have to be a little too tight. I've spent hours on this, and I also took it to a mech, who had the some idea about suzue (especilly vis a vis dura ace or campy). I mean, they are not terrible, but for the price they fetch, they should be better.
Regarding the NJS theory: mine are not stamped NJS. I think they are only NJS in 32h and mine are 28. This may or may not have anything to do with anything.
Regarding dropout squeezing: Sure, probably not the best idea. Today, I would either respace or get a 126 mm hub. But at the time, I just dug around in the spare-axle drawers of a local bike co-op until I found a rear axle with the same thread pitch. I swapped it out, squeezed again, and the replacement worked fine. At the time, I chalked the first thing up to bad luck.
Call me crazy, but I've had bad luck with suzue (and I've never understood the hologram stickers on the side either), and I'll not buy their stuff again.