Maybe he's a hobbyist who can't solder SMT components (yes, I know the L298/297 are available in SMT packages - but they are also very common thru-hole "DIP" devices as well, although difficult to mount on perfboards - I use special "adapter" PCBs from this guy that have worked well, though: **broken link removed**
I'll admit it isn't the best device combo, especially for a manufactured device - but then again, when you look up "h-bridge" and "stepper" on google, I would bet a fair percentage of the links go to tutorials on the L298/297 combo. If there were other IC combos (or just the h-bridge) that were thru-hole, that were better than the L298/297 (is there a better drop-in replacement for the thru-hole version, like the SN754410 is for the L293?) - I'm sure many would love to hear about it.
Got any suggestions? I would love to find a higher-power h-bridge, even if it's in a really large package - like this device I posted for help on here:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/looking-for-tec-ec-a063-datasheet.118217/
Not sure if such a thing exists (new or on the surplus market). I know that at a certain point, you have to go with discrete devices (MOSFETs) for higher-power h-bridges, but is there something out there for h-bridges between 4A and 10A, for instance? Is there a way to gang a couple of L298 (or work-a-likes) to do a similar job or increase the handling capability (I am pretty sure the 298 can't be paralleled, though I have heard the 293 being used/abused this way - but is there a way to use them in an unorthodox manner for this?).
I think more people would use other parts (especially those who aren't "designers of h-bridges") if there were some really good resources out there on the parts that do exist, and how to use them/combine them to create the systems needed for the hobbyist. Maybe then, we'd see a other chips become more prevalent? Then again, the electronics market doesn't cater to the general electronics hobbyist like it once did (which is a shame - not everybody has the skills or ability to handle SMT components).