Thanks for the information on the Alloy USA brand. As long as it's a bit stonger than the stock one I'll be happy. MAybe I'll pickup a second one and install them both when I get a few more extra $$$. That's a great idea and should be a little stronger than the OEM shafts I got in there.
Thanks for the advice on upgrading. However my experience with the 27 spline 8.25 running 33's has been good so far. I'm not a lead foot since I got a teralow installed. I creep along just fine and don't hammer the skinny pedal past 2,000 RPM. If I can't make it I stack rocks or use the winch. I've been wheeling 33's with the 27 spline 8.25 for about 5 years. No problems till I went to the Rubicon, got stupid and broke the axle there once. Really my fault. But thats what my spare was for. My bad, I didn't see I was slipping of a rock and stupidly pounded the skinny pedal, slipped of the rock and broke both the rock in three pieces with my rear shock mount as well as the axle shaft. No biggie. It took about a little time to change it on the trail.
I think I can do it in about a 30 minutes now that I know the 8.25 like the back of my hand. Other than that one time it's held up fine. I see no need to upgrade it yet.
Thanks for the advice. Even if I had a D44 I'd still carry a spare. Thanks for sharing your experiences with axles too. Someday I'll go to a 29 spline setup of even a D44 if I got a good deal. But until my 8.25 starts eating axles like candy I'm not going to worry about it. Right now I just need a good spare for a good price.