I would very much agree with that. I think they are used by defence counsel only when necessary. I think you made a very important point: Nobody wants to develop a reputation for wasting court time. It's so much of an issue now. Court time is so precious. Everybody talks about it from the moment a file comes in and you first appear in court.
Short of being dishonest to the court, the next worst reputation you could develop is for wasting court time. There's just absolutely no advantage to it. That culture has changed completely. Even if it really ever existed, it doesn't exist in people's minds anymore.